Bilhah: Midrash and Aggadah | Jewish Women's Archive 9). 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. God remembered Rachel on Rosh ha-Shanah (Ber. How old was Jacob when he married Rachel? - Answers As the four different plants with which the Jews were commanded to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. TheTorahrelates that it was Joseph who ordered that the goblet be hidden in Benjamins sack. 5:14): From Ephraim came they whose roots are in Amalek [literally: From Ephraim came those who will destroy Amalek from its roots]and Israel will be rescued only by the son of Rachel. Thismidrashattributes a dual meaning to Gods statement: for there is a reward for your labor. Rachel acted in an extraordinary manner when she helped her sister to be married to Jacob and also when she prayed for her children. Gen. 29:17attests: Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Themidrashadds that there was no maiden fairer than Rachel (Tanhuma,Vayeze6). Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. 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. Theodor-Albeck, MS. Vatican, 99:3, p. 1253]). Jacob now explained his actions. The Hebrew name of Rachel means ewe or beautiful. Jacob asked Rachel: Will you marry me? She answered: Yes, but my father is a deceiver, and you will not be able to best him. He asked her: What is his deceit [in what will he be able to deceive me]? She told him: I have an older sister, and he will not marry me off before her. He said: I am his brother in deceit. Jacob gave Rachel signs [so that he would be able to recognize her on their wedding night]. 22-24). 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. Leah knew that twelve tribes would issue from Jacob. Rabbah3:2). Laban immediately said that if Jacob would serve him for an additional seven years, he could marry Rachel as well. They assert that Jacobs kiss was not a wanton one, but one that expressed familial feeling, since Rachel was related to him (Gen. Rabbahloc. Rachel knows that she is Jacobs true intended bride. Notwithstanding this, Rachels exemplary deeds caused the seniority to return to her. When Abraham was about 100 years old, he and his wife Sarah had a son who they named Isaac. How old was Rachel when she married Jacob? - Answers All this means that Jacob was married to Rachel for some time between about 15 years and 22 years. Jacob said to Rachel: who has deniedyoufruit of the wombHe denied you, but me He did not deny [since I have sons from Leah]. Who is Rachel in The Bible? These two reasons reveal the fact that, already at the instant of his first meeting with Rachel, Jacob realized that she was the woman meant for him. Now the birthright has returned to its owner(Gen. Rabbah98:4, [ed. According to Gen. R. (lxxii. Jennifer Grey Talks Her 'Friends' Role, Explains Why She Couldn't 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. Jacob was on his way back to his native country when Rachel died while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. The Rabbis claim that Rachel did so for the sake of Heaven. You are your mothers son! The Rabbis were concerned with the nature of this kiss, which they regarded as an improper act. In the morning, Jacob discovered he had been tricked. And there is hope for your futuredeclares the Lord: Your children shall return to their country (Lam. 26-28). Laban would take these gifts and give them to Leah, and Rachel would remain silent (Tanhuma[ed. So you wouldn't expect two old people, would you? Altogether, the four women bore 12 sons and one daughter, Dinah. 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). 1; Tan., Wayee, 19; Gen. R. lxxi. Jacob then married Rachel and worked for Laban another seven years for her. In yet another exegetical understanding, Rachel said: May the Lord add another son for me for exile, because the ten tribes were exiled beyond the Sambatyon river, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were dispersed throughout all the lands. 3 (2020): 299-333. In another tradition, Rachel envied Leahs good deeds. Vilna] petihtah 24). This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rachel-biblical-figure, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Rachel. The uncertainty arises from the unknown time between Jacob leaving Paddan-aram and arriving in Ephrath which was presumably at least 2 years (with Bethel in between) and when Joseph was 17 years old. Zavada, Jack. I buried her there, alongside the road to Ephrath, near Bethlehem." 2 Jacob was a short distance, about two-thirds of a mile, from Ephrath. The account of Jacob and Rachel is presented to the reader as a love story, and quite a romantic one at that. 3). The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 31:1416attests: A cry is heard in Ramahwailing, bitter weepingRachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone. Laban's excuse was that it was not their custom to marry off the younger daughter before the older one. Rachel asks Jacob: Is this how your father [Isaac] acted toward your mother [Rebekah]? This midrash compares the barrenness of the three Matriarchs and the conduct of the three Patriarchs, which intensifies the criticism of Jacob, who should have acted as his forefathers did, and pray on behalf of Rachel in accordance with her wishes. 33:12): Of Benjamin he said: Beloved of the Lord, he rests securely beside Him [] as he rests between His shoulders (Tanhuma[ed. Rachel and Jacob were cousins. Tadshe, in Epstein, "Mi-admoniyyot ha-Yehudim," Supplement, p. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. When Joseph was born, Rachel stated(Gen. 30:24): May the Lord add [yosef] another son for me. TheLit. Rachel - Wikipedia Rachel had been given Bilhah as a handmaiden by her father Laban upon her marriage to Jacob. 24), show that she was a prophetess. Even when he came to bless her son, he made him [Joseph] secondary to her. When Rachel saw them, she asked Leah to give them to her [because of her barrenness]. The Bible does not say when Rachel was born, nor how old she was when she married Jacob, nor how long she lived. However, since he was delayed in fulfilling his vow [as is related inGen. 35:17], he was punished by having to bury Rachel. Leah was busy with raising her children and therefore could not care for the needs of the household. Besides, Rachel was afraid that her father, seeing that she had no children by Jacob, might marry her to Esau (Midr. The Rabbis further learned from Jacobs words that a wifes death profoundly affects her husband(BTSanhedrin22b). "teaching," "study," or "learning." (NIV), Genesis 30:22Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. Some rabbinical writings suggest that Rachel and Leah were twins, and were fourteen years old at the time of Jacob's first meeting with Rachel. (This mistaken belief was similar to the belief that both sisters had in the power of the common mandrake to confer fertility.) Gen. 30:25relates that after Josephs birth Jacob asked Laban for permission to return to his land. 2). Rachel unquestionably had Jacob's favor, but Rachel was sterile, while Leah was fertile. When Jacob first met Laban (his mother's brother), he immediately fell in love with his younger daughter Rachel. 