And [Jacob] said to them, do you Laban, the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. 6 And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, He is well; and, behold, Rachel his daughter comes with the sheep....9 And while he still spoke with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 And Jacob kissed [n/sh/k] Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept [yi'shah et kolo v'yeiv'chah].
12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son; and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month. 15 And Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be? 16 And Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes; but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man; stay with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.
21 And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave to his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an maidservant. 25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, What is this that you have done to me? did not I serve with you for Rachel? why then have you deceived me?
26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete her week, and we will give you this also for the service which you shall serve with me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter for his wife also. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his maidservant to be her maid. 30 And he went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. 31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Because the Lord has heard that I was hated, he has therefore given me this son also; and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have born him three sons; therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she said, Now will I praise the Lord; therefore she called his name Judah; and ceased bearing.
Why was Leah remembered for mercy first? As it is written, Leah’s eyes were rakot. What does rakot mean? Is it possible that it really means weak?
The Torah does not speak disparagingly of an impure (tamei) animal, as it is written: “From the pure animals and from the animals that are not pure…”
Would the Torah [then] speak disparagingly of righteous person? Rather, Rabbi Elazar said: “Her gifts were long lasting (arukot).”
Rav [also] said it does not mean weak. It is not speaking disparagingly of her but in praise of her. For she heard at the crossroads people saying: Rebekah has two sons and Laban has two daughters, the elder will be for the elder and the younger for the younger. And she would sit at the crossroads and ask: What are the deeds of the elder son? He is a bad man, stealing from people.The younger son, what are his deeds? A quiet man dwelling in tents. And she would cry until her eyelashes fell out.
Thus it is written: ‘G-d saw that Leah was hated.’ What does hated mean here? Is it possible that it really means hated? The Torah did not speak disparagingly of an unclean animal, would it speak disparagingly of righteous person? Rather, the Holy Blessed One saw that Esau’s deeds were hated by her [Leah] and so “[G-d] opened her womb.”
What was the modesty of Rachel? It is written: Jacob said to Rachel that he was her father’s brother for he was the son of Rebekah. [But] wasn’t he her father’s nephew? Rather, he said to her: Marry me. She said to him: Yes, but you need to know that my father is a deceiver and you will not prevail over him. He said What is his deception?
She said: I have a sister who is older than me, and he will not let me marry before her. He said to her: I am his brother in deception.
She said to him: Is it permitted for righteous person to be deceptive? [He replied]: “With the pure You show Yourself pure and with the crooked You show Yourself crooked,”(II Samuel 22:27).
[Thus] he gave her signs. When she [Rachel] saw them bringing Leah [to the huppah] she thought: Now my sister will be shamed. Thus it is written: “In the morning, behold, she was Leah!”
Can it mean that up to this point she was not Leah? Rather, because of the signs that Jacob had given to Rachel and she had given to Leah, he did not know that it was Leah up to this moment.
AND JACOB KISSED RACHEL: All kissing is indecent, save in three cases: the kiss of high office, the kiss of reunion, and the kiss of parting (I Sam. 10:1, Ex 4:27, Ruth 1:14). R. Tanhuma said: The kiss of kinship too, as it says, AND JACOB KISSED RACHEL-because she was his kinswoman.
AND [Jacob] LIFTED UP HIS VOICE AND WEPT. Why?
- He said thus: 'What is written about Eliezer, Abraham's servant, when he went to fetch Rebekah? And the servant took ten camels, etc. (Gen. 24:10). While I have come without a single ring or bracelet.’
- D'var Acheir: [Jacob] saw that she would not be buried together with him. It was this that she [Rachel] said to her [Leah]: Therefore he shall lie with you tonight meaning, with you he will sleep [his last sleep], but not with me.
NOW LABAN HAD TWO DAUGHTERS (Gen 29:16): Like two beams running from end to end of the world. Each produced captains, each produced kings, from each arose slayers of lions, from each arose conquerors of countries, from each arose dividers of countries.
THE NAME OF THE ELDER (ha'g'dolah vs. y'shanah) WAS LEAH: She was great in her gifts, receiving the priesthood (Levi) for all time, and royalty for all time (Judah, David, etc).
AND THE NAME OF THE YOUNGER (ha'k'tanah vs. tzayirah) WAS RACHEL: small in her gifts, Joseph [bearing sway] for but a time, and Saul for but a time (neither founded a dynasty).
