The Proverbs say that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). In Rachel’s case, that appears to have been especially true.
Jacob and his family were making their way south through the land of Canaan, toward Hebron where his father Isaac still lived. While the family traveled, Rachel went into labor with her second child. She had named her previous son Joseph, meaning “May He add [another son].” God had answered her prayer, and she gave birth to a second son. Rachel suffered a severe labor. As the child was born, the midwife tried to cheer her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” Rachel knew she was dying.
Rachel died some distance from Ephrath, an older name for Bethlehem. Jacob entombed her there, beside the road and set up a sacred stone over her tomb. The story provides the etiology behind a landmark. The Torah remarks, “Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day” (Genesis 35:20).
Jewish tradition connects the tragic death of Rachel with a story from the previous Torah portion. In the previous Torah portion, we read that Rachel stole her father Laban’s household idols when Jacob and his family fled back to Canaan. Jacob did not know about the theft. When Laban overtook Jacob, he demanded the return of his household gods. Rachel was hiding them in her tent. No one knew she had them.
Jacob swore an oath to Laban, “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live” (Genesis 31:32). With those words, Jacob inadvertently spoke a curse over his beloved wife:
Though our mother Rachel was not guilty [of any of the transgressions for which someone might ordinarily die in childbirth], nevertheless, because Jacob said, “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live,” she was punished, but her judgment was not carried out until she was in childbirth. (Midrash Lekach Tov)
NOVEMBER 13, 2021 Exodus 28:16-17 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones. As we discussed yesterday, God considers His people to be His own “special treasure” — His jewels in fact. That is […]
NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Exodus 28:16-17 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones. Upon the breastplate, which was foursquare, were twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. These were not just common stones […]
NOVEMBER 10, 2021 Exodus 28:12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial. Though we have alluded to the fact that these shoham stones were worn upon the shoulders of the High […]
NOVEMBER 11, 2021 Exodus 28:15 You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. The breastplate was surely something to behold and, more importantly, something to promote wonder and consideration. First […]
NOVEMBER 9, 2021 Exodus 28:11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. The two shoham stones worn on the shoulders of the High Priest with both engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel — six […]
NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Exodus 28:9 Then you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel. Though most translations identify these two stones as being onyx stones, the reality is that the Hebrew word shoham is of unknown origin. In fact, many lexicons assign an “unknown meaning” to this […]
NOVEMBER 7, 2021 Exodus 28:3 So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. Just as with all of the other components that were part of the sanctuary, the garments for the […]
Here’s how it happened. Laban had two daughters: Rachel and Leah. Leah was older, but the Torah says that she had “weak eyes.” Rachel, on the other hand, was beautiful. What does it mean that Leah had weak eyes? The Hebrew word translated here as “weak” can also mean delicate, tender, or soft. Some translations understand it in the sense of “beautiful eyes.” In that case, the Torah would be saying, “Leah had beautiful eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and face.” Leah had beautiful eyes, but was not as attractive as her sister.
Rashi explains that Leah’s eyes were weak because she thought she was destined to marry Esau and therefore she was constantly crying:
She believed that she was destined to marry Esau. She would cry because everybody said, “Rebekah has two sons and Laban has two daughters. The older will marry the older and the younger the younger.” (Rashi on Genesis 29:17)
This is probably not the real reason for Leah’s weak eyes, but it does raise an interesting point. We know that Esau married Canaanite girls. We know that his mother and father would have preferred him to marry within the greater Abrahamic family. Leah would have been the logical choice for him. It seems natural that the firstborn would have married the firstborn and the second-born the second-born.
Jacob fell in love with the second-born Rachel, but, legally, he had already taken Esau’s position as firstborn over the family when he purchased Esau’s birthright. Leah was the one God had chosen to be the wife of the progenitor of Abrahamic blessing. When Jacob took that position from Esau, he unwittingly acquired Leah as well. Jacob worked seven years to pay the bride price for Rachel. On their wedding night, Laban surreptitiously switched his daughters. He disguised Leah as Rachel, just as Jacob had disguised himself as Esau to trick Isaac. The ruse worked. Jacob accidentally married Leah.
Laban switched his daughters on the wedding night simply to get another seven years of work out of Jacob. Executing the swap would not have been difficult. In the custom of the ancient world, the bride would have been completely veiled and in extravagant dress, unrecognizable. Her unveiling would have happened only in the bridal chamber and in the dark.
Many Jewish communities today still have the tradition of completely veiling the bride on her wedding day. However, the bridegroom is allowed to lift the veil just prior to the ceremony to make sure he is marrying the right girl.
Jacob’s accidental marriage to Leah is a good example of how God works in our lives. We make plans, dream dreams and set out to accomplish certain things. Then our plans are frustrated, our dreams come to naught and we find ourselves far away from our original goals. But this does not mean that God has abandoned us. Your plans for your life may not necessarily be His plans. God may be attempting to work something great through your situation that you never expected.
Through Leah, Jacob sired Judah and Levi, who in turn fathered the line of the Davidic monarchy and the Aaronic priesthood. He never intended to marry her, but the spiritual greatness of Israel came through Leah.
Vayetze – ×•×™×¦× : “And he went out” Torah : Genesis 28:10-32:3 Haftarah : Hosea 12:12-14:10 Gospel : Matthew 3:13-4:11
NOVEMBER 6, 2021 Exodus 28:2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. That the garments prepared for Aaron and his sons are described as being for “glory and beauty” is interesting considering their duties. No doubt, the craftsmanship was remarkable, and the colorful aspects of the High Priest’s garments […]
