זבולון בן יעקב

Zevulun, Jacob's son, is the tribe of the sea and commerce, who taught that even one engaged in earning a living is a partner in Torah. Jacob blessed him 'Zevulun shall dwell at the shore of the seas' (Genesis 49:13), a tribe that dwelt on the seacoast, engaged in commerce and seafaring, and brought merchandise from distant lands.

But Zevulun's greatness lay not only in wealth, but in that he placed his wealth in the service of the spirit. The covenant with Issachar is the heart of the story: Zevulun went out to the sea and supported his brother Issachar who sits and studies, and his share in the reward of the Torah equals that of the learner. He understood that labor can be a full partner to holiness.

Tradition stresses that Zevulun was placed before Issachar in Moses's blessing, 'rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out,' though Issachar is older, for without the supporter the learner cannot learn. The honor is given precisely to the one who bears the yoke of earning a living and enables the Torah to exist.

What do we learn from him? That one who earns a living honestly, when he places his labor in the service of the spirit, is a full partner in Torah. Zevulun teaches that there is no opposition between labor and holiness but a partnership, and that one who supports a Torah learner takes an equal share in its reward, for without him the Torah could not exist.