Who is Rachel in The Bible? Those sons became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. 10). Ussher[8] disputes the notion that Benjamin may be counted among the sons born or engendered in Padan-aram. Learn Religions. After he married Leah, Jacob held a banquet for seven days, and he added another seven days of feasting and rejoicing, and then married Rachel. Rachel said: I should have been Jacobs bride before my sister. (NIV), Genesis 30:22Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. Gen. 30:1states: When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister, leading the Rabbis to apply to Rachel the verseCant. Saul, the son of Rachels son, remained silent(I Sam. Hadjittofi, Fotini, and Hagith Sivan. Had I not revealed to thee our signs, he would never have become thy husband" (Midr. Themidrashperceives Rachel as an educational figure who delineated the path that her offspring were to follow. By your life, your sons will stand before her son, and he will tell them(Gen. 50:19) Am I a substitute for God?(Gen. Rabbah71:7). Though she and Jacob were deeply in love, she did not conceive for many years. In the four years following their marriage, Leah had four sons; Rachel had none. 11). 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. He knew that he would marry her, just as Rebekah had been married to Isaac, and he also understood that he would bury her. 123a; Midr. (2022, December 6). 10:12): Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon, O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon! was by merit of Rachels kindness (Tanhuma[ed. Jacob now explained his actions. Rachels barrenness intensified the jealousy between them, but Leah, out of demonstrated compassion for her sister, prayed that she give birth. Rachel had to choose between her love for Jacob and her compassion for her sister, and she decided in favor of the latter. Before her death, Rachel names the newborn. Laban's excuse was that it was not their custom to marry off the younger daughter before the older one. Jacob was 147 years old when he died, Gen 47:28. [6] (Genesis 31:19-20 ) Jones[7] records that the phrase "born to him in Padan-aram" that appears after the listing of Jacob's sons (Genesis 35:26 ) can also mean "engendered by him in Padan-aram." Lit. God said to Jacob: Is this how one replies to embittered women? ; Midr. Jacob should have understood her pain, instead of rebuking her for the manner in which she spoke. Rachel and her sister Leah are mentioned as the two women who founded the house of Israel, Rachel, though younger, being mentioned first (Ruth iv. Through the fraud of Laban, Jacob's marriage with Rachel took place after he had married her elder sister, Leah, who, though less loved than Rachel, became the mother of four sons, while the latter was childless. Themidrash, however, presents two principal approaches to this question. Jacob loved Rachel passionately even before they were married, but Rachel thought, as her culture had taught her, that she needed to bear children to earn Jacob's love. In 1860, Sir Moses Montefiore enlarged this structure. Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin. For instance. Leah knew that twelve tribes would issue from Jacob. Jacob was quite old compared to other generations when he finally married. 29a; R. H. 11a), and it was particularly her self-abnegation at the time of her sister's marriage which gained for her the divine clemency (Gen. R. lxxiii. Gen. 33:67describes the meeting with Esau: Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low; next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and lastly, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low. The Rabbis noted that the other wives came first and their children after them, while Joseph stepped forward before his mother Rachel. Jacob allowed Laban to search for the idols. Today a site exists along the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem that most people say is the tomb of Rachel. She had started from a position of superiority over her sister, since she was the desired wife. The Rabbis differ as to the reason why Rachel stole her father's teraphim. Accordingly, after the birth of Joseph, Esaus foil, Jacob resolved that the time had come to return to his homeland(Gen. Rabbah73:7). This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rachel-biblical-figure, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Rachel. It was for my sake that he came here and served our father for so many years. Jacob loved Rachel but was indifferent toward Leah. 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). In the fourth interpretive possibility, the name given by Rachel portrays the childs character, thus predicting the future. Zilpah, Leah's maid, gives birth to Gad and Asher. In another tradition, Rachel stole these idols so that they would not reveal to Laban that Jacob had fled with his wives, his children and his flocks (Tanhuma,Vayeze12). cit.). In the narrative inGen. 31:19, when Jacob fled from Labans house, Rachel stole her fathers household idols. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah as Jacobs beautiful and beloved wife. lxx. Rachel, in Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), one of the two wives of the patriarch Jacob. The purpose of the comparison between Benjamin and his mother was to say that just as Benjamin was unjustly accused, so, too, Rachel should not have been called a thief, since her motive was positive. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel. Jacob said to Rachel: who has deniedyoufruit of the wombHe denied you, but me He did not deny [since I have sons from Leah]. 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. 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! xxxi. The Rabbis were concerned with the nature of this kiss, which they regarded as an improper act. As the four different plants with which the Jews were commanded to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. Agadat Bereshit li. God accepted her prayer and the sex of the fetus in her womb changed to female(BTBerakhot60a;Tanhuma[ed. Jacob said: If all my children will be killed, Rachels son will remain, for he will punish this wicked seed, as it is said(Jud. 8:6: Passion [kinah, literally, jealousy] is mighty as Sheolthis was Rachels jealousy of her sister (Tanhuma[ed. [3] This traditional site lies four miles south of Jerusalem and one mile north of Bethlehem. Captivated by her, "Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncles flock." Laban would take these gifts and give them to Leah, and Rachel would remain silent (Tanhuma[ed. And there is hope for your futuredeclares the Lord: Your children shall return to their country (Lam. "order." Jacob told her that he was the son of her aunt Rebekah. 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. When Jacob wanted to leave Haran, he summoned his wives to the field and told them of his plans. "Rachel: Midrash and Aggadah." 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). Rachel was one of Jacob's wives through . 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. Thus, for example, the Bejaminite Saul would wage war against and triumph against Amalek, the descendant of Esau; and Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin, would use his wisdom to best the Amalekite Haman. How old was Rachel when Jacob married her? The Bible says that this took place at sheep-shearing time,[5] which is always in the springtime. He buried her on the road to Ephrath because he foresaw that the Israelites, when driven into captivity along that road, would need her intercession with God in their behalf (Midr. 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. Higger], chap. The Rabbis learned from this that seven days of feasting are to be conducted for a bride and groom (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer[ed. 15). 2). The competition between Rachel and Leah did not cease upon Rachels death, and is reflected in the question of the birthright: which of the firstborn of Jacobs wives would receive the birthright, Reuben or Joseph? Jacob was quite old compared to other generat. Rachel feared that her deeds were not favorable in the eyes of God, which resulted in her barrenness. Read Genesis 29:15-30 Rachel has a son, Joseph Rachel may have been the more loved of the two women, but she was not the most fertile. In thismidrash, Rachel has the insight that the birth of children is a reward from God. Rachel initially relies on her handmaiden Bilhah to bear children in her place, but Rachel eventually becomes pregnant and goes on to have one other child. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. TheTorahattests of Rachel(Gen. 29:17): Rachel was shapely and beautiful; and of her son Joseph (39:6): Now Joseph was well built and handsome [the two verses uses the same Hebrew phrases:yefat/yefeh toar,vi-yfat/yefeh mareh], to which the Rabbis apply the saying: Throw a stick into the air, and it will [always] fall on its end(Gen. Rabbah86:6). The Rabbis learned from this that when God decrees greatness for a person, He decrees greatness for all his posterity to the end of time (BTMegillah13b). This midrash bore a message of consolation to the Rabbis and the Jews of their time, since, for the Rabbis, Esau symbolized the Roman empire. l.c. After spending a month with his relatives he asked for her hand in marriage in return for working seven years for Laban the Aramean. She knew that Jacob was to have only twelve sons, and, Joseph being the eleventh son, she prayed for only one son more (Tan., Wayee, 20). When Jacob left the land of Canaan, he had vowed that he would return to Bethel and sacrifice to the Lord(Gen. 28:2022). xxxi. 4:19), andMichal (daughter of Saul)(II Sam. Why, then, did she die? Gen. 33:2relates: putting the maids and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last, to which the midrash comments: The more behind, the more beloved(Gen. Rabbah78:8). Jealous of her sister, Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife. Themidrashasserts that the salvation that occurred in his time in the war at Gilgal(Josh. Agadat Bereshit li. They answer that Jacob saw with the spirit of divine inspiration that when the Israelites would set out to exile, they would pass through Bethlehem on the road to Ephrath, and so he buried Rachel there, so that she would pray for them. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. 24), show that she was a prophetess. His prophecy was fulfilled, asJer. While Rachel was barren for the first fourteen years of her marriage, she is still described as Jacobs preferred wife and a powerful woman. 14). He therefore went before her, stood up to his full height and hid her from Esau. From the Jewish Museum, New York, via Wikimedia Commons. 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.
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