The Tribe of Zebulon in Rabbinical Thought
Contents:
1. Zebulon (sometimes spelt "Zebulun") in the Bible
2. Zebulon by the Sea
3. Zebulon Fears the Almighty
4. Zebulon had a Monopoly over Blue Dye
5. Aspaclaria: References to Zebulon in Classical Rabbinical Sources
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1. Zebulon (sometimes spelt "Zebulun") in the Bible
Genesis 30:
20 And Leah said, 'God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons' So she called his name Zebulun.
Genesis 35:
23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun;
Genesis 46:
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
Genesis 49:
13 Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
Note: the expression "by the haven of the sea" in the original Hebrew "Le-Chof-Yamim," literally means "Shores of the Sea."
Deuteronomy 33:
18 And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, And Issachar in your tents!
19 They shall call the peoples to the mountain;
There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness;
For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas
And of treasures hidden in the sand.
Judges 5:
14 From Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, From Machir rulers came down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter's staff.
Judges 5:
18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
1-Chronicles 12:
33 of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks;
Isaiah 9:
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.
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2. Zebulon by the Sea
Rabbi Natan Yehudah Mintsberg, "Ben Melech, Torah."
Genesis 30:
19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Leah said, 'God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.' So she called his name Zebulun.
Rashi says the name Zebulon connotes a dwelling place.
Genesis 49:
13 Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea ["Chof Yamim," i.e. Shores of the Sea];
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
Zebulon has the quality of choosing a good place to dwell in.
His wealth and success emanate from his choice of location.
Zebulon likes to dwell besides the sea.
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3. Zebulon Fears the Almighty
Tsadok Rabinowitz, "Takanat HaShavim"
The name "Zebulon" connotes dwelling.
His attribute is natural fear of heaven that restrains lust.
This is hinted at by the blue in the Tsistits hinting at the hidden holiness in the Israelite nature.
[See: Bible-2. BRIT-AM Research Findings on Biblical Matters.
#3. Biblical Blue? What Color Was Tekhelet?
https://hebrewnations.com/features/bible/bible2.html
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4. Zebulon had a Monopoly over Blue Dye
Chaim Manis HaLevi, "Ashed haNachalim,"
Zebulon was a tribe that risked its life (Judges
Chilazon was found in the territory of Zebulon. This land produces the blue dye (Techelet) which is like the sky and the sea.
Zebulon was given a monopoly over this product. Nobody from other Tribes was allowed to take it without paying for it.
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5. Aspaclaria: References to Zebulon in Classical Rabbinical Sources
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Rashi:
(a) The Shores of the Sea (Genesis 49:13). His land will be the sea-shore. He will always be found on a shore for ships, a place that serves as a port where ships bring their merchandise unto... He will supply food to the Tribe of Issachar.
Thev end of his border shall reach unto Sidon.
(b) "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out" (Deuteronomy 33:18). He will be successful in Trade.
"For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas, And of treasures hidden in the sand" (Deuteronomy 33:18). This refers to Tirit [a kind of fish, thought to be a type of sardine]; Chilazon [a sea mollusc producing blue dye, techelet], and white glass [perhaps transparent glass, produced from sea-sand]. All these things come from the sea and they were located in the Territories of Zebulon and Issachar. They were paid well for these products (Deuteronomy 33:19).
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Iben Ezra.
"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out" (Deuteronomy 33:18). To war, cf. "Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death" (Judges 5:18).
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Rabaynu Bachai:
Zebulon will be rewarded for helping Issachar to learn Torah.
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Akeda:
Zebulon ruled over strategic points in [the city of] Sidon and took tribute from them (Genesis 49:13).
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Seforno:
"They shall call the peoples to the mountain" (Deuteronomy 33: 19).
Buyers will come to their good hill because they will have produce that is otherwise difficult to obtain. They receive this from the sea and from the sand of the sea.
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Natziv ("Ha-Emek Davar"):
They will bring in ships booty that they have taken from their enemies.
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Malbim:
They used to sail the seas guided by the stars. The Tribe of Zebulon was helped by members of the Tribe of Issachar who were experts in astronomy and computation.