What is Reuben?
{{for|the sandwich|Reuben sandwich}} '''Reuben''' was the son of [[Jacob]] and [[Leah]] in the Book of [[Genesis]]. ==Birth== [[Jacob]] was in [[love]] with [[Rachel]], the [[daughter]] of [[Laban]] and asked to marry her. Laban said he would let Jacob marry her if he worked for him as a [[shepherd]] for seven [[year]]s. Jacob worked for those years but they felt like they were only seven [[day]]s because of how much he [[love]]d Rachel. But then, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Rachel’s older [[sister]] [[Leah]] instead of marrying her and said he didn’t believe in the younger daughter marrying before her older sister married so Jacob had to work for Laban for another seven years so that Laban would let him marry Rachel. Jacob loved [[Rachel]] but he did not love [[Leah]] so [[Leah]] [[pray]]ed to the Lord saying “give me [[children]], for I am despised”. So the Lord had [[mercy]] on her and she became [[pregnant]] and gave [[birth]] to a [[son]]. And Leah said “now my [[husband]] shall [[love]] me” and [[name]]d her son Reuben. ==Mandrakes== After Leah gave [[birth]] to [[Simeon]], [[Levi]] and [[Judah (Biblical personage)]], [[Bilhah]] gave [[birth]] to [[Gad]] and [[Asher]], [[Zilpah]] gave birth to [[Dan]] and [[Naphtali]] and Leah gave birth to [[Zebulun]] and [[Issachar]], then Reuben found [[mandrake]]s and gave them to his [[mother]] [[Leah]]. When Rachel asked Leah for the [[mandrake]]s,Leah said “first you take from me my [[husband]] and now the [[mandrake]]s of my [[son]]” and agreed to give Rachel the mandrakes if Leah became Jacob’s main [[wife]]. ==Bilhah== It’s written in the [[Torah]] that Reuben lay down with [[Bilhah]] and that his [[father]] Jacob heard about it. (Genesis 35:22) Though the [[Talmud]] says that this was a [[metaphor]] and that Reuben actually took Bilhah’s [[bed]] from his father’s [[tent]] but that this was seen as being like the [[sin]] of [[incest]] (Shabbat 55) and says that this works because in the [[Book of Job]] wanting to commit [[incest]] is seen as committing