This well had a heavy stone to cap it by night, and Rachel was accustomed to waiting for someone to roll the stone away when all the flocks were gathered. 10). Rachel's father Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Jacob mother. Leah suddenly found herself sterile after the birth of Judah, and offered Jacob her own handmaid as well. When Dan was born, Rachel said(Gen. 30:6): God has vindicated me [dananni]; indeed, He has heeded my plea and given me a son. In the midrashic explication of this verse, Rachel said: God has judged me and found me guilty [and therefore I was childless]; [and afterwards] He has judged me and vindicated me [and given my handmaiden a son] (Gen. Rabbahloc. And there is hope for your futuredeclares the Lord: Your children shall return to their country (Lam. Before his death, Jacob praises Joseph for acting in this manner, when he says of his son(Gen. 49:22): Joseph is a wild ass, a wild ass by a spring [ayin, also meaning eye]I must reward you for that eye [for having concealed Rachel from Esaus eye](Gen. Rabbah78:10). He suggests that the Apostles were also numbered twelve, though Judas Iscariot was dead by that time, (John 20:24 ) and cites Saint Augustine to support him. Jacob was 147 years old when he died, Gen 47:28. Besides, Rachel was afraid that her father, seeing that she had no children by Jacob, might marry her to Esau (Midr. So Jacob served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters and six years for the cattle a total of twenty years. Answer Rachel is a major character in the early Old Testament; she was a daughter of Laban, sister of Leah, favored wife of Jacob, and mother of two of Jacob's children. And, indeed, she bore Jacob only a single additional son, Benjamin(JTBerakhot9:3, 14[ab]). 8:6: Passion [kinah, literally, jealousy] is mighty as Sheolthis was Rachels jealousy of her sister (Tanhuma[ed. If I had sent a message to him, saying: Take note that they are deceiving you, would he not have refrained? God took pity on Leah and allowed her to bear children, while Rachel was barren. 8:6: For love is fierce as death (Tanhuma[ed. This is whyGen. 29:25relates: When morning came, there was Leah!because Rachel had given her the signs, Jacob did not know until the morning that they had switched(BTBava Batra123a). (NIV), Genesis 35:24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. Another exegetical tradition relates that when Rachel saw the events of the Destruction and the Israelites being sent into exile from their land, she jumped in before God and said: Master of the Universe! Why, then, did she die? Yet a third tradition explains that Rachel merited pregnancy because she brought her rival wife [Bilhah] into her house. How old was Rachel when Jacob married her? Zilpah, Leah's maid, gives birth to Gad and Asher. While Rachel was barren for the first fourteen years of her marriage, she is still described as Jacob's preferred wife and a powerful woman. When Jacob introduced himself to Rachel, he told her (v. 12) that he was her fathers kinsman, that he was Rebekahs son. In the midrashic expansion, Jacob told Rachel: if to deceivehe was her fathers kinsman; and if for righteousnesshe was Rebekahs son. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah as Jacobs beautiful and beloved wife. Why did Rachel die? She married Jacob (2245 AM) when she was old enough to carry an adult responsibility, because Jacob met her when she was leading a flock of sheep to water. Joshua son of Nun was an Ephraimite, one of Rachels descendants. Rachel was one of the four Jewish matriarchs, all of whom were prophetesses (Ber. Family relations of Rachel in the Bible. Other Rabbis found fault with Rachel and maintained that because Rachel made light of her right to lie with the righteous Jacob, which she sold for the mandrakes, she was punished by not being buried together with him. Instead of giving Laban the traditional bride-price, Jacob agreed to work for Laban seven years to earn Rachel's hand in marriage. After discovering that he had been tricked, Jacob married Rachel also and then worked out another seven-year contract for this marriage. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193. The midrash relates that three keys remain with God and were not entrusted to an agent [=angel]: the key of rain, the key of the woman giving birth and the key of the resurrection of the dead. This filled Rachel with envy, and, having expressed her feelings to Jacob, she bade him take her handmaid Bilhah to wife in order that she might obtain a family through her (xxix. The Rabbis speak of the passionate love for Rachel exhibited by Jacob, who already understood from their first encounter that she was his intended bride. When Jacob left the land of Canaan, he had vowed that he would return to Bethel and sacrifice to the Lord(Gen. 28:2022). Instead of showing understanding, he amplifies her pain by telling her that he already has four sons from Leah. Therefore, Benjamin must have been conceived shortly before the flight from Laban and born nine months later. By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel. Jacob told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah. Her compassion also succeeded in arousing Gods mercy when He answered her prayer. Buber],Vayeshev19). As