וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֜ן בִּימֵ֣י קְצִיר־חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּמְצָ֤א דֽוּדָאִים֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיָּבֵ֣א אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־לֵאָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רָחֵל֙ אֶל־לֵאָ֔ה תְּנִי־נָ֣א לִ֔י מִדּוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנֵֽךְ׃
Ora, saiu Rúben nos dias da ceifa do trigo e achou <span class="x" onmousemove="Show('perush','Heb.: “Dudá” ou “dudái”. Árabe: “lafaĥ”. Nome científico: Mandragora officinalis. Planta muito encontrada na Terra de Israel, cujas flores são violetas, e cujos frutos são amarelados ao estarem maduros. Atribui-se a esta fruta propriedades afrodisíacas e procriativas. Esta é a razão pela qual Raquel dera tanta importância aos frutos: via neles um meio medicinal para sua dificuldade de engravidar.');" onmouseout="Hide('perush');">mandrágoras</span> no campo, e as trouxe a Léia, sua mãe. Então disse Raquel a Léia: Dá-me, peço, das mandrágoras de teu filho.
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
Nachmanides, in his commentary on Numbers 2,2, states that the flag of the camp of Yehudah featured the image of a lion, in accordance with Genesis 49,9, which compares him to a lion. The flag of the camp of Reuben featured the image of Adam, reminding us of the דודאים containing the letters "אדם," as we read in Genesis 30,14. The flag of the camp of Ephrayim featured the image of an ox, שור, seeing Moses had described Joseph as בכור שורו הדר לו, in his blessing in Deut. 33,17. Lastly, the flag of the camp of Dan featured the image of an eagle, based on Deut. 32,11, "כנשר יעיר קנו,” "like an eagle who rouses his nestlings." This was appropriate since Dan's position as the rearguard of the army required him both to protect the rear and hurry up the slow moving ones in front of him to move faster. The overall effect of these camps and their flags corresponded to the vision of Ezekiel of the מרכבה, as we have mentioned earlier. [Although Yonathan ben Uzziel has the flag of Dan displaying a snake instead of an eagle, as in Genesis 49,17, this need not contradict Nachmanides, since the Tziyoni quotes Kabbalists as saying that the body of the picture was indeed a snake, but that the snake had the wings of an eagle. The latter suggests the attribute of mercy, רחמים.]
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