The Blessing and Peril of Invincibility
An exploration of the connection between Yaakov Avinu’s berachah to Binyamin in Parshas Vayechi and the near annihilation of Shevet Binyamin in Sefer Shoftim—and its powerful lessons for Klal Yisroel.
The berachos that Yaakov gave to his children, in a way, summed up their very essence. Each blessing allowed the corresponding Shevet to discover its individuality, to know and embrace its distinct mission. However, as revelatory as the blessings may be, they are also cryptic and difficult to understand. They are rich in metaphors, symbolizing each of their missions. However, as with all aspects of Torah, there are various ways to understand the words of Yaakov Avinu. However, true understanding comes when you can take various interpretations and weave them together as one.
For the purpose of this essay, I would like to focus on Binyamin, my ultimate namesake—one of the more enigmatic of the Shevatim.
Binyamin was the youngest of the Shevatim. He stood starkly apart from the rest of Bnei Yisrael. He was the only son born in Eretz Yisrael and never experienced the submission of bowing to Esav, as his brothers had. Chazal tell us that he was known for his quiet manner1 as well as his modesty2. Rachel’s essential characteristics—her beauty, her ability to deceive for noble purposes, and her tznius—were all hallmarks of Binyamin.
(We will see later that this may come as a surprise, as his descendants took these qualities to the opposite extreme.)
Binyamin was not involved in the bloody aftermath of the traumatic episode of Dina’s abduction. He also didn’t participate in the sale of Yosef.
Binyamin was raised without his mother, as Rachel Imeinu passed away just moments after giving birth to him. With her last strength, she named him Ben-Oni, often translated as “son of my sorrow.” However, she may have intended another connotation: “This child has taken my very life. I have put all of my strength (on in Lashon Kodesh) into him.”
The Ramchal explains that Yaakov understood that with such a name, Binyamin was likely to be vulnerable to eradication, as it would be rooted in din, and the sitra achara would constantly push against him. Instead, Yaakov renamed him Binyamin, associating him with the "right" side—the side of chesed—to connect him to the sitra of kedusha, thereby shielding him from the sitra achara3.
This background leads us to marvel at the striking beracha that Yaakov gave Binyamin—one of the shortest and most cryptic of all the berachos. It was perhaps not what we would expect for the one who was always a “child” to his father. In his deathbed blessing, Yaakov described Binyamin as a predator, capable of defending himself:
"בנימין זאב יטרף, בבוקר יאכל עד, ולערב יחלק שלל"
"Binyamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning, he devours prey, and in the evening, he divides the spoil." 4
Rashi provides several explanations for this beracha.
The first interpretation is that this is referring to the descendants of Binyamin, Shaul and Mordechai who will fight Amalek. Binyamin was a warrior tribe, renowned for their expertise in javelin and archery5. This fighting spirit is exemplified by King Shaul’s victories over the enemies of Yisrael and by Mordechai and Esther’s triumph over Haman. This aptitude for warfare made the Binyaminites a formidable force, as seen when they held their own against the rest of the nation during the tragic incident of Pilegesh B’Givah.
However, the blessing of the wolf was multifaceted, revealing different aspects throughout the tribe’s turbulent history.
Ironically, for the one named Bin-Yamin—“Son of the Right”—the Binyaminites are consistently singled out as left-handed! This irony underscores that what seems like a minor detail may hold deeper significance, as highlighted throughout Tanach. The predatory wolf of Binyamin successfully hunted its prey through cunning strategies and guerilla warfare. While the Torah and Chazal often use the "right" as a symbol of strength and justice, the “left,” though traditionally weaker, had the advantage of surprise.
Rashi's examples of both Shaul and Mordechai emphasize that although the mission to defeat Amalek rests upon all of Bnei Yisrael, it was specifically the descendants of Binyamin who were destined to play a crucial role in this battle.
Rav Hirsch expands on this point, explaining that this theme will persist until the end of days:
"Yaakov’s final glance comes to rest upon the end of days, when the last of the world powers will be overcome. At the outset of the nation’s history, Yisrael will deal a powerful blow to the wolf {Amalek}, but at the evening of time, the wolf will be completely destroyed."
