[3] This traditional site lies four miles south of Jerusalem and one mile north of Bethlehem. l.c.) Rachel is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 29 when Jacob happens upon her as she is about to water her father's flock. "Rachel: Midrash and Aggadah." 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. Agadah to Gen. xxx. According to the first, Naphtalis name is an acrostic of all that happened between Rachel and her sister. The Rabbis claim that Rachel did so for the sake of Heaven. Buber],Vayeze19). Today the site is surrounded by an armed fortress and under heavy guard. xxxi. Gen. 30:1relates that when Rachel saw that she was not bearing children, she told Jacob: Give me children, or I shall die, leading the Rabbis to conclude that whoever is childless is regarded as dead (Lam. He therefore went before her, stood up to his full height and hid her from Esau. Gen. 35:18attests: But as she breathed her lastfor she was dyingshe named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. The Rabbis explain that Rachel called the child the son of my suffering [in Aramaic], while his father gave him the Hebrew name Benjamin. The midrashic sources specify that Rachel died at the age of thirty-six (SederOlam Rabbah2) and list three women who had difficult childbirths and died: Rachel, the wife of Phinehas(I Sam. Family relations of Rachel in the Bible. Therefore, Benjamin must have been conceived shortly before the flight from Laban and born nine months later. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. When Abraham was about 100 years old, he and his wife Sarah had a son who they named Isaac. In another midrashic understanding, Rachel alluded to the disgrace during the time of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who was a descendant of the tribe of Ephraim, and who engaged in idolatry and denigrated the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh(I Kings 1214); this disgrace was taken away when Jeroboam was put to death(II Chron. The Rabbis are lavish in their praise of Rachel, whom they describe as merciful, and who waived her personal benefit and desires on behalf of her sister. 1-min read. Friedmann (Ish-Shalom)], chap. Besides, Rachel was afraid that her father, seeing that she had no children by Jacob, might marry her to Esau (Midr. Therefore, Jacob was 71 years old at the time he met Rachel. "the written Torah." 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. 11). [9][10][11], Last modified on August 11, 2016, at 17:07. Due to the shame that Benjamin suffered through no fault of his own, he merited having the Divine Presence rest in his portion [the Temple was erected in the portion of the tribe of Benjamin], which thereby publicly proclaimed his innocence. Rachels barrenness intensified the jealousy between them, but Leah, out of demonstrated compassion for her sister, prayed that she give birth. Rabbah3:2). Rachel lived in Harran, or Paddan Aram, and that's where she met her cousin Jacob. Jacobs other wife is Rachels sister Leah, which causes issues between the sisters, especially because Leah is able to bear children. The Rabbis seek to discover the reason why Rachels womb was opened. She told Jacob that if he didn't "give" her children, she would die. 22). Jacob protested, and Laban answered that local custom did not permit a younger sister to marry before the older sister. Themidrashfurther relates that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and he even loved Bilhah, Rachels handmaiden, more than he loved Zilpah, the handmaiden of Leah (Gen. Rabbati,Vayeze, p. 120). Another tradition explains that most of those around [the table] were from Leah, and therefore Rachel was the main person [ikar] of the household(Gen. Rabbah71:2). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Rabbis ask why Jacob buried Rachel on the road to Ephrath, and not in the Cave of Machpelah. Buber],Vayeze6). 3; Pire R. El. [1] He said to them: My masters, why do you disagree about me? The Story of Jacob and his Wives Leah and Rachel The role of women in the Old Testament. According to this conception, Rachels son should from the outset have been the firstborn, but because God had compassion on the unloved Leah, He gave her the fruit of the womb and she bore Jacobs firstborn son. Leah conceived a son that very evening, and bore him the next year. Your life, they will exact punishment from him whenever he threatens your children (Pesikta Rabbati[ed. According to the Rabbis, Laban would not have succeeded in deceiving Jacob without Rachels involvement. 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). One tradition maintains that she became pregnant by merit of abundant prayers: by merit of her own prayer, by merit of her sisters prayer, by merit of Jacobs prayer, and by merit of the prayer of the handmaidens [Zilpah and Bilhah](Gen. Rabbah73:3). 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). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Bible does not say when Rachel was born, nor how old she was when she married Jacob, nor how long she lived. 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! Agadah to Gen. xxix. She therefore insisted that Jacob pray to God for children, arguing that his father, Isaac, had done so(comp. After working for Laban another seven years, Jacob marries Rachel Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. cit.). Possibly in the early fall of 2248 AM (1757 BC), Rachel protested to Jacob concerning her lack of children. This midrash criticizes Jacob for responding so harshly and inconsiderately to Rachel, who is presented as a bitter woman. 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. 31:20Israel is called after her sons son: Truly, Ephraim is a dear son to Me(Ruth Rabbah7:11:13). 14). Bilhah bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, the first by her own merit, and the second by the merit of Rachel (Gen. Rabbati,Vayeze, p. 121). ; Midr. DAY 34: Jacob Was 84 Years Old When He Married Rachel And Leah By richoka Leave a Comment We've now arrived at the third Biblical patriarch: Jacob. B. At such an age, a girl might be given adult responsibility in a family that did not (yet) have sons. Rabbah, according to which Rachel entered under Jacob and Leahs bed on their wedding night. Who was Rachel in the Bible? 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). 28:20) his tribe received the jasper [yashfe, with the meaning ofyesh pehthere is a mouth] stone in the High Priests breastpiece. 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. Isaac married Rabecah and they had two sons - Esau and Jacob.. So after the ceremonial week of the wedding to Leah was over, Rachel married Jacob, becoming his second but most-loved wife. Thismidrashindicates the physical trait shared by Rachel and Joseph, which the Bible expresses in identical language. This midrash uses a common date to connect various historical events. This exegetical direction is supported by the divine aid she received in the miraculous concealment of the idols from Laban. In thismidrash, Rachel has the insight that the birth of children is a reward from God. 16-20). Now that you have sinned, the birthright has been given to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and kingship to Judah (Gen. Rabbahloc. 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. 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. When not specified, "Talmud" refers to the Babylonian Talmud.Talmud asserts that the Matriarch Rachel was one of the first women prophets. 14; Midr. 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. By ancient custom, Bilhah's children would be credited to Rachel. Agadah toGen. Thismidrashincorporates several aggadic traditions according to which Leah gave birth to Issachar and Zebulun by merit of the mandrakes that she gave her sister. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". So we would only be guessing if we came up with an age for Leah and Rachel. At his meeting with Esau, Jacob showed his particular affection for Rachel by placing her last, with her son Joseph (xxxiii. [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." 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. Did I not go to Laban only for Rachel? Accordingly, after the birth of Joseph, Esaus foil, Jacob resolved that the time had come to return to his homeland(Gen. Rabbah73:7). (Viewed on May 1, 2023)