how old was rachel when she married jacob how old was rachel when she married jacob

Themidrashstates that Leah carried a male fetus in her womb during her seventh pregnancy. "Rachel: Midrash and Aggadah." When Abraham was about 100 years old, he and his wife Sarah had a son who they named Isaac. Our part is simply to accept and be thankful. The Rabbis are lavish in their praise of Rachel, whom they describe as merciful, and who waived her personal benefit and desires on behalf of her sister. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. According to one opinion, her death was a punishment for Jacob, for having made a vow and then not honoring it. R., Petita, 25). She did not want to adhere to the paganism of her fathers house, but rather sought to prevent Laban from engaging in idolatry. She bore him in 2259 AM. Your life, they will exact punishment from him whenever he threatens your children (Pesikta Rabbati[ed. Buber],Vayeze12). This means Jacob was Laban's nephew. How old? Now that you have sinned, the birthright has been given to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and kingship to Judah (Gen. Rabbahloc. Jacob kissed Rachel and fell in love with her instantly. cit.). Gen. 30:22reveals: Now God remembered Rachel; God heeded her and opened her womb. In the midrashic expansion, Rachel was remembered (i.e., became pregnant) on The Jewish New Year, held on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. After spending a month with his relatives he asked for her hand in marriage in return for working seven years for Laban the Aramean. Rachel's words at the birth of Joseph, "The Lord shall add to me another son" (Gen. xxx. Rachel asked Leah for a portion of them, and Leah protested that Rachel already had the favor of Jacob, and now was asking for a supply of the one thing that each woman supposed would make her fertile. Jacob said to himself: When Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, went to fetchRebekah, he brought with him ten camels and all the bounty of his master(Gen. 24:10), while I have not a single nose-ring or band. The second reason for his weeping was his foreseeing that Rachel would not be buried together with him (Gen. Rabbahloc. Possibly in the early fall of 2248 AM (1757 BC), Rachel protested to Jacob concerning her lack of children. Rijksmuseum The story of how Jacob ends up marrying his two cousins, Leah and Rachel, begins in Canaan, with the marriage of his older twin, Esau, to two Hittite women of whom Isaac and Rebekah do not approve. Rachel and Joseph were most beloved by Jacob, and therefore they stood last. The birthright should have come forth from Rachel, but Leah preceded her in [receiving divine] mercy; because of the formers modesty, God restored the birthright to Rachel(BTBava Batra123a). 21:1517prescribes that If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both [] have borne him sons [] he may not treat as first-born the son of the loved one in disregard of the son of the unloved one who is older. Later, Rachel became the mother of Joseph (xxx. The Bible does not say when Rachel was born, nor how old she was when she married Jacob, nor how long she lived. pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxx. [9][10][11], Last modified on August 11, 2016, at 17:07. Agadah to Gen. xxx. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah as Jacobs beautiful and beloved wife. Laban agreed. "order." The reason for this was Josephs fear that Esau would see Rachel and desire her. All the furrows that I plowed in your mother [i.e., acts of intercourse] should I not have done with Rachel? Referred to alternatively as the "Day of Judgement" and the "Day of Blowing" (of the, Lit. Continuing this exegetical orientation, in another midrashic depiction Jacob tells Reuben, while blessing his sons before his death: The birthright was not yours. 60a, and Targ. He buried her on the road to Ephrath because he foresaw that the Israelites, when driven into captivity along that road, would need her intercession with God in their behalf (Midr. Rachel married Jacob after he was tricked into marrying her sister Leah. She died after bearing her second son, in 2266 AM. 15). 10). InJer. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rachel-biblical-figure, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Rachel. Jacob Proposes Marriage with Rachel to Laban, Antoine Trouvain, after Nicolas Poussin, 1666-1708. The Bible says that this took place at sheep-shearing time,[5] which is always in the springtime. He was then allowed to marry Rachel as well, in return for seven more years of labour. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the, Matriarchs: A Liturgical and Theological Category, Modesty and Sexuality in Halakhic Literature, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Rachel married Andrew Jackