Asher • Asher son of Zilpah
Asher son of Jacob
Biblical EraYahrzeit pageAsher is the eighth son of Jacob, born to Zilpah, the maidservant of Leah, and he is the father of the tribe of Asher. Leah gave him his name, saying at his birth, In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy; hence the name is derived from joy and blessing. Asher was …
Biography
Asher is the eighth son of Jacob, born to Zilpah, the maidservant of Leah, and he is the father of the tribe of Asher. Leah gave him his name, saying at his birth, In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy; hence the name is derived from joy and blessing. Asher was among those who went down to Egypt with Jacob and his sons, and there he passed away. According to the midrash he lived 123 years. According to the Book of Jubilees, Asher was born on the second of Shevat. His sons were Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, and Beriah, and Serach their sister, and the Book of Chronicles lists his descendants down to the heads of the fathers' houses. Jacob's blessing to Asher promised him a fertile inheritance: Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties; and the blessing of Moses: Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in Haran to his father Jacob and his mother Zilpah, the maidservant of Leah. His name was given by Leah, who said at his birth, In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy. Asher grew up in Jacob's household together with his brothers, and in his adulthood he was among those who went down to Egypt with Jacob's family.
Family
His father was Jacob, and his mother was Zilpah, the maidservant of Leah. His sons were Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, and Beriah, and Serach their sister. According to the Book of Jasher, Asher married Adon daughter of Afelal, who died childless; after her death he married Hadurah daughter of Avimael son of Ever, from whom his sons were born, and together with her he adopted her daughter Serach.
Key Events
Jacob's blessing to Asher before his death: Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties, a promise of a fertile inheritance and abundance. Moses' blessing: Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil, a blessing of abundance in oil that expresses the wealth of Asher's portion in the Galilee. Asher was also counted among those who went down to Egypt, and his descendants were numbered among the seventy souls of Jacob's household.
Influence
From Asher came the tribe of Asher, which inherited its portion in the western Galilee, where the abundance of olive oil was renowned, as expressed in Moses' blessing, and let him dip his foot in oil. According to the literature of the Sages, the children of Israel brought up the bones of the tribal heads from Egypt to the Land, and when they finished settling they buried Asher in Kedesh Naphtali. The tradition of the midrash attributes to Asher a house of study and constant engagement with Torah, and Midrash Talpiot ascribes to his merit the deliverance of those who study the Oral Torah.
Death
Asher passed away in Egypt, and according to the midrash he lived 123 years. According to the literature of the Sages, the children of Israel brought up the bones of the tribal heads to the Land, and when they finished settling in the year 1265 BCE, they buried him in Kedesh Naphtali, as stated in the Book of Jasher: And Naphtali and Asher they buried in Kedesh Naphtali, each man in his place. The day of his passing, according to Yalkut Shimoni, is the twentieth of Shevat.
His Way and Views
Faith
Asher was among the sons of Jacob who went down to Egypt, and Moses' blessing upon him, let him be acceptable to his brethren, expresses the serenity and brotherhood attached to his tribe. The Sages linked the tribe of Asher to an abundance of Torah and constant engagement with it.
Ethics
The figure of Asher teaches about the bond between gratitude and blessing. Leah gave thanks for her happiness and named her son Asher, and the happiness of the tribe was expressed in the abundance and serenity of its portion, a fat and oil-blessed inheritance.
Character
Asher symbolizes joy and blessing. His name was given by Leah out of gratitude to the Creator, Jacob's blessing promised him abundance and royal dainties, and the tradition of the Sages describes him as one who sat and engaged in Torah continually.
Famous Quotes
"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties (Genesis 49:20)"
"Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil (Deuteronomy 33:24)"
"And Leah said, In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy; and she called his name Asher (Genesis 30:13)"
Famous Stories
The meaning of his name: Leah named her son Asher and said, In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy. The Sages expounded that the name expresses joy and blessing, and Leah's gratitude for being counted among the mothers.
The stone of tarshish: according to Midrash Talpiot, Asher's stone on the breastplate was tarshish, called chrysolite, whose color is like thick oil and whose property aids digestion, corresponding to Out of Asher his bread shall be fat.
The virtue of Asher: in the name of Midrash Talpiot it is said that one who studies Mishnah will be saved from the judgment of Gehinnom in the merit of Asher. This tradition expresses the bond formed between Asher and the study of the Oral Torah.
Asher and Naphtali at Jacob's burial: the Gemara in tractate Sotah relates that when the tribes came to bury Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah, Esau blocked their entry, and Naphtali the swift was sent to bring the deed from Egypt. Asher is mentioned alongside him in the burial tradition at Kedesh Naphtali.
Dispute over the site of the grave: alongside the accepted tradition pointing to Kedesh Naphtali, the Samaritan tradition identifies Asher's grave at Nebi Tuba in Tubas, and scholars have proposed identifying it in an ancient mosque in Shechem.
Grave Site
Grave Details
- Grave Name
- Tomb of Asher and Naphtali, sons of Jacob
- City
- Kedesh Naphtali
- Country
- Israel
Photo Gallery
Timeline
The birth of Asher in Haran, son of Jacob and Zilpah
When Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, Asher was counted among those who descended
Jacob blesses Asher: Out of Asher his bread shall be fat
The passing of Asher in Egypt, on the 20th of Shevat according to Yalkut Shimoni
The tribe of Asher inherits its portion in the western Galilee
Asher's bones are brought up from Egypt and buried in Kedesh Naphtali
Legacy
Asher is the father of the tribe of Asher, which inherited its portion in the western Galilee, a portion renowned for its abundance of olive oil, as expressed in Moses' blessing. The name of the tribe is linked to joy, blessing, and abundance, and the tradition of the Sages ascribed to his merit the deliverance of those who study the Oral Torah. His grave is marked today at Kedesh Naphtali, alongside the grave of Naphtali.