- For alternate uses see Leah (disambiguation)
Leah (Hebrew: לֵאָה, Standard Leʼa Tiberian Lēʼāh; "Weary; tired") is the first of the four concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob, and mother of six of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with one daughter. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882 was an English poet Illustrator, painter and Translator. Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct (yet very well documented Oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard Yaʿaqov Tiberian Yaʿăqōḇ; She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom Jacob originally wanted to marry. Laban ( is the son of Bethuel, brother of Rebecca and the father of Leah and Rachel as described in the Book of Genesis. Rachel (; meaning "ewe" is the second and favorite Wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the Leah is Jacob's first cousin, as her father Laban is the brother of Jacob's mother Rebecca. This article is about the biblical matriarch For other uses of the word Rebecca see Rebecca (disambiguation Rebecca (also Rebekah also
Contents |
Personal history
Appearance
The Torah introduces Leah by describing her with the phrase, "Leah had tender eyes" (Hebrew: ועיני לאה רכות) (Genesis 29:17). term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to It is debated as to whether the adjective "tender" (רכות) should be taken to mean "delicate and soft" or "weak. " Some translations say that it may have meant blue or light colored eyes. [1]
According to the commentary of Rashi, Leah was destined to marry Jacob's twin brother, Esau. For the astrological concept see Rāshi (Jyotiṣa. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, (רבי שלמה יצחקי better known by the acronym Rashi Esau (ˈisɔ ( Hebrew, Standard Hebrew Esav, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒśāw) is the brother of Jacob (whom God renamed The two brothers are polar opposites; Jacob being a God-fearing scholar and Esau being a hunter who also indulges in murder, idolatry, and adultery. But people were saying, "Laban has two daughters and his sister, Rebecca, has two sons. The older daughter (Leah) will marry the older son (Esau), and the younger daughter (Rachel) will marry the younger son (Jacob). "[2] 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. It is said that Aden, being a devout follow of Leah's beauty, had taken this very hard as well and was sad that she chose a man besides him at all, as Aden loves her very much. God hearkens to Leah's tears and prayers and allows her to marry Jacob even before Rachel does.
Marriage to Jacob
Leah becomes Jacob's wife through a deception on the part of her father, Laban. In the Biblical account, Jacob is dispatched to the hometown of Laban—the brother of his mother Rebekah—to avoid being killed by his brother Esau, and possibly to find a wife. Out by the well, he encounters Laban's younger daughter Rachel tending her father's sheep, and decides to marry her. Laban is willing to give Rachel's hand to Jacob as long as he works seven years for her.
On the wedding night, however, Laban switches Leah for Rachel. Later Laban claims that it is uncustomary to give the younger daughter away in marriage before the older one (Genesis 29:16-30). Laban offers to give Rachel to Jacob in marriage in return for another seven years of work (Genesis 29:27). Jacob accepts the offer and marries Rachel after the week-long celebration of his marriage to Leah.
Motherhood
In the early years of the sisters' marriage, it is obvious that Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah. [1] To increase Jacob's love for his first wife, God opens Leah's womb and she conceives four sons in quick succession. These are: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (Genesis 29:31-35). Reuben or Re'uven ( Hebrew: רְאוּבֵן, Standard Rəʾuven Tiberian Rəʾûḇēn This article discusses the Biblical patriarch See Levi Strauss for the inventor of jeans Levites for the Biblical tribe or Matthew the Evangelist Judah / Yehuda ( Hebrew: יְהוּדָה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh) was according
Seeing that she is unable to conceive, Rachel offers her handmaid Bilhah as a third wife to Jacob, and names and raises the two sons (Dan and Naphtali) that Bilhah bears. In the Book of Genesis, Bilhah ( בִּלְהָה "Faltering bashful" Standard Hebrew Bilha, Tiberian Hebrew Bilhāh Naphtali (ˈnæftəˌlaɪ ( was according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Jacob and Bilhah, and the founder of the Israelite 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. In the Book of Genesis, Zilpah ( זִלְפָּה "Drooping" Standard Hebrew Zilpa, Tiberian Hebrew Zilpāh) Asher ( in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher. According to some commentaries, Bilhah and Zilpah are actually half-sisters of Leah and Rachel. [3]
