Rachel

 

(rā'chəl) , in the Bible, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She is one of the four Jewish matriarchs. An alternate form is Rahel.

Rachel (Hebrew: רחל, Standard Raḥel Tiberian Rāḫēl, Rāḥēl ; also spelled Rachael, meaning "ewe", or possibly "innocence and gentility of a rose" or "lovely") is the second and favorite wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible. She is the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife. Jacob was her first cousin, as Jacob's mother Rebekah was Laban's sister.

Appearance

When Rachel is introduced in the text (Gen. 29:17), she is lovingly described as being "beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance" (Hebrew: וְרָחֵל הָֽיְתָה יְפַת־תֹּאַר וִיפַת מַרְאֶה). Rachel is a popular name found throughout England and the United States and Ireland.

Marriage to Jacob

Jacob journeyed to Rachel's home, sent by his mother Rebekah to avoid being killed by his brother Esau, and possibly with the intention of finding a wife. He found Rachel, and wanted to marry her, but he was tricked by Laban into marrying Leah. He worked seven years as a shepherd for Laban in exchange for the right to marry Rachel, but on the wedding night, Laban dressed Leah in the wedding dress and veil and brought her to Jacob. According to some rabbis, Jacob and Rachel suspected that Laban would pull a trick like this, so they made up a series of signs with which the veiled bride would identify herself to her bridegroom. When Rachel saw her father bringing Leah out to the wedding canopy, however, she could not bear to see her sister shamed in public, and revealed to Leah the signs.^[1]

When Jacob discovered the deception in the light of day, the marriage had already been consummated. Jacob accepted Laban's trickery and offered to work another seven years in order to marry Rachel as well (see Genesis 29). Along with each daughter, Laban also sent two handmaids (some say younger sisters of Rachel and Leah),^[2] Bilhah and Zilpah. Each of these handmaids later became wives of Jacob.

Motherhood

While Leah gave birth to four sons in quick succession, Rachel was unable to conceive for many years. She offered her handmaid (Bilhah) to her husband in marriage, as was the custom, and named the two sons Bilhah bore, indicating they were to be considered her family.^[3] Leah, who also desired more children, then offered her handmaid (Zilpah) to Jacob, and the latter bore two more sons. Finally, after Leah produced another two sons and a daughter, Rachel herself bore two sons.

Death and burial

Rachel died in childbirth on the eleventh day of the Hebrew month of Heshvan,^[4] and was buried by Jacob on the road to Efrat, just outside Bethlehem.^[3] It is clear from the text of the Bible that Rachel died while having a breech baby. The midwife tells her in the middle of the birth that her child is a boy.^[5] Today Rachel's Tomb, located between Bethlehem and the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, is visited by thousands of visitors each year.^[6]

Rachel's offspring

Rachel's son, Joseph, is destined to be the leader of Israel's tribes between exile and nationhood. This is exemplified in the Biblical story of Joseph, who prepared the way in Egypt for his family's exile there,^[7] 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.^[8][9]

Additional references in the Bible

In Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet speaks of 'Rachel weeping for her children' (KJV). This is interpreted in Judaism as Rachel crying for an end to her descendants' sufferings and exiles following the destruction of the First Temple in ancient Jerusalem. According to the Midrash, Rachel spoke before God: "If I, a mere mortal, was not prepared to humiliate my sister and was willing to take a rival into my home, how could You, the eternal, compassionate God, be jealous of idols, which have no true existence, that were brought into Your home (the Temple in Jerusalem)? Will You cause my children to be exiled on this account?" God accepted her plea and promised that, eventually, the exile would end and the Jews would return to their land.^[10]

In the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (part of the New Testament), this reference from Jeremiah is interpreted as a prediction of the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the young Jesus.

See also

• Rachel's Tomb
• Red string (taken from Rachel's tomb)
• Jacob
• Laban
• Leah
• Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
• Tribe of Joseph
• Benjamin
• Tribe of Benjamin
• Animal names as first names in Hebrew
• Lamb
• Rahil

References

1. ^ Wagensberg, Abba (2006), "Between The Lines," in Toras Aish, Volume XIV, No. 11, © 2006 Rabbi A. Wagensberg & aish.com
2. ^ Ginzberg, Louis (1909) The Legends of the Jews, Volume I, Chapter VI: Jacob, at sacred-texts.com
3. ^ ^{a b} Rachel at http://jewishencyclopedia.com
4. ^ Melamed, Zalman Baruch, "The Anniversary of Rachel's Death," at yeshiva.org.il
5. ^ Reisenberger, Azila, "Medical history: Biblical texts reveal compelling mysteries," Newsroom and Publications at the University of Capetown website
6. ^ "Kever Rachel Trip Breaks Barriers" by Israel National News Staff at israelnationalnews.com, Published: 11/14/05
7. ^ Joseph at jewishencyclopedia.com
8. ^ Davidiy, Yair, "Moshiach Ben Yoseph," at britam.org
9. ^ "The Messiah of Judaism," at truthnet.org
10. ^ Weisberg, Chana, "Rachel - Biblical Women" at chabad.org

External links

• The Committee for Rachel's Tomb

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