In the book of Genesis we find the story of a man named Jacob. One day Jacob saw a young woman named Rachel and fell in love head over heels with her. The scripture says that Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. In other words, Rachel had a lovely face and a shapely body.
Jacob liked what he saw and he did not even think twice. He went straight to the girl’s father, a man named Laban and told him “I want to marry your daughter”. Laban agreed but gave a condition saying that in order to marry Rachel, Jacob would have to work for him for seven years. Jacob was so infatuated and mesmerized by the charm of Rachel that he agreed to the proposal.
At the end of the seven years, the marriage was solemnized. However something went terribly wrong for Jacob. As was the custom of those people, the bride had to wear a thick veil over her face on the wedding day. In fact the veil covering the bride’s face was so thick that it was impossible even for the husband to know who was actually behind the veil.
On the morning following the wedding night, Jacob woke up and found out that the woman with whom he slept was not Rachel but Leah, Rachel’s elder sister. Upon realizing that he had been tricked, Jacob was furious and he went straight to Laban and confronted him. Laban apologized but said that in their culture, the elder sister had to be married off first ahead of the younger one. And Laban told Jacob that if he really wanted to marry Rachel, he would have to work for him another seven years. And since Jacob really wanted Rachel, he agreed to work for Laban another seven years.
After working for Laban for fourteen years, Jacob had made Laban a very wealthy man multiplying his herds and cattle manifold times. And at the end of the fourteenth year, Laban also had to keep his promise and so finally Jacob and Rachel were married.
Now, Jacob found himself in a situation where he was married to two wives who were sisters. Jacob liked and loved Rachel from the moment he first saw her whereas he had never wanted to marry Leah in the first place. But Jacob was tricked to marry Leah by her father Laban. Even after the two marriages, these dynamics and equation did not change as Jacob always preferred Rachel over Leah.
Now let us place ourselves in Leah’s shoes for a moment. If you are a woman and you are married to a man who had another wife and if your husband loved the other wife more than he loved you, how hurtful and painful that would be. This was the pain and insult which Leah had to endure. And this is why Leah was called “the unloved one”.
In those times and in that culture, it was a big deal for a woman to give birth to a son. And time and again Leah conceived and went on to give six sons to Jacob. Every time Leah gave birth to a son, she thought her husband would now become more attached to her. Especially after giving birth to the third son, Leah prayed for her husband’s love, attention and preference.
On the other hand, Rachel remained infertile. But despite the fact that Rachel could not conceive, Jacob still preferred and loved her more than Leah. Rachel also yearned to have a son but the scripture says that God had closed her womb. But finally God remembered Rachel and opened her womb and gave her two sons.
The two sons of Jacob and Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. But sadly enough, Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin. Even after the death of Rachel, Jacob’s love for her never diminished. And since Joseph and Benjamin were the sons of Rachel, they were the favorites of Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons but he loved Joseph and Benjamin the most not only because they were the youngest but also because they were given birth by Rachel.
The other sons eventually became jealous and sold Joseph into slavery and told their father Jacob that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. For many years, Jacob thought that his favorite son Joseph (the son of Rachel) had died. But later they found out that Joseph was not only alive but that he was in a position of great authority in the land of Egypt.
During the time of famine, Joseph, who was serving as the prime minister of Egypt, invited his father and all his brothers to come and live in the land of Egypt where there was abundant food and resources. So, to survive, Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and lived there for many years under the patronage of Joseph. And Jacob’s joy knew no bound to be reunited with his beloved son Joseph (the son of Rachel).
While living in Egypt, Jacob realized that he would die in that foreign land. But he also knew that one day his people would go back to their original land. So he told his children to take his mortal remains back to their ancestral lands.
And Jacob specifically told his children to take his body back to their land and bury him next to Leah in the Cave of Machpelah. Now this is really interesting. All his life Jacob had loved Rachel more than Leah. In fact even though Jacob married Leah seven years before he married Rachel, Leah was always considered the second wife because Jacob had always been more attached to Rachel both emotionally and romantically.
From the moment he saw Rachel, it was “love at first sight” for Jacob and Rachel became unforgettable for him so much so that he was willing to even work like a donkey for 14 years to possess her. But as far as Leah was concerned, Jacob never had any liking for her. It is said that Leah was dull looking and had weak eyes which imply that she was not physically attractive like her sister Rachel. The marriage of Jacob and Leah was not a love marriage. In fact it was not even an arranged marriage. Rather it was cheating as Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah by her father Laban.
Then, how is it that at the end of his life, Jacob wanted to be buried next to Leah and not Rachel? I guess it’s because at the end Jacob had realized that Leah was a necessity in his life. In the end Jacob became a very wealthy and successful man and he must have realized that he owed his wealth and success more to Leah than Rachel.
Jacob was already married to Leah for seven years before he married Rachel and after the death of Rachel, Jacob and Leah spent years together again. Leah gave six sons to Jacob whereas Rachel gave only two. So at the end of the day, it was Leah who became the more dominating and contributing factor as far as Jacobs’s life was concerned.
And so when Jacob told his family to bury him next to Leah, I think he was acknowledging the role and importance of Leah in his family even though he had always loved Rachel more. It may also be considered a gesture of giving credit where it was due.
It was not that Jacob had forgotten Rachel in his old age. I think the memories of the beauty of Rachel were still very vivid in his mind. Her smile, her long flowing hair, the curves of her body and her aroma must still have been unforgettable and irresistible to Jacob even in his twilight years. But at the end of the day, credit and acknowledgement has to be given where it is due. Rachel was beautiful and unforgettable but Leah’s contributions were more enduring and tangible.
In my own life, I have encountered both Rachel and Leah. When I saw Rachel for the first time I also fell head over heels. We men are more sight-oriented. Rachel may have the beauty, the glamour, the sizzle and the so-called X factor. And we may be left completely smitten.
But at the end of the day, we also need to acknowledge Leah in our lives and give her the due credit. Everything about Leah may not be as exciting as Rachel. But in your life also, Leah was probably there with you before Rachel came into your life and she would probably be there with you after Rachel is gone. Maybe in your own life also, there was a Leah who was deeply yearning and longing for your love and attention but your never realize it. So, to conclude, though Rachel was unforgettable ….. Leah was indispensable.
