זוהר, וישלח כ״אZohar, Vayishlach 21

Segment 1א׳

וַיְהִי בִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָרֶץ הַהִיא וַיֵּלֶךְ רְאוּבֵן וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת בִּלְהָה פִּלֶּגֶשׁ אָבִיו וַיִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּהְיוּ בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, וַיְהִי בִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָרֶץ הַהִיא, דְּהָא לֵאָה וְרָחֵל מִיתוּ, וְנָטְלָא בֵּיתָא מַאן דְּנָטִיל.

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHILE ISRAEL DWELT IN THAT LAND, THAT REUBEN WENT AND LAY WITH BILHAH HIS FATHER’S CONCUBINE; AND ISRAEL HEARD OF IT. NOW THE SONS OF JACOB WERE TWELVE. R. Eleazar said: ‘The term dwelt (sh’kon) indicates that Leah and Rachel had died by that time, and the house had been taken over by the new mistress (the Shekinah).

Segment 2ב׳

וְכִי סַלְקָא דַעְתָּךְ דִּרְאוּבֵן אָזִיל וְשָׁכִיב בַּהֲדָהּ דְּבִלְהָה. אֶלָּא, כָּל יוֹמָא דְּלֵאָה וְרָחֵל שְׁכִינְתָּא שַׁרְיָיא עֲלַיְיהוּ. וְהַשְׁתָּא דְמִיתוּ, שְׁכִינְתָּא לָא אִתְפְּרָשַׁת מִן בֵּיתָא, וְשַׁרְיָא בְּבֵיתָא בְּמִשְׁכְּנָא דְבִלְהָה. וְאַף עַל גַּב דִּשְׁכִינְתָא בַּעְיָא לְנַטְלָא בֵּיתָא כְּדְקָא יָאוֹת, אִלְמָלֵא יַעֲקֹב לָא אִשְׁתַּכַּח בְּזִוּוּגָא דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא, לָא שַׁרְיָא שְׁכִינְתָּא בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא בְּבֵיתָא. וְעַל דָּא קָיְימָא שְׁכִינְתָּא בְּמַשְׁכְּנָא דְבִלְהָה. וְאָתָא רְאוּבֵן וּבְגִין דְּחָמָא דְבִלְהָה יָרְתָא אַתְרָא דְאִמֵּיהּ, אֲזַל וּבִלְבֵּל עַרְסָא. וְעַל דְּקָיְימָא שְׁכִינְתָּא עֲלָהּ, כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת בִּלְהָה.

In spite of the words of the text, we are not to suppose that Reuben really lay with Bilhah. The truth is that during the lives of Leah and Rachel the Shekinah hovered over them; and now that they had died the Shekinah never departed from the house, but took up there her abode, namely, in the tent of Bilhah; nor would it have been found there had not Jacob formed a new union of male and female. But Reuben, in his displeasure at seeing Bilhah filling his mother’s place, came and disarranged the couch; and because the Shekinah rested on it, it is written, “And he lay with Bilhah”.’

Segment 3ג׳

רַבִּי יֵיסָא אָמַר, דְּנָאִים עַל הַהוּא עַרְסָא וְלָא חַיִּישׁ לִיקָרָא דִשְׁכִינְתָּא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ לָא אִתְפְּגִים מֵחוּשְׁבָּנָא דְשִׁבְטִין וְאָתָא קְרָא וְעֲבִיד חוּשְׁבְּנָא. בְּגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, בְּכוֹר יַעֲקֹב רְאוּבֵן. וְאִיהוּ עָבִיד קְרָא רֵישָׁא דְּכָל שִׁבְטִין.

R. Jesse said that Reuben laid himself down to sleep on that couch, thus showing disrespect to the Shekinah. Hence Reuben was not excluded from the list of the tribes; and so Scripture relates that “the sons of Jacob were twelve”, commencing with Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, thus putting him at the head of the tribes.