Binyamin was the shevet that defeated Amalek in every generation—both at the dawn of our history and in its culmination—because he embodied the strengths of both his parents, channeling their unique capacities to wage war against the nation’s most nefarious foe.
Another interpretation that Rashi suggests is that this is referring to the incident of Pilegesh B’Givah
זְאֵב הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִטְרָף; נִבָּא עַל שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֲתִידִין לִהְיוֹת חַטְפָנִין, וַחֲטַפְתֶּם לָכֶם אִישׁ אִשְׁתּוֹ בְּפִלֶגֶשׁ בְּגִבְעָה.6
The wolf's hunting tactic reflects the actions of Binyamin’s descendants during the tragic episode of the Pilegesh B’Givah, where the tribe's aggression led to internal strife and devastating tragedy. This hardly seems like a beracha.
However, this Rashi can be translated differently, with an opposite implication. Instead of the word וַחֲטַפְתֶּם meaning “to seize forcefully” or "rape," it can refer to the end of the story, where each of the surviving men took a wife for himself from the dancing daughters of Shilo.7
This interpretation sheds light on Yaakov’s words, showing that his naming of Binyamin was prophetic. Yaakov was foretelling that although Binyamin would come perilously close to eradication, they would never be fully wiped out. Instead, they would rebuild by marrying the daughters of the other Shevatim.
We see further that when Moshe blessed the Shevatim at the end of his life, he referred to Binyamin as Yedid Hashem—a beloved friend of Hashem.
Additionally, Targum Yonason tells us that while Nachshon ben Aminadav of Yehuda was the first individual to step into the Yam Suf, it was Shevet Binyamin that was the first tribe to enter the sea as a collective whole8. This is significant because it shows that Shevet Binyamin demonstrated the courage to lead the people before Yehuda.
Rashi in Tehillim further explains that when Zevulun, Naftali, and Yehuda saw Binyamin plunging in first, they began to pelt Binyamin with stones9. This demonstrates the complex dynamics of leadership and the resentment that sometimes accompanies it. Despite the opposition, Binyamin’s unwavering bravery positioned them to play a pivotal role in the spiritual and national history of our people.
It was perhaps with all the above in mind that Binyamin felt a sense of superiority over his brothers, despite being the youngest. He believed himself to be invincible—after all, he was the Yedid Hashem, beloved by Hashem, and he could never be eradicated.
This confidence served him well when the tribe acted with righteousness. But when corruption and chaos reigned—when there was no law and order, and “every man did what was right in his own eyes”—Binyamin’s sense of invulnerability became his downfall.
It was during this time that the horrific incident of Pilegesh B’Givah took place. To summarize: a man and his pilegesh (concubine or secondary wife) were stranded in Givah, a city in Binyamin’s territory. In a grotesque, Sodom-like manner, none of the townspeople offered them hospitality for the night, until an old man—whom some say was Lot10—invited them into his home. When the townspeople heard of this, they surrounded the house and demanded to violate the man. Instead, they took the woman and brutally gang-raped her throughout the night. By morning, she was found dead on the doorstep.
The husband, in his grief and fury, dismembered her body into twelve parts and sent a piece to each of the Shevatim. This horrifying act sparked outrage, and Bnei Yisrael rose up to wage war against Shevet Binyamin.
Binyamin was given the opportunity to hand over the guilty men, but they refused. They still believed they were invincible. After all, they were the chosen ones—the tribe that could never be eradicated.
What followed was a devastating multi-day war with staggering losses on both sides. By the end, only 600 men of Binyamin had survived, finding refuge in Sela HaRimon, which is now the Arab village of Rammun. In their fury, Bnei Yisrael destroyed Binyamin’s territory—obliterating their cities, their women, children, and livestock.
This remnant of 600 men in Sela HaRimon was, as the Ramdu explains, Hashem’s fulfillment of Yaakov’s beracha11. Despite their near-total destruction, Hashem ensured that the tribe would not be completely wiped out.