the four different plants with which the Jews were commanded to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. Rachel said: I prepared myself [nupeti, i.e., I prepared myself for Jacobs bed], I allowed myself to be persuaded [pititito withdraw in favor of my sister and to aid her to be Jacobs wife], I exalted my sister over myself [taliti ahoti alai], and I have prevailed(Gen. Rabbah71:8). He knew that he would marry her, just as Rebekah had been married to Isaac, and he also understood that he would bury her. Jacob labored 14 years to win Rachel in marriage. Rijksmuseum The story of how Jacob ends up marrying his two cousins, Leah and Rachel, begins in Canaan, with the marriage of his older twin, Esau, to two Hittite women of whom Isaac and Rebekah do not approve. Due to Rachels good deeds or to Reubens sin, the initial order was restored. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover. According to another tradition, Rachel and Leah were twins, and they were married to Jacob at the age of twenty-two (Lit. At first childless, Rachel eventually gave birth to Joseph and died giving birth to Benjamin. Another midrash adds that by merit of Rachels silence, two tribesEphraim and Manassehissued forth from her, in addition to the other ten tribes(Gen. Rabbah71:5;Tanhuma,Vayeze6). Themidrash, however, presents two principal approaches to this question. Did he not gird his loins for her [since Isaac strove and prayed so that Rebekah would become pregnant]? Jacob replied: He did not have children, I have children [I already have four sons from Leah]. Rachel retorted: And did not your grandfather [Abraham] have children [Abraham had Ishmael], yet he girded his loins for Sarah[nonetheless, he made the effort of praying so that Sarah would become pregnant]? He told her: You can do as my grandmother [Sarah] did. She asked him: And what did she do? He replied: She brought a rival wife [Hagar] into her house. She responded: If this is the obstacle, [then](Gen. 30:3): Here is my maid Bilhah. 14; Tan., Wayee, 13). https://www.learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193 (accessed May 1, 2023). The most extreme description of Rachels act of self-sacrifice appears inLam. At the well at Haran, Jacob found Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, tending sheep. I informed Jacob, and I gave him a sign so that he could distinguish between me and my sister, so that my father would not be able to exchange me. We can't believe God's love is free for us to receive. She said: We are leavingshall we leave this old man in his corruption [i.e., idolatry]? Consequently, Scripture proclaims her praise and tells of the act of theft(Gen. Rabbah74:5). In Sivan of 2251 AM (MayJune 1754 BC, or literally, "in the days of the wheat harvest"), Reuben went into the field and gathered mandrakes (Mandragora officinarum) for his mother Leah. Rachel and Leah were twin sisters, fourteen years old when Jacob came to their father's house; consequently they were twenty-one years old at the time of their marriage to Jacob (Seder 'Olam Rabbah ii.). Jacob's other wife is Rachel's sister Leah, which causes issues between the sisters, especially because Leah is able to bear children. (Genesis 29:10, NLT). Jealous of her sister, Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. In other respects the two sisters were alike, both being ancestresses of kings, heroes, prophets, judges, and conquerors (ib. Yet he did not bring his beloved Rachel there, nor did he carry her to the more distant Hebron, but laid her to rest alongside the road. This midrash criticizes Jacob for responding so harshly and inconsiderately to Rachel, who is presented as a bitter woman. The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel. 11). Ussher[8] disputes the notion that Benjamin may be counted among the sons born or engendered in Padan-aram. Your life, they will exact punishment from him whenever he threatens your children (Pesikta Rabbati[ed. 1; Gen. R. lxxi. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover.Seder Olam Rabbah2). After that I consoled myself, I suffered [to overcome] my desire and had compassion for my sister that she not suffer disgrace, and I gave her all the signs that I had given to my husband, so that he would think that she was Rachel. xxxvi. When Laban overtook Jacob in the hill country of Gilead, he reproached him(Gen. 31:30): but why did you steal my idols?, to which Jacob replied (v. 32): But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not remain alive! Themidrashexplains that this statement by Jacob was as an error committed by a ruler [which is nevertheless implementedfollowingEccl. Let us know. 60a), and who are often referred to in the liturgy, Rachel being mentioned before Leah. Buber],Vayeze19). She bore him in 2259 AM. "teaching," "study," or "learning." cit.). Agadat Bereshit li. (NIV). Leah agreed, and when Jacob returned from the field, Leah told him directly that she had "hired" him for the evening, at the price of a few mandrakes. The Hebrew name of Rachel means ewe or beautiful. If she had, then she would not have been able to employ a ruse to stop her father from searching her belongings too closely (see below). In the four years following their marriage, Leah had four sons; Rachel had none. The affair of the mandrakes is generally represented by the Rabbis as unfavorable to Rachel; and it was due to her mode of obtaining them (comp. The restrictions on her date of birth are: She married Jacob (2245 AM) when she was old enough to carry an adult responsibility, because Jacob met her when she was leading a flock of sheep to water. The Rabbis were concerned with the nature of this kiss, which they regarded as an improper act. "Jacob and Rachel at the Well, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1896-1902. I acted kindly with her, I was not jealous of her, and I did not cause her to be shamed and disgraced. She put them in the "furniture" of the camel on which she sat, and when her father came to search for them she pleaded sickness (xxxi. