The Personalities of the Tribes

We get certain insights into the personalities of the various sons of Yakov. Our first introduction to Yosef is that he was a pretty annoying brother.

He seemed to boast about his favored status with their father, and he told them about his dreams that hinted to his superiority.

Reuven was the oldest brother but did not use good discretion. He meddled into his father’s personal affairs by moving his father’s bed into his mother’s tent. He later made a foolish offer to his father that he could kill his own two sons, if he didn’t bring back Binyamin.

Yehuda had leadership skills and his suggestion to sell Yosef was followed by his brothers. They later blamed him for this bad decision. He also married a woman from Canaan, which was frowned upon. He later redeemed himself and showed he was king material.

Shimon and Levi seemed to have an anger issue. Yakov cursed them for their anger. Not only did they wipe out the males of Shechem, but they also wanted to kill Yosef.

The four sons of the maidservants, Dan, Naftali, Gad, and Asher, seemed to have a less influential role in the family.

When Yakov was on his deathbed, he blessed and got a clearer picture of the natures of his twelve sons. What is important to note is that despite their very different personalities, they were all considered very righteous men.