Information AboutLeah |
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, 1899]] Leah ( ; "Weary; tired") is the first wife of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with one daughter. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel , Jacob's second (and favored) wife. Jacob was her first cousin, as Jacob's mother Rebekah was Laban's sister. PERSONAL HISTORY Appearance Leah is described as having "tender eyes" ( Hebrew : ועיני לאה רכות) when she is first introduced (Genesis 29:16-17).It is debated as to whether the adjective "tender" (רכות) should be taken to mean "delicate and soft" or "weak."Bivin, David, "Leah's Tender Eyes," at jerusalemperspective.com According to Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi (Rashi), Leah was destined to marry Jacob's twin brother, Esau. Her eyes were tender from crying beause God hated Esau, and Leah wanted to serve God. Her sister, Rachel, meanwhile, is characterized as being "beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance." Marriage to Jacob Leah becomes Jacob's wife through a deception on the part of her father, ), Leah was destined to marry Jacob's twin brother, Esau . The two brothers were polar opposites; Jacob being a God-fearing scholar and Esau being a hunter who also indulged in murder, idolatry and adultery. But people would say, "Laban has two daughters and his sister, Rebekah, has two sons. The older daughter (Leah) will marry the older son (Esau), and the younger daughter (Rachel) will marry the younger son (Jacob)." "What's in A Name," ''Vayetzei'' (Genesis 28:10-32:3) at aish.com Hearing this, Leah spent most of her time weeping and praying to God to change her destined mate. Thus the Torah describes her eyes as "soft" from weeping.Reardon, Patrick, "Leah the Unloved: Patrick Reardon on Jacob's Other Wife," at trushare.com Hearkening to her tears and prayers, God allows her to marry Jacob even before Rachel does. Motherhood In the early years of the sisters' marriage, it is obvious that Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah.Reardon, Patrick, "Leah the Unloved: Patrick Reardon on Jacob's Other Wife," at trushare.com To increase Jacob's love for his first wife, God opens Leah's womb and she conceives four sons in quick succession. These are as a third wife to Jacob, and names and raises the two sons ( Dan and Naphtali ) that Bilhah bears. Leah responds by offering her handmaid Zilpah as a fourth wife to Jacob, and names and raises the two sons ( Gad and Asher ) that Zilpah bears. According to some commentaries, Bilhah and Zilpah were actually half-sisters of Leah and Rachel.Ginzberg, Louis (1909) ''The Legends of the Jews'' , Volume I, Chapter VI: Jacob, at sacred-texts.com One day, Leah's firstborn son Reuben returns from the field with . Afterwards she gives birth to Zebulun and to a daughter, Dinah . After that, God remembers Rachel and gives her two sons, Joseph and Benjamin . Rivalry with Rachel On a Homiletical level, the classic Chassidic texts explain the sisters' rivalry as more than marital jealousy. Each woman desired to grow spiritually in her ''avodat Hashem'' (service of God), and therefore sought closeness to the Tzadik (Jacob) who is God's personal emissary in this world. By marrying Jacob and bearing his sons, who would be raised in the tzadik's home and continue his mission into the next generation (indeed, all 12 sons became ''tzadikim'' in their own right and formed the foundation of the Nation of Israel), they would develop an even closer relationship to God. Therefore Leah and Rachel each wanted to have as many of those sons as possible, going so far as to offer their handmaids as wives to Jacob so they could have a share in the upbringing of their handmaids' sons, too.Feinhandler, Yisrael Pesach, Beloved Companions , Vayetze - III, "Jealousy Can Be a Tool for Spiritual Growth," at shemayisrael.com Each woman also continually questioned whether she was doing enough in her personal efforts toward increased spirituality, and would use the other's example to spur herself on. Rachel envied Leah's tearful prayers, by which she merited to marry the tzadik and bear six of his twelve sons.Feinhandler, Yisrael Pesach, Beloved Companions , Vayetze - III, "Jealousy Can Be a Tool for Spiritual Growth," at shemayisrael.com Ginzberg, Louis (1909) ''The Legends of the Jews'' , Volume I, Chapter VI: Jacob, at sacred-texts.com The Talmud - ''Gemarah Megillah'' - says that Rachel even revealed to Leah the secret signs which she and Jacob had devised to identify the veiled bride, because they both suspected Laban would pull such a trick.Wagensberg, Abba (2006), "Between The Lines," in ''Toras Aish'', Volume XIV, No. 11, © 2006 Rabbi A. Wagensberg & aish.com Death and burial Leah died some time after Jacob returned with his family to the land of Canaan . She is traditionally thought to be buried in the Cave Of The Patriarchs in Hebron along with her husband, Jacob, Abraham and Sarah , and Isaac and Rebekah .Richman, Chaim (1995), "Focus on Hebron," © 1995 ''Light to the Nations'', Rabbi Chaim Richman - All Rights Reserved, Reprinted from ''The Restoration'' newsletter, July, 1995 (Tammuz/Av, 5755) at lttn.org LEAH'S OFFSPRING God fulfills His covenant to .Bell, Bernard (1999), "Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham," © 1999 Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino Rachel's son, Joseph, is destined to be the interim leader who bridges the gap between exile and nationhood. This is exemplified in the Biblical story of Joseph, who prepared the way in Egypt for his family's exile there, Joseph at jewishencyclopedia.com and in the future figure of ''Mashiach ben Yosef'' (Messiah, son of Joseph), who will fight the apocalyptic Wars of Gog And Magog , preparing the way for the kingship of ''Mashiach ben David'' (Messiah, son of David) and the messianic age.Davidiy, Yair, "Moshiach Ben Yoseph," at britam.org "The Messiah of Judaism," at truthnet.org LEAH AS A MODERN NAME Leah is a very popular name among Jews and non-Jews alike. "Top 10 baby names around the world," at the BabyCenter website Spellings vary from Leah, Lea, Lia, Leigha, Liija, and a few others. REFERENCES |
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