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the amora'im on the Mishnah. Themidrashlists three reasons for Jacobs crying on this occasion. Leah conceived a son that very evening, and bore him the next year. [2] Jacob had traveled a great distance to find Laban. In the midrashic account, many years later, when Josephs goblet was found in the sack of Benjamin(Gen. 44), the tribes stood about, beat Benjamins shoulders, and cried out: Oh thief, the son of a thief, you have shamed us! After Rachels death, Bilhah took her place. In another midrashic tradition, however, Jacob did not initially favor Rachel over Leah. Jacob objecting on the ground that his father had one wife only, while he himself had two, and that though one of them was childless, he had children by the other, she urged him to follow Abraham's example, and to take her handmaid for a wife (Midr. Rachel bore Joseph, then the entire clan left Laban's country to return to Isaac. The Jewish New Year, held on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. Rachel is mentioned twice in the Old Testament beyond her story in Genesis. 10:16) but he did not tell him [his uncle] anything [] about [his being anointed for] the kingship. Esther, who was descended from Rachel, was similarly reticent(Esth. 1777 BC-1759 BC-1738 BC) was the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. R., Petita, 25). Overall, the midrash portrays Rachel as incredibly generous and compassionate, and her goodness is seen in her descendants. 16). Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. Gen. xxv. Recall Jacob had to flee from his family's house because of his treachery toward his brother Esau. She hid these teraphim in her saddle bag, and sat on them. The midrash includes Rachel among the seven barren women who were eventually blessed with offspring:Sarah, Rebekah,Rachel, Leah,Manoahs Wife,Hannah andZion [in a metaphorical sense], of whomPs. Buber],Mikez13). Jacob replied that he was her father's equal in trickery; and he agreed with Rachel upon certain signs which would enable him to recognize her. Only now, upon the birth of Naphtali, did Rachel sense that she had regained her former standing. (Genesis 32:24-30 ) The story of the birth of Benjamin and the death of Rachel follows this narrative directly and is continuous with it. "Rachel: Midrash and Aggadah." "teaching," "study," or "learning." Jacob said to himself: When Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, went to fetchRebekah, he brought with him ten camels and all the bounty of his master(Gen. 24:10), while I have not a single nose-ring or band. The second reason for his weeping was his foreseeing that Rachel would not be buried together with him (Gen. Rabbahloc. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. 16-20). (This mistaken belief was similar to the belief that both sisters had in the power of the common mandrake to confer fertility.) At the end of twenty years of service (seven each for Leah and Rachel, and six more for a portion of Laban's flocks), Jacob and Laban fell out. Consequently, Rachel found herself in an inferior position, since Leah bore children to Jacob, while she herself had not. When Leah was brought under the wedding canopy, Rachel thought: Now my sister will be shamed [when Jacob discovers the fraud and does not marry her]. She gave the signs to Leah. According to Gen. R. (lxxii. After spending a month with his relatives he asked for her hand in marriage in return for working seven years for Laban the Aramean. Hadjittofi, Fotini, and Hagith Sivan. So you wouldn't expect two old people, would you? Rachel was one of Jacob's wives through . Gen. Benjamin, who had just been born, needed a wet nurse; a miracle was performed for Bilhah and her breasts filled with milk, thus enabling her to nurse the newborn(Tanhuma,Vayeshev7; see also the entry: Bilhah). She stole the household idols (teraphim) that belonged to Laban, in the belief that those idols would confer some protective power. Jacobs response is described in v. 2: Jacob was incensed at Rachel, and said, Can I take the place of God, who has denied you fruit of the womb? The midrashic exegesis further intensifies Jacobs strong statement. She did not want to adhere to the paganism of her fathers house, but rather sought to prevent Laban from engaging in idolatry. 