2021/5782
The first time we meet Leah Imeinu, the Torah draws an intriguing contrast between her and Rachel. “ULeLavan Shtei Banot, Shem HaGedolah Leah VeShem HaKetanah Rachel. Ve’Einei Leah Rakot, VeRachel Haytah Yefat To’ar VIfat Mar’eh,” “Lavan had two daughters, the name of the older was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel. And the eyes of Leah were tender, while Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance” (BeReishit, 29:16-17). Until this moment, the Torah provided no detail whatsoever about Leah’s personality or appearance. So why do we need to know about Leah’s tender eyes, and why does this description appear right here?
Rashi explains that Leah’s tender eyes came as a result of her tears, and apparently she had good reason to cry. Everyone knew that Lavan and Rivkah each had two children, and there was an expectation for the older boy to marry the older girl and the younger boy to marry the younger girl. Rashi’s words are “HaKol Omrim,” “everyone would say.” Rachel and Leah were the talk of the town. It was common knowledge which sister was destined for the mild-mannered mensch and which would be stuck with his wild, hairy, murderous brother. After enduring this pervasive gossip, it makes sense that Leah would cry. Also, we can see why the Torah compared her to Rachel at this particular moment. Beneath the surface, there’s more at stake here than making a shidduch. Ya’akov’s marriage choice would either confirm or reject the time-honored rumors and societal norms that so plagued Leah Imeinu. As he prepares to marry Rachel, the Torah included Leah’s tender eyes to show that she is affected by this decision.
Yet, this conclusion seems perplexing in light of another classic Midrash cited by Rashi. Later, after Lavan makes the switch, the Torah says that “VaYehi BaBoker VeHineih Hi Leah,” “In the morning, behold, it was Leah!” (Bereishit, 29:25). Why couldn’t Ya’akov tell the difference immediately? Rashi explains that “Ya’akov gave Rachel signs, and when she saw that they were bringing Leah to Ya’akov she said, ‘Now my sister will be humiliated,’ so she stood up and gave [Leah] those signs.” Leah knew the secret handshake, the special knock, or the right code word, etc. Because Rachel took action, Ya’akov did not discover the ruse until daylight brought clarity to the situation.
The question here pertains to Rachel’s thought process. The Midrash implied that Rachel felt a sense of urgency when her father came to make the switch. “Now my sister will be humiliated.” What did Rachel mean? Didn’t we learn before that Leah cried all the time? Even a stranger passing by on the street knew he could taunt Leah about marrying Esav! Sure, the scene was probably embarrassing for Ya’akov, but Leah had already endured a lifetime of ridicule. Why did Rachel believe this episode would be anything other than a regular day in the life of her sister? What would make this humiliation so different? After all, Leah was no stranger to gossip, this had always been part of her life, and yet Rachel felt compelled to act. The Midrash said “Achshav,” “now,” which connotes urgency, and “Amdah,” “she stood up,” to proactively change the outcome. How can we understand Rachel’s motivation here? Perhaps she knew something we did not.
What if we misread Leah’s attitude in the Midrash? It is easy to picture her as a weepy young girl with no way out of a sad situation. We see that everyone used to talk about her, and we assume that’s why she would cry so much. We pity her as the second fiddle to her beautiful sister. But there is no reason to assume that Leah felt this way about herself. Is it possible that we read the Midrash while projecting our own perceptions onto Leah? Who says Leah wants our pity? And why is it a given that she’s so helpless?
If we look back in the Midrash, there is a subtle twist in the story as we know it. True, Leah was the talk of the town, but that isn’t necessarily the source of all her tears! In fact, she may not have taken their words seriously at all. The Midrash says: “SheHaytah Sevurah La’Alot BeGoralo Shel Esav,” “[Leah] reasoned that she could be bound up with the lot of Esav.” The word used with Leah’s reasoning is “Goral,” “lottery,” and it has a very particular connotation. Every Yom Kippur there is a ceremony involving two goats, where one is used as a Korban for Hashem and the other is sent off a cliff to Azazel. How do we decide the fate of each goat? Rather than relying on a human of flesh and blood to make that decision, we use a Goral. Through the lottery, it will be clear to the goats that Hashem decided their fate, for He is the One in charge of chance. Here in the case of Leah, we have a similar dynamic. Two sisters, and two very different possibilities. While there was a chance that Leah might end up with Esav, she did not believe it was a guarantee. Leah did not rely on the decision of others, her fate was not sealed just because everyone said it was so. Leah was not crying because she accepted the story everyone told, she was not wallowing in self-pity, these were not tears of despair, rather she cried because she rejected this story and used every ounce of her will to change it! The Midrash in its entirety says that Leah actually prayed that Hashem should save her from that possibility, she poured out her heart and cried to the One who truly decides the winner of a lottery.
With that understanding of Leah, we can see why Rachel felt a sense of urgency at that moment. When Lavan came to make the switch, Rachel knew that Leah’s prayers were answered! She was heading off to marry someone else, she was not destined for Esav! To Leah, this switcheroo was never about playing a cruel joke on Ya’akov. She had literally spent her life davening for this, and maybe she was thanking HaKadosh Baruch Hu as she prepared to spend the night with Ya’akov. Everything Leah believed was confirmed in that moment; Hashem is the true lottery master, there is no “chance” other than His will, she had not been wrong to deny the gossip around town and put her faith in God. Every tear that turned Leah’s face tender was shed in pursuit of this goal.
Can you imagine how Leah would feel if all of that was taken away? If Ya’akov said “Sorry, not happening,” we would understand his reasoning. Nobody would hold it against him, and he would even be justified in sending the wrong sister back to her father. But for Leah? This moment was her whole world! Rachel truly knew what was on the line, as only a sister could. If Leah was denied now, at this moment, she would be embarrassed for all time. There would be no end to the gossip, it would be the ultimate We Told You So. “There goes Leah, the big believer, she thought she could cheat her way around fate but we showed her who’s right!”
Perhaps that is why the Midrash says that Rachel “stood up” and gave Leah the signs. She refused to sit by passively and allow her sister to take such a fall. Instead, she actively partners with God in securing her sister’s future, regardless of how this decision might impact her own.