(טז) וּלְלָבָ֖ן שְׁתֵּ֣י בָנ֑וֹת שֵׁ֤ם הַגְּדֹלָה֙ לֵאָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַקְּטַנָּ֖ה רָחֵֽל׃ (יז) וְעֵינֵ֥י לֵאָ֖ה רַכּ֑וֹת וְרָחֵל֙ הָֽיְתָ֔ה יְפַת־תֹּ֖אַר וִיפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה׃
לעולם רכות ממש ולא גנאי הוא לה אלא שבח הוא לה שהיתה שומעת על פרשת דרכים בני אדם שהיו אומרים שני בנים יש לה לרבקה שתי בנות יש לו ללבן גדולה לגדול וקטנה לקטן והיתה יושבת על פרשת דרכים ומשאלת גדול מה מעשיו איש רע הוא מלסטם בריות קטן מה מעשיו (בראשית כה) איש תם יושב אוהלים והיתה בוכה עד שנשרו ריסי עיניה
Baba Batra 123a
The condition of Leah’s eyes was no disgrace to her but a credit, for at two crossroads she heard people saying, ‘Rivkah has two sons, and Lavan has two daughters. The elder son should be married to the eldest daughter, and the younger son should be married to the younger daughter.”
Leah sat at the crossroads and asked, “How does the elder one conduct himself?”
She was told, “He is a wicked man, and he is a robber.”
Leah asked, “How does the younger one conduct himself?”
She was told, “A quiet man dwelling in tents.”
And she wept until her eyelashes dropped.
The text does not describe an unsightly physical blemish. The Torah is speaking about something far deeper. Leah’s eyes were tender from crying about her destiny to marry an evil person. Talk of her marriage to Eisav was not idle gossip; it was indeed her destiny – the elder for the elder, the younger for the younger. Thus, the Torah’s description of her tender eyes was in praise for her abhorrence of evil. (Mirrors of Our Lives, pg. 233)
The Netziv calls Leah’s eyes “lovely”, but her eyes were sensitive to the sun, which exempted her from tending flocks.
Rashbam agrees that Leah’s eyes were lovely, and says that when a bride’s eyes are lovely, one does not need to say anything more about her physical beauty.
Ohel Yaakov says that Leah’s eyes were dim because many tears were shed why she was praying to Hashem to avert the decree that she must marry Eisav. (The Passions of the Matriarchs, pg. 202)
Clothing, although physical and external, is very important. Clothing expresses a person’s view of himself, and therefore every person dresses according to his persona, the part he believes he plays in the world. If he thinks his value as a human being rests with his physical body, he wears scanty cloths. If he perceives himself as a child of the King of Kings, then he wears royal clothing, that is, garments that are clean, respectable, and modest. In short, although clothing is part of the external world, it is an expression of a person’s internal view of himself; it is an external symbol of the person’s internal essence. (Mirrors of Our Lives, pg. 238)
Ohr Hachayim explains that there are two categories of physical beauty. One describes individual features that are perfect in and of themselves, and the second occurs when the totality of a person’s facial and physical appearance is considered beautiful. On another plane entirely is that special quality of beauty which transcends the physical. (The Passions of the Matriarchs pg. 203)
It can be very difficult to reach this place where you feel pressure to assume an identity that may mask your real self. For example, the media constantly sends this message: If you want to be beautiful and cool, then you have to look the way we are telling you to look and the be the way we are telling you to be in this ad, with this model, in this movie, on this television show. In recent years, “cool” has sometimes come to mean dressing in a sexually provocative way, but there is a belief in Judaism that says this detracts from women’s dignity.
To remain true to yourself in spite of constant pounding of these messages is a monumental task. The reward is that you will feel comfortable inside your own skin, and you will be able to convey this quality to others. It will radiate from you. People will want to be around you and be like you, because they want to feel that deep inner peace as well. (The J Girls Guide,pg. 87)