parshat vayechi

yakov wishes to bless all his children before is passing   and does in the order of their birth from the eldest son Reuven first to the youngest son Benyamin last. however the blessing each receive differs. some of the blessing appear as rebukes for past failures and disappointments others act as encouragement for good deeds done and future events while some seem  be prophesy for the Jewish people and each individual tribe. the blessings also indicated the equality and yet various order of leadership and hierarchy between the brothers and hence the Jewish people in the future.

of note is how yakov blesses and describes his first born Reuven. "Reuvan , you are my firstborn, my strength, my first of vigor.privileged with priesthood and privileged with kingship. haste like running water...you will not be privileged".  rashi explains that Reuven was worthy of being both king and priest but because he acted hasty and out of anger he lost these privileges.

however one might ask;  Is this alone enough of a reason to have Reuven loss so much!. even yehuda who was chosen over Reuven to be king was not perfect and made mistakes in judgment?

possible we can explain that the key here is not personal perfection but the quality needed for leadership. Reuvan was indeed greater then yehuda in  personal stature but what was lacking was proper judgement. a leader does not need to be perfect and sometimes it is better if he is not. however what is imperative and needed is understanding a situation on a deeper level. the deeper picture. that which is implicit without needing for it to be explained.

Reuven could not take a hint and acted on a superficial level. the now and the present was more important then the depth and the future. he did this when he suggested throwing yosef into the pit instead of suggesting he be returned to yakov. yehuda and Reuven made the wrong decision in what they did with yosef. the right choice would have been to return him to his father yakov yet  the difference between yehuda and ruevan was that ruevan wished to save yosef  from death but  hid his intention by advising the brothers to through yosef into the pit while yehuda confronted his brothers and said let us not kill him lets sell him.  ruevans choice was based on a a quick reaction to the danger yosef was in and the what the brothers where doing. he wished to find a quick way out by using a diversion and tricking the brothers. while yehuda's choice was thought through and based on the responsibility and guilt each brother would be taking upon themselves if hey directly shed his blood. but he never thought of returning yosef to yakov. ruevna did think that and he would have stood up and stated his opinion that let us return yosef they would have respected him and done so.

ruevan also did not think it through when he moved his father bed from the tent of Rachel's maid servant his mothers tent.

to be a leader you need not be perfect not righteous but you do need to control your anger, emotions and see intellectually with the eyes of your mind  a little beneath the surface.

 when yakov said he acted hastily like water; he meant to say that he acted too quickly without seeing and realizing the deeper and broader picture.