However, Bnei Yisrael had sworn not to marry their daughters to Binyamin, isolating the tribe further. In some ways, Binyamin became a “lone wolf”—separate and solitary. At times, this isolation veered toward secession and tragedy, but it also fostered the fortitude needed to defeat their greatest enemy: Amalek—the “wolf” that Binyamin was destined to tear apart.
When it became evident that Binyamin was on the brink of extinction and could become the first "lost tribe," Bnei Yisrael found a way to ensure their survival. On Yom Kippur in Shilo, the young women of Bnei Yisrael danced in the vineyards, and the men of Binyamin were permitted to “choose” their zivug (intended match) from among them. In this way, Hashem ensured that Binyamin would marry into Bnei Yisrael and that their lineage would endure.
Binyamin’s story is one of constant tension between isolation and areivus—mutual responsibility. He could be dangerously divisive and yet capable of profound loyalty. His existential loneliness, rooted in the dynamics of his family history, echoed throughout time. Yet this very neutrality made him a bridge for healing the rift between the descendants of Rachel and Leah. This may be why his nachalah (territory) was nestled between theirs—a symbol of his role as a unifying force among the Shevatim.12
The Izhbitzer in Mei HaShiloach explains that Binyamin’s role was to gather all the good scattered among the nations and bring it into Yisrael. Perhaps we can take this idea further and suggest that there is a bit of Binyamin in each of us. We all possess something unique, special, and holy—something inextinguishable and invincible. Sometimes, it may have come from questionable or unclear sources, but once it becomes part of us, it is ours. It belongs to us because we are all, in some way, Binyamin.
For this reason, the Mishna13 tells us that there were no happier days for Klal Yisrael than that unforgettable Yom Kippur in Shilo, when the beracha to Binyamin was fulfilled and the Jewish people became truly united and invincible.
Yet, with this sense of invincibility comes a profound responsibility. We must be careful not to let it blind us to what is correct and true.
The Midrash teaches14:
"ר' בנימין בר לוי ור' יונתן בן עמרם תרוייהו אמרין הכל בחזקת סומין עד שהקב"ה מאיר עיניהן"
"Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi and Rabbi Yonasan ben Amram both said: Everyone is presumed to be blind until Hashem opens their eyes."
We do not see anything unless Hashem wills us to see it.
Rabbi Binyamin taught that all of us are blind until Hashem illuminates our eyes and reveals what was right in front of us all along.
Binyamin himself was "blind" in this sense—his tribe wandered dangerously close to destruction. But on that Yom Kippur in Shilo, when the men of Binyamin found their zivugim, Hashem was declaring: "You are not only invincible—you are now whole. And now, so are all of My children."
The blessing of invincibility is the strength to endure, but its peril lies in the blindness that can lead us astray from truth and humility. When we recognize our inner strength with humility and purpose, we become invincible and unbreakable in our unity and destiny.
Previous posts on Parashas Vayechi:
Where Did The Kavod Go? איה מקום כבודו
Stepping Stones to the Geulah
Bereishis Rabbah 71:5
Megillah 13b
Biur L’Tanach, Vayishlach
Bereishis 49:27
Shoftim 20:16; Divrei HaYamim II 14:7
Based on Shoftim Ch. 21
This is the translation found in the Metsudah commentary and is how Rav Lopiansky explains it in Yesodei HaNeviim - page 186.
Shmuel Alef 15:17
Tehillim 68:28; see also Sotah 37a
Rav Moshe Dovid Vali, Sefer Shoftim
Rav Moshe Dovid Vali, Sefer Shoftim
My brother, Rabbi Sender Haber, suggested that Binyamin was considered a "Yedid Hashem" only when there was a Beis HaMikdash or Mishkan within their territory. However, during the episode of Pilegesh B'Givah, the Mikdash had not yet been built, and they were far from being recognized as "Yedid Hashem."
Taanis 4:8
Midrash Sechel Tov, Bereishis 21:19; see also Bereishis Rabbah 53:14
Beautiful and fascinating. Thank you for sharing.