14; Midr. Rachel unquestionably had Jacob's favor, but Rachel was sterile, while Leah was fertile. Rachel lost being buried next to Jacob because of her dealing with Leah, but she thereby merited having her son Joseph receive the birthright. The first was his anguish at his poverty. midrash relates that Rachel was twenty-two years old when she was married to Jacob ( "order.". Saul, the son of Rachels son, remained silent(I Sam. 14). Theodor-Albeck, MS. Vatican, 99:20, p. 1270]). 1; Tan., Wayee, 19; Gen. R. lxxi. Our part is simply to accept and be thankful. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. But on the night of the marriage, Laban deceived Jacob. "order." Jacob loved Rachel but was indifferent toward Leah. The Rabbis learn of Gods retaining the key of the woman giving birth from Rachel, of whom it is said: Now God remembered Rachel; God heeded her and opened her womb(BTTaanit2ab). According to one, Reuben, Leahs son and the firstborn of Jacob, does receive the birthright. Gen. 30:23records that when Rachel gave birth to Joseph she explained: God has taken away [asaf] my disgrace. The Rabbis observe that until a woman gives birth, whatever blame [there is, within the house] is placed upon her. She told Jacob that if he didn't "give" her children, she would die. 14-16, 19, 34-35). Themidrashrelates that there was no maiden comelier than Rachel, which was why Jacob desired to wed her, and sent her presents. (NLT) Jeremiah 31:15 speaks of Rachel "weeping for her children" who have been taken into exile. When those seven years were completed and the time came for my marriage to my husband, my father advised exchanging me with my sister. According to this view, from the outset the birthright belonged to Rachels son, which was the intent of both God and Jacob. According to a third tradition, Jacob wept for grief, for he realized that after he kissed Rachel people were whispering to one another: Why has this one come, to teach us this indecent behavior? The midrash comments that after the world had been struck by the Flood, the nations of the world hedged themselves against illicit sexual behavior [i.e., they accepted all manner of sexual prohibitions] (Gen. Rabbahloc. I am from the descendants of Rachel(Gen. Rabbah71:9). 31 December 1999. 19; Gen. R. lxxxii. The contention between the two women did not cease even after Rachels death, and arose again as regards the seniority of Jacobs sons: who would be considered the firstbornthe son of Leah, or of Rachel; and similarly, regarding the origin of Elijah, the harbinger of the Redemption. Buber],Vayeze19). Tadshe, in Epstein, "Mi-admoniyyot ha-Yehudim," Supplement, p. Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. When Abraham was about 100 years old, he and his wife Sarah had a son who they named Isaac. She was responsible for taking the sheep to the well for water every day. She possessed the art of silence [when she knew that her sister was given to Jacob deceitfully, but remained silent and did not tell him]; all of her descendants continued in this path, and could keep a secret. Theodor-Albeck, MS. Vatican, 99:3, p. 1253]). At his meeting with Esau, Jacob showed his particular affection for Rachel by placing her last, with her son Joseph (xxxiii. When he gives him blessings of the breast and the womb he is saying to Joseph: may the breasts that nursed such a son, and the womb that brought him forth, be blessed(Gen. Rabbah98:20, [ed. What am I, flesh and blood, dust and ashes, that I was not jealous of my rival wife, and that I did not allow her to be shamed and disgraced, but You, merciful living and eternal King, why were You jealous of idolatry that is of no import, and exiled my children who were slain by the sword, and allowed their enemies to do with them as they pleased? Gods mercy was immediately revealed, and He said: For your sake, Rachel, I shall return Israel to their placefor there is a reward for your labor []. Before she died, she said that the child should be named Ben-oni, or "son of my pain." Leah was busy with raising her children and therefore could not care for the needs of the household. Both bore him children. Rachel asked Leah for a portion of them, and Leah protested that Rachel already had the favor of Jacob, and now was asking for a supply of the one thing that each woman supposed would make her fertile. At that time God was revealed to Jacob and He told him: Rachels children are with you, and you are afraid? Most of the Rabbis consider the idea of Rachel being an envious woman as incompatible with what has been previously said of her. Genesis chapters 29-30 and 35 detail the births of Jacob's many children. When Potiphars wife attempted to seduce Joseph, he raised his eyes and saw the image of his mother Rachel and was thereby saved from the sin of adultery(JTHorayot2:5, 46[d]). 21). 2). Some argued that he was from the tribe of Gad, while others maintained that he was a Benjaminite. So Rachel offered her handmaid, Bilhah, as her surrogate. For instance. Jealous of her sister, Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. The younger daughter of Laban and the wife of Jacob, Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who become two of the twelve tribes of Israel ( Gen 35:24; 46:15-18).
Mike Flaskey Net Worth,
Hognose Snake Looks Like Cobra,
Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong Ending Explained,
Sofr Compounded In Arrears Formula,
Toddler Makes Gulping Noise When Swallowing,
Articles H