At that hour (the destruction of the Temple and exile), our mother Rachel jumped up before God and said: “Master of the universe, it is known to you that Yaakov loved me greatly and worked for me… and when it was time for me to marry, my father decided to put my sister in my stead, and I didn't envy her and did not allow her to be humiliated. If I, who am but mere flesh and blood, dust and ashes, didn't begrudge my competition, You, Who are the immortal eternal King, how could you be jealous of idolatry, which is meaningless, and exile my children?” Immediately God's mercy was awakened and He said: "For you, Rachel, I will bring Israel back to their place."
1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied (was jealous of [k/n/h]) her sister; and said to Jacob, there shall be to me children or else I shall die (havah li banim, v'im ain meitah anochi). 2 And Jacob’s anger [har af] was kindled against Rachel; and he said, Am I in God’s place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?
3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in to her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her maidservant to wife; and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son; therefore she called his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed; and she called his name Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her for a wife to Jacob. 10 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a son. 11 (K) And Leah said, Fortune has come; and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher. 14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I beg you, of your son’s mandrakes. 15 And she said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? and would you take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with you to night for your son’s mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, You must come in to me; for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband; and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bore Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God has endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband live with me, because I have born him six sons; and she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God has taken away my reproach; 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The Lord shall add to me another son.
Why were the matriarchs barren? Because God desires the prayers and conversations of the righteous. He said: “They are beautiful, they are rich; if I give them children, when will I ever hear from them?"
And then [Leah] bore a daughter and called her Dina (judgment).
Rashi on Gen. 30:21
Leah judged for herself: If this is a male, then Rachel, my sister, won't even be equal to the handmaids. So she prayed regarding [the fetus], and it switched into a female.
(ז) המקדש אשה ובתה או אשה ואחותה כאחת, אינן מקדשות. ומעשה בחמש נשים ובהן שתי אחיות, ולקט אחד כלכלה של תאנים ושלהן היתה ושל שביעית היתה, ואמר הרי כלכם מקדשות לי בכלכלה זו, וקבלה אחת מהן על ידי כלן, ואמרו חכמים אין האחיות מקדשות.
(7) [With regard to] one who betroths a woman and her daughter or a woman and her sister simultaneously, they are not betrothed. [There was] an incident with five women, and among them [were] two sisters, and one [man] gathered a basket of dates. [The basket of dates] belonged to them, but it was [fruits] of the sabbatical year. He said to them, "All of you are betrothed to me with this basket," and one of them accepted it on behalf of them all. And the Sages said, "The sisters are not betrothed."
(יח) בחייה. לִמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִם גֵרְשָׁהּ לֹא יִשָּׂא אֶת אֲחוֹתָהּ כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהִיא בַחַיִּים (יבמות ח'):
(18) בחייה DURING HER LIFE-TIME — This teaches you that if he divorced her (his wife) he is not allowed to marry her sister so long as she (the former) is still living (Jeb 8b).
(יח) לא תקח לצרור אמר כי לולא זה לא היה אוסר אחות אשה מאחר שאינה יוצאת ירך האשה ושהאשה עצמה מותרת אבל אסר אותה כדי שלא תהיינה צרות ולכן לא אסרה זולתי בחיי אחותה ולא כן בכל שאר העריות:
(18) לא תקח לצרור, the Torah means that were it not for the competitive hostility which would result by the two sisters competing for the love of the same man, there would not have been a biological, genetic reason for forbidding such a union. Proof that this is the guiding motivation of the Torah is the fact that after the death of one sister, the surviving husband may marry the surviving sister.
(יח) לצרור - כמו: וכעסתה צרתה. שתי נשים לאיש אחד נקראו צרות זו לזו.
(18) לצרור, similar to Samuel I 1,6 וכעסתה צרתה, “she deliberately angered her competitor Chanah, also wife of Elkanah. When a man has two wives, each is considered as a hostile competitor, צרה to the other.
"Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel: 'My children, have I made you lack anything? What do I want of you? Only that you love each other, honor each other, and respect each other; that there be not found among you neither sin nor theft nor anything ugly; that you never become base. As it is said, 'It has been told to you, man, what is good; and what the Lord requires of you-- to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God,' (Micha 6:8)."