Ismar Schorsch: The transmission of culture cannot be done on the cheap.
Ismar Schorsch: Leah bore Issachar before Zebulun (Genesis 30:16–20). What prompted Jacob to speak of Zebulun first? The tribe of Issachar would one day be sedentary, devoting itself wholly to the study of Torah. From its midst would spring the teachers, scholars and judges who would imbue society with the spirit of Torah. Hence, Jacob lavishes praise on Issachar. In contrast, Zebulun is depicted as mercantile and mobile, a rank of a lower order in a culture of learning. And yet, Jacob speaks of them first because their wealth is earmarked to support the studies of Issachar. The merchants of Zebulun are the silent partners, the great enablers that ensure the transmission of Judaism.