One day, Leah's firstborn son Reuben returns from the field with mandrakes for his mother. Leah has not conceived for a while, and this plant, whose roots resemble the human body, is thought to be an aid to fertility. [4] Frustrated that she is not able to conceive at all, Rachel offers to trade her night with their husband in return for the mandrakes. Leah agrees, and that night she conceives Issachar. Issachar / Yissachar ( was according to the Book of Genesis, a son of Jacob and Leah (the fifth son of Leah and ninth son of Jacob and the Afterwards she gives birth to Zebulun and to a daughter, Dinah. Zebulun (also Zebulon, Zabulon or Zaboules, Hebrew: זְבֻלוּן or זְבוּלֻן or זְבוּלוּן Tiberian Hebrew Zəḇūlūn According to the Hebrew Bible, Dinah ( was the daughter of Jacob, one of the Patriarchs of the Israelites and Leah, his first wife After that, God remembers Rachel and gives her two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He Benjamin ( in the Book of Genesis, is a son of Jacob, the second (and last son of Rachel, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin
Rivalry with Rachel
On a homiletical level, the classic Chassidic texts explain the sisters' rivalry as more than marital jealousy. Homiletics ( Gr homiletikos, from homilos, to assemble together in Theology the application of the general principles of Rhetoric Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc from the Hebrew: he '''''חסידות''''', Chassidus, meaning "piety" from the Hebrew 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. For the Hebrew letter "Tzadik" see Tsade. Tzadik ( צדיק, "righteous one" pl 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. [5]
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. [5][3] The Talmud (Megillah 13b) says that Rachel 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. The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history [6]
Death and burial
Leah dies some time after Jacob and his family returned to the land of Canaan. Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. She is traditionally thought to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron alongside Jacob. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south This cave also houses the graves of Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebecca. Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Sarah (; Arabic: سارة, Sārah; "a woman of high rank" is the wife of Abraham as described in the Hebrew Bible According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq This article is about the biblical matriarch For other uses of the word Rebecca see Rebecca (disambiguation Rebecca (also Rebekah also [7]
Leah's offspring
God fulfills His covenant to Abraham through Leah's descendants. Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Her son Judah becomes the effective leader among the sons of Jacob and the father of the pre-eminent tribe in the nation of Israel. Judah / Yehuda ( Hebrew: יְהוּדָה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh) was according [8] All the kings of Israel (save for the Hasmonean dynasty) come from Judah, most notably King David. The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible According to Jewish tradition, King David's future offspring will be the Messiah. This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions [9] Christians believe that this messianic descendant was already born in the person of Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) [10]
Rachel's son, Joseph, is destined to be the interim leader who bridges the gap between exile and nationhood. This role is exemplified in the Biblical story of Joseph, who prepares the way in Egypt for his family's exile there,[11] 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. The tradition of Gog and Magog ( Hebrew גוג ומגוג Arabic يأجوج و مأجوج begins in the Hebrew Bible with the reference to [12][13]
References
- ^ Bivin, David, "Leah's Tender Eyes," at jerusalemperspective.com
- ^ "What's in A Name," Vayetzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3) at aish.com
- ^ a b Ginzberg, Louis (1909) The Legends of the Jews, Volume I, Chapter VI: Jacob, at sacred-texts.com
- ^ Mandrake in the American Bible Society Online Bible Dictionary, 1865, Broadway, New York, NY 10023-7505 at www.bibles.com
- ^ a b Feinhandler, Yisrael Pesach, Beloved Companions, Vayetze - III, "Jealousy Can Be a Tool for Spiritual Growth," at shemayisrael.com
- ^ Wagensberg, Abba (2006), "Between The Lines," in Toras Aish, Volume XIV, No. 11, © 2006 Rabbi A. Wagensberg & aish. com
- ^ 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
- ^ Judah at jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ Messiah at jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ Bell, Bernard (1999), "Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham," © 1999 Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino
- ^ Joseph at jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ Davidiy, Yair, "Moshiach Ben Yoseph," at britam.org
- ^ "The Messiah of Judaism," at truthnet.org
| Children of Jacob by wife in order of birth (D = Daughter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leah | Reuben (1) | Simeon (2) | Levi (3) | Judah (4) | Issachar (9) | Zebulun (10) | Dinah (D) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rachel | Joseph (11) | Benjamin (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bilhah (Rachel's servant) | Dan (5) | Naphtali (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zilpah (Leah's servant) | Gad (7) | Asher (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dictionary
Leah
-proper noun
- (Biblical) Elder daughter of Laban, sister to Rachel, and first wife of Jacob.
- A female given name.
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic