When Issachar felt his end approach, he summoned his sons, and he said
to them: "Hearken, my children, unto your father Issachar, and listen
to the words of him that is beloved of the Lord. I was born unto Jacob
as his fifth son, as a reward for the dudaim. Reuben brought the dudaim
from the field. They were fragrant apples, which grew in the land of
Haran upon an eminence below a gully. Rachel met Reuben, and she took
the dudaim away from him. The lad wept, and his cries brought his
mother Leah to his side, and she addressed Rachel thus: 'Is it a small
matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and wouldst thou take away
my son's dudaim also?' And Rachel said, 'See, Jacob shall be thine
to-night for thy son's dudaim.' But Leah insisted, 'Jacob is mine, and
I am the wife of his youth,' whereupon Rachel, 'Be not boastful and
overweening. To me he was betrothed first, and for my sake he served
our father fourteen years. Thou art not his wife, thou wast taken to
him by cunning instead of me, for our father deceived me, and put me
out of the way the night of thy nuptials, so that Jacob could not see
me. Nevertheless, give me the dudaim, and thou mayest have Jacob for a
night.'
"Then Leah bore me, and I was called Issachar, on account of the reward
Rachel had given to my mother. At that time an angel of the Lord
appeared to Jacob, and he spoke: 'Rachel will bear only two sons, for
she rejected the espousal of her husband, and chose continence! But
Leah bore six sons, for the Lord knew that she desired to be with her
husband, not because she was prompted by the evil inclination, but for
the sake of children. Rachel's prayer also was fulfilled, on account of
the dudaim, for although she desired to eat of the apples, she did not
touch them, but put them in the house of the Lord, and gave them to the
priest of the Most High that was in those days.
"When I grew up, my children, I walked in the integrity of my heart,
and I became a husbandman, cultivating the land for my father and my
brethren, and I gathered the fruit from the fields in their due time.
My father blessed me, because he saw that I walked in singleness of
heart. I was not married to a wife until I was thirty years old, for
the hard work I did consumed my strength, and I had no desire unto
woman, but, overwhelmed by fatigue, I would sink into sleep. My father
was well pleased at all times with my rectitude. If my work was crowned
with good results, I brought the firstfruits of my labor to the priest
of the Lord, the next harvest went to my father, and then I thought of
myself. The Lord doubled the possessions in my hand, and Jacob knew
that God aided me for the sake of my singleness of heart, for in my
sincerity I gave of the produce of the land to the poor and the needy.
"And now hearken unto me, my children, and walk in singleness of heart,
for upon it resteth the favor of the Lord at all times. The simple man
longeth not for gold, he doth not defraud his neighbor, he hath no
desire for meats and dainties of many kinds, he careth not for
sumptuous dress, he hopeth not for long life, he waiteth only upon the
will of God. The spirits of deception have no power over him, for he
looketh not upon the beauty of woman, lest he defile his understanding
with corruption. Jealousy cometh not into his thoughts, envy doth not
sear his soul, and insatiable greed doth not make him look abroad for
rich gain. Now, then, my children, observe the law of the Lord, attain
to simplicity, and walk in singleness of heart, without meddling with
the affairs of others. Love the Lord and love your neighbors, have pity
upon the poor and the feeble, bow your backs to till the ground, occupy
yourselves with work upon the land, and bring gifts unto the Lord in
gratitude. For the Lord hath blessed you with the best of the fruits of
the field, as he hath blessed all the saints from Abel down to our day.
"Know, my children, that in the latter time your sons will abandon the
paths of probity, and will be ruled by greed. They will forsake
rectitude and practice craft, they will depart from the commands of the
Lord and follow after Beliar, they will give up husbandry and pursue
their evil plans, they will be scattered among the heathen and serve
their enemies. Tell this unto your children, so that, if they sin, they
may repent speedily, and return to the Lord, for He is merciful, and He
will take them out to bring them back unto their land.
"I am one hundred and twenty-two years old, and I can discern no sin in
myself. Save my wife, I have known no woman. I was guilty of no
unchastity through the lifting up of eyes. I drank no wine, that I
might not be led astray, I did not covet what belonged to my neighbor,
guile had no place in my heart, lies did not pass my lips. I sighed
along with all that were heavy-laden, and to the poor I gave my bread.
I loved the Lord with all my might, and mankind I also loved. Do ye
likewise, my children, and all the spirits of Beliar will flee from
you, no deed done by the wicked will have power over you, and ye will
vanquish all the wild beasts, for ye have with you the Lord of heaven."
And Issachar bade his children carry him up to Hebron, and bury him
there by his fathers in the Cave, and he stretched out his feet, and
fell into the sleep of eternity, full of years, healthy of limb, and in
the possession of all his faculties.[11]