אהיה אשר אהיה, אבני החושן, שנים עשר השבטים, אמנות יהודית
אהיה אשר אהיה, אבני החושן, שנים עשר השבטים, אמנות יהודית

The twelve tribes, the flags and the symbols

he Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard

(Numbers 1 52)

The idea of banners to which the People of Israel were first exposed to was in Mount Sinai when they were blessed with divine sights an saw the angels bear bannrs, and grew jealous of the angels an wanted such banners as well.
The ancient banners were woven out of cloth dyed in the colors of the tribe on which its sybol wa embroidered.
The symbol of the tribe was determined according to an event or a blessing given by the Patriarch Jacob.
Th olor of the banner was identical to th color of the Hoshen gemstone representing it.
The camp banners were required to mark out he physical location of the group within the camp, and for those returning to it from without.
Each tribe performs its intened mission. Everyone knows what his place and what his banner is.
The distinction and apartness of each tribe on its own constituted the unity of all tribes together – the unity of the nation.
The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses.
Everyone adopted himself to the tribe to which his soul drew him, and by his desire to serve his role in this world, an hence no one was jealous of his brother.

Tribe of Reuben

The color of the banner is red. On it is embroidered an image ofmandrakes. This is a ymbol of the Mandrakes Reauben picked for his mother.

Tribe of Simon

The color of the banner is green. The symbol embroidered on the banner was the City of Schem, in memorial of the revenge of Simon on the residents of the City o Schem for permitting the rape of his sister Dina.

Tribe of Levi

The flag was made up of three colors: white, black and red. The symbol embroided onto the banner was an image of the Hoshen, according to the work of the Tribe of Levi in the Temple

The Tribe of Judah

The color of the banner is blue, like the sky. The symbol embroidered on the banner was the Lion, a hint of the blesing his father Jacob gave him before his death "You are a lion's cub Judah"

Tribe of Issachar

The color of the banner is Grey/blue. The symbol was the sun and the moon, symbolizing the scholarship and wisdom of the tribe, whom were told to know how to calculate the formula of the heavens and accordingly set the Hebrew calendar.

Tribe of Zebulon

The color of the banner is white. On it was embroidered a ship, as is said: "Zebulun will live by the seashore". The Tribe of Zebulon would sail on ships to purchase and sell merchandise.

Tribe of Dan

The color of the banner is orange. It is embroidered with the image of a snake, as his father Jacob blssed him before passin away: "Dan will be a snake by the roadside,"

Tribe of Naphtali

The color of the banner is purple. It is embroidered with the image of a doe, for I is written: 'Naphtali is a doe set free"

Tribe of gad

The color of the banner was a mixtue of black and white gnerating grey. On it is embroidered the camp of an army battalion, in accordance to the belssing of Jacob: "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels"

Tribe of Asher

The color of the banner is a translucent green. It is adorned with the image of an olive tree, for the land given to Asher in the Land of Israel was blessed with olive trees and oil.

Tribe of Joseph

The color of th flag is black. The flag was embroidered with two symbols: a ram for the Tribe of menasseh, and an ox for the ribe of Ephraim.

Tribe of Benjamin

The color of he banner was composed of all the colors of the other tribs at once. It was embroidered with a wolf to symbolize the blessing: "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

The High Priest - the first of the priests in Israel

He must b handsome and wise. Tall and wealthy.
Distinct from the other priests in his stature, role, duties and obligations.
The High Priest was distinguished in his garb from the other priests, and meticulously maintained eights items of clothing:
Pants | shirt | belt | miter | coat | vest | Hoshen | fringes

The Hoshen was mentioned first in the first commandment and thereby indicates it importance and statue.

The Hoshen was mentioned first in the first commandment and thereby indicates it importance and statue.

In the detailed commandment the vest appears first and only then the Hoshen. The vest is the initial require work.
The basis and infrastructure for the implementation of the Hoshen.
The vest and Hoshen are one, connected by mutual need to realize the purpose of the Hoshen of Law.
The location on the body of the High Priest is the heart of the matter.
It has incredible significance for every figure in that time.
For the creator, to remember his people. To the tribes and for every last individual who finds his name and his banner, held lose to the heart of the HighPriest, bearing responsibility on his shoulders.
A duty to himself and his inner truth, to do his work loyally out of general equality and purity of the heart.
The ability to communicate with the creator in real time via the Urim and Thummim, so that he might do genuine justice, bearing their names on his heart.
The connection to the purpose and role of each tribe separately, and all of the tribes jointly, transmitted via the energetic properties of he gemstones, an accepting a direct reflection of the will of the creator, directly to the heart, illuminated with wisdom and love.

The location on the body of the High Priest is the heart of the matter.
Let every tribe to the last member in each see their name and banner clinging directly to his heart, the spiritual connection o the High Priest with the people.
The Urim and Thummim, incorporated within the gemstones of the Hoshen, the tool of just law.

אהיה אשר אהיה, אבני החושן, שנים עשר השבטים, אמנות יהודית

"And bby the power of these names, will the letters of the Hoshen gemstones shine into the eyes of the priest judging them"

Map of the division of Israel by tribes

אהיה אשר אהיה, אבני החושן, שנים עשר השבטים, אמנות יהודית