Leah

Leah Imenu

Biography

Leah is a central biblical figure appearing in the Book of Genesis, one of the four matriarchs of the people of Israel. She was the elder daughter of Laban the Aramean and the sister of Rachel; according to some midrashim the two were twins. She married Jacob our father after her father Laban substituted her for her sister Rachel on the wedding night, arguing that the younger should not be given before the elder. Scripture describes her as having tender eyes, and the rabbis explain that her eyes were tender from weeping, since people would match her with Esau and she prayed not to be given to him. Though Jacob loved Rachel more, Leah was granted extraordinary fertility and bore seven of Jacob's children — six of the twelve tribes (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun) and their daughter Dinah. Upon her death she was buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, and Jacob explicitly asked to be buried beside her.

Life Story

Childhood

She was born to Laban the Aramean in Haran in Aram Naharaim. She was the elder sister of Rachel, and according to some midrashim the two were twins. According to tradition, she was destined to marry Esau the elder, and from this thought she wept until her eyes became tender.

Family

Her father was Laban the Aramean. Her sister was Rachel, who also married Jacob. Her husband Jacob loved Rachel more, yet esteemed Leah and asked to be buried beside her. Her sons are six of the twelve tribes of Israel — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun — and her daughter is Dinah. From the seed of her son Judah came King David and the house of David, and according to tradition, the Messiah.

Key Events

On the wedding night Laban substituted Rachel with her sister Leah, and Jacob discovered only in the morning that he had married Leah. Afterward he also married Rachel, and worked an additional seven years. Leah bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and after a pause bore Issachar and Zebulun and their daughter Dinah. In the episode of the mandrakes, which her son Reuben found, Leah purchased her relations with Jacob from Rachel, and bore Issachar.

Miracles

Though she was not as loved as Rachel, Leah was granted extraordinary fertility and bore seven of Jacob's children. According to the rabbis, this fertility is a divine compensation for Jacob's lesser love, a sign that her inner virtue and devotion earned her children and an eternal standing.

Influence

Leah Imenu is the mother of six of the tribes of Israel, including Judah, from whom came the house of David and, according to tradition, the Messiah. Her figure symbolizes the inner woman, the fertile and the believing, who through prayer and devotion merited children and an eternal place beside Jacob. Her burial in the Cave of Machpelah and Jacob's request to be buried beside her testify to her high standing.

Death

She passed away in the land of Canaan. Jacob buried her in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, the burial place of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca. Before his own death Jacob asked his sons to bury him there, beside Leah — a request that attests to her standing and his esteem for her.

Her Way and Views

Faith

Leah prayed and cried out to be remembered with children, and named her children with names expressing gratitude to God: Reuben — the Lord has seen my affliction; Simeon — the Lord has heard that I am hated; Judah — I will thank the Lord. Each name is a testimony to her faith and her acknowledgment of providence.

Ethics

Leah's way teaches the prioritization of purpose over path: she cooperated with her father Laban in order to marry Jacob and not Esau, and purchased her relations with Jacob through the mandrakes. The rabbis are divided in their assessment of her going out toward Jacob, yet emphasize her power of persuasion and her will to act for a just cause.

Character

Scripture describes Leah as having tender eyes. The rabbis explain that her eyes were tender from weeping and prayer, since she was destined for Esau and prayed not to be given to him. Onkelos, by contrast, interprets that her eyes were beautiful, hinting at her beautiful inner world. Leah's defining virtue lies in inwardness, prayer, and devotion, rather than outward beauty.

Famous Quotes

"And Leah said, Because the Lord has heard that I was hated, he has therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon (Genesis 29:33)"

"And Leah said, This time will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah (Genesis 29:35)"

Famous Stories

The weeping of Leah: According to the midrash, people would match Leah the elder with Esau the elder, and from this thought she wept and prayed until her eyes became tender. Her prayer was heard, and she married Jacob and not Esau.

The purchase of the mandrakes: Leah's son Reuben found mandrakes in the field and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked her for the mandrakes, and Leah agreed on condition that Jacob come to her that night. Leah said: Come to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes, and that night she was remembered and bore Issachar. From this we learn of her devotion to Jacob and to her purpose.