First Born Sons and How They Differ From Following Siblings

 Nadene Goldfoot                                      

                                          12 sons of Jacob

1. Ruben, 2. Simeon, 3. Levi, 4. Judah, 5.Issachar, 6. Zebulun, 7. Gad, 8. Asher, 5th son also 9. Dan;   6th son also 10th. Naphtali, 11. Joseph and 12. Benjamin-the baby.  They are the descendants of Abraham son of Terah, and Abram's son Isaac and his son Jacob who had a name change to Israel.  Thus, we have Jacob. 

Considering that women, except for our four matriarchs of Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Rebekah, were rarely mentioned in the Bible, it does not surprise me that a son was special.  We also have the handmaidens Zilpah for Leah and Bilhah for Rachel who each had 2 sons fathered by Jacob.  Dan and Naphtali by Bilhah  were born at about the same time as Issachar and Zebulun by Leah.  

Fraternal twins not identical twins were Jacob and Esau in looks and behaviors.  Esau thought so little of his privilege being first-born that he sold his rights to his twin, Jacob, causing them to become enemies later on.  This symbolizes the 2 nations of Edom and Israel and their fights.  

Special privileges and the preponderant part of the father's estate passed to the eldest son, this being the origin of rivalry between Jacob/Israel and Esau, his twin.  (Gen 27).  This also set the tradition to other people, even in England much later on.  Reuben was the oldest, the First-Born son.  

Jacob, when about to die, told each son his future. 

 To Reuben he said, Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and my initial vigor, foremost in rank and foremost in power.  Water-like impetuosity---you cannot be foremost, because you mounted your father's bed;  then you desecrated Him who ascended my couch. ( By this, Jacob took his first-born rights away.)

Reuben is known for opposing his younger brothers' plot against Joseph. He later volunteered surety for Benjamin during his visit to Egypt (Gen.42) Reuben had incestuous relations with Jacob's concubine/Wife Bilhah -Rachel's handmaid. (not really blood relation).  For this he lost his first-born rights because Jacob was furious and so he transferred the rights to Joseph.  (Gen.48-49).  

This privilege is also implied in Jacob's blessing (Gen. 49) of his sons.  According to the Torah (Bible/ Pentateuch) a double share of the father's inheritance belongs to the first born son and this privilege could not be withdrawn or withheld under any circumstances.  These privileges were linked with The responsibility of the first born regarding the care of the other children.  The action of Reuben while in Canaan, the first born of Jacob and by Leah--at age 17, shepherding with half brothers of Bilhah and Zilpah in the story of Joseph (Gen 37:22-29-30).  Reuben had told his brothers not to shed any blood of Joseph when the Ishmaelite caravan had come along and they got rid of Joseph by selling him to them.  In other words, his big brother had done what he could to protect his life.  

While on the Exodus, the heads of the tribe of Reuben-Dathan, Abiram, On, unsuccessfully claimed the right to serve as priests (Num 16).  

When the Israelites settled in Canaan, the tribe of Reuben requested and received territory in Moab (Transjordan) which was fertile but presented political problems, even then.  nd eventually much of their territory fell into the hands of the Moabites or Ammonites.  

Reuben was one of the ten tribes exiled to Assyria by Tiglath-Pileser in 721 BCE.  Possibly because of its isolated situation of being in Transjordan, Reuben's tribe played little part in the history of the Israelite tribes after the settlement in Canaan.  

Modern Israel legislation has adopted the Ottoman Law of Inheritance  since 1948 which grants no special privileges to the first born.             

                        Leavings from Sacrificial Period

According to the Biblical injunction, every first-born of the womb, whether of man or beast, is considered as belonging to the Lord. (Exod.13:11-16)  Humans must be redeemed and clean animals (only acceptable phylum-like no pigs)  sacrificed (Lev. 27:26). This is the REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST-BORN.  The redemption consists in the payment of 5 shekels, or its equivalent in goods, to the priest 30 days after the birth of the first-born son.  

However, since redemption is considered a release from Temple service, originally destined for the first-born hut later given to the Levites (Num:3:12-13;  45-51), the first-born of priests or Levites or even of a woman of priestly or levitical birth married to an ordinary Israelite, need not he redeemed. 

 Nor does redemption apply to one born in a Caesarean operation or subsequent to a miscarriage.  

The ceremony of the Redemption of the First-Born on the 30th day after birth by paying a sum of silver to a Cohen (who generally devotes the amount to charity) is accompanied by the recital of a special formula and blessing.  

Clean animals were given to the priest who offered them as sacrifices.  First-born animals which developed blemishes were considered profane and could be eaten by anyone. 

 The restrictions against making profane use of first-horn animals apply even after the destruction of the Temple.  For this reason, it is customary for an Orthodox Jew to "sell" an animal to a gentile prior to her first delivery in order to circumvent the difficulties in making use of  male first-born.  The first-born of unclean animals are profane, except that of the ass which, if not killed by cervical dislocation, must be redeemed by a sheep or its monetary equivalent

A later custom developed in the late Gaonic period with the first-born fasting on the day preceding Passover.  This was instituted to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelite first-horn from the 10th plague.  It was later somewhat modified by permitting the breaking  of the fast at a SEUDAT MITZVAH. It therefore became customary to conclude the study of a talmudic treatise on Nissan 14 (day on calendar) so as to permit the holding of a feast.  

REDEMPTION, to be redeemed means what?  In Hebrew this is geulah.  It's a religious and a philosophic concept expressing man's striving or desire for personal and social improvement, emphasizing the difference between  reality and the ideal.  The Jewish example is the Exodus from Egypt.  A final redemption was expected even earlier in Judaism  as a historical event.  A fuller development in Judaism associated a metaphysical change in the order of creation.  Isaac Luria of Safed taught that it could be effected by man's actions in bringing about Tikkun Ha-Olam-the mending of the universe.  In modern times, a purely secular interpretation of redemption has developed in the Zionist striving for a Jewish national home once again.  University of Haifa offered a course in discussing this topic in 2022.  

  Resource:

Tanakh, Stone Edition

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

https://uhaifa.org/winter-course-israel-jewish-redemption-or-national-demise