Jacob's blessing, Genesis 49
"Reuben, you are my first-born.
My might and first fruit of my vigor;
Exceeding in rank
and exceeding in honor
Unstable as water,
you shall excel no longer..."
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Mose's blessing, Deuteronomy 33,
May Reuben live and not die
Though few be his numbers
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Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar 2
His gem was a Ruby (ODEM),
his flag was red.
It had an image of a mandragore.
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Reuben
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Reuben is the first son on Jacob and Lea. Reuben disappointed his father in his personal behaveor and in the way he did his duty as the firstborn. Therefore Jacob discontinued Reuben's special status as the Eldest. The "firstborn's right" to a double share in the heritage was given to Joseph, the firstborn of the beloved wife, Rachel. Therefore we find that there is no "Tribe of Joseph", but rather two tribes, Efrayim and Menashe - the two sons of Joseph.
The emblem of Reuben is - mandragore.
The tribe of Reuben, though numerous and rich at first, played no special role in the Israeli history. Just before the entry to the Land of Israel, Reubenites, together with the tribe of Gad, approached Moses and asked to grant them the trans-jordanean territories already occupied by Israel. In return, they offered to send their warriors as the vanguard in the head of the hosts of Israel. The ambigous Mosaic verses
"May Reuben live and not die
Though few be his numbers"
may be also translated / interpreted otherwise:
May (all) Reubenites live, (and suffer no loss at war) so the number of soldiers going forth would equal to the number of returning
The Window contains the mandragore leaves. The blue background and the fish represent the "unstable as water" verse. The fish is the symbol of fruitifulness. The radiant circle at the top, signifies the sunrise, which, in its turn, recalls the firstborn status of Reuben - My might and first fruit of my vigor.
