Benjamin from the 12 Tribes of Israel
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Benjamin - The Ravenous Consumer“She named him the son of my suffering, and his father called him Benjamin.” (Gen. 35:18)
The youngest of the twelve tribes, Benjamin, was named by his mother Rachel, who died in childbirth. His father, Jacob, changed his name from “the son of my suffering” to “son of the right hand”: a name that represents the strength that comes from pain, the power of transformation. Benjamin seeks out the Divine energy housed within matter and elevates it, transforming the material into the spiritual. The sun is setting over the hills of Jerusalem, and the illuminated windows of the city send their warm glow out to the rest of the world. The confusion of twilight dissolves in the peaceful vision of a city, held securely and quietly nestled in the hills around it. Jerusalem is the heart of the Land and the heart of the nation. It is strong and at peace, a peace that extends outward towards the viewer and to the outer edges of the painting, where an olive branch tentatively spreads its leaves in a prayerful motion inviting us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalms 122:6)
The deep reds of the setting sun in this painting reflect the tribe of Benjamin's gemstone, a maroon jasper. |
Detailed Explanation
- Essential Quality - Strength and Transformation
- Birth Mother - Rachel
- Birth Order - Twelfth
- Mother's Naming - And it was when she (Rachel) had difficulty in her labour that the midwife said to her, "Have no fear, for this one, too, is a son for you." And it came to pass, as her soul was departing - for she died - that she called his name Ben-oni, bue his father called him Benjamin. (Genesis, 35:17-18)
- Landscape - The Jerusalem hills and the Old City of Jeruselem with a view towards a sunset in the west.
- Gemstone - Jasper
- Father (Jacob) Blessing - "Benjamin is a predatory wolf; in the morning he will devour prey and in the evening he will distribute spoils." (Genesis, 49:27)
- Kabbalah - Benjamin is hungry, hungry for the Divine sparks in all of existence. So, like a ‘ravenous wolf’ Benjamin recognizes that his mission is to passionately seek out the Divine energy embedded in matter, devour it, consume and elevate it. (Jacobson, Simon from Twelve Tribes - Twelve Paths)