OU TORAH NAALEH.COM and YU TORAH Reuven’s Reality By Shira Smiles

Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein We are told that when parents name a baby, they are endowed with a touch of prophecy, and the name they bestow on their infant will somehow embody his essence. Parshat Vayetze encompasses the birth and naming of eleven of the twelve sons of Yaakov that would constitute the twelve tribes of Israel. The first of those sons was Reuven. When he was born, the Torah tells us “[Leah] called his name Reuven, as she had declared, ‘Because Hashem has discerned my humiliation, for now my husband will love me.’ “