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. According to these first two traditions, Naphtalis name portrays an experience undergone by Rachel. Isaac married Rabecah and they had two sons - Esau and Jacob.. How Old Was Jacob When He Married Rachael? Bilhah bore children to Jacob, causing Leah to give her servant Zilpah to Jacob, who had children with her. "Jacob and Rachel at the Well, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1896-1902. 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. Midr. Agadat Bereshit li. When she realized that she was pregnant and that Jacob already had ten sons (six from Leah, two from Bilhah, and two from Zilpah), she said: Will my sister Rachel not be even as one of the handmaidens? Leah prayed to God on behalf of her sister. 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. Though she and Jacob were deeply in love, she did not conceive for many years. The exegetes holding this view find Rachels words(Gen. 30:15) to be somewhat prophetic: I promise, he shall lie with you tonightwith you he will lie [in the grave], but with me he will not lie [in the grave]. 14-16, 19, 34-35). 9-12, 17-18, 31; xxx. https://www.learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193 (accessed May 1, 2023). xxxi. 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! However, the text of Genesis 35:9-15 is a narrative that begins with a recapitulation of an earlier incident: the second appearance of God to Jacob and the renaming of Jacob to Israel. Buber],Mikez13). Later, Rachel became the mother of Joseph (xxx. Rachel said: Naftalihe is mynofet[honeycomb].Nofetare the words ofTorah, that are called(Ps. The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel. The custom in those days was for a man to wait at least a week after arranging to marry a woman. 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. Gen. 30:14relates that Reuben found mandrakes, which are prophylactic, in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. The midrash further states that, as reward for Rachels modesty, Saul was descended from her; and as reward for Sauls modesty, Esther was descended from him. The Rabbis present Labans act of deceit as something in which Rachel was involved, from which they learn of her special qualities. Hadjittofi, Fotini, and Hagith Sivan. [2] Thus Leah would be the older sister only in the sense of having been born first. Rachelis depicted in theTorah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Deut. cit.) Updates? Once she has given birth, she places the blame on her child (Tanhuma[ed. 15). At Naphtalis birth, Rachel said(Gen. 30:8): A contest of God, a fateful contest I waged [naftuleiniftalti] with my sister; yes, and I have prevailed. Themidrashgives four different interpretations of this name. Rachel was one of Jacob's wives through . Rachel: The Epitome of Motherhood - Bereishit (Genesis) - Parshah - Chabad When his time came to take leave of the world, he summoned his sons, but he did not choose Joseph instead of Reuben. She bore him in 2259 AM. Jacob was quite old compared to other generations when he finally married. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his angry twin brother, Esau . Buber],Vayeze6). Themidrashrecords a disagreement among the Rabbis concerning the origins of Elijah. However, the Rabbis debate the reason behind God granting her the ability to bear children. R. xxx. The midrash relates that Rachel was twenty-two years old when she was married to Jacob (Seder Olam Rabbah 2), and her barrenness lasted for fourteen years (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 18, p. 99). In other respects the two sisters were alike, both being ancestresses of kings, heroes, prophets, judges, and conquerors (ib. 15 (see Biblical Data, above) is the source of the midrashic legend that when the Israelites were driven into captivity by Nebuzar-adan, and the supplications of the Patriarchs and of Moses proved of no avail, Rachel arose from her grave and implored God's clemency, basing her plea upon her own self-abnegation with regard to her sister. According to one of these interpretations, the disgrace to which Rachel refers is the affair of theConcubine of a Levite(Jud. How old were Rachel and Leah when they married Jacob? How old - Quora Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. Today a site exists along the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem that most people say is the tomb of Rachel. pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxx. When Jacob wanted to leave Haran, he summoned his wives to the field and told them of his plans. 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. cit.). Rachel (Hebrew: , Rl; "a ewe"[1]) (ca. By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel. Rather, he told the latter(Gen. 49:3): Reuben, you are my first-born; notwithstanding this, Jacob also spoke disparagingly of him (v. 4): Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer. Many years later, Moses would bless Reuben and release him from this disgrace(Deut. 31 December 1999. At his meeting with Esau, Jacob showed his particular affection for Rachel by placing her last, with her son Joseph (xxxiii. God took pity on Leah and allowed her to bear children, while Rachel was barren. [1] 16), are explained by the Rabbis as referring to the divine gifts bestowed upon their descendants; for while royalty and the priesthood remained permanently with Leah's descendants, they were held only temporarily by Rachel'sroyalty with Joseph and Saul, and the priesthood with the tabernacle of Shiloh (Gen. R. lxx. Agadah to Gen. xxx. God said to Jacob: Is this how one replies to embittered women? When not specified, "Talmud" refers to the Babylonian Talmud.Talmud asserts that the Matriarch Rachel was one of the first women prophets. Why, then, did she die? Rachel in the Bible: Characteristics and lessons learned Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. Bride-Price: The Story of Jacob's Marriage to Rachel and Leah 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. ; Midr. Family relations of Rachel in the Bible. Thus she would be eighteen years of age when she married. And this was not allI went under the bed where he lay with my sister: he would speak with her, and I responded every time, while she remained silent, so that he would not recognize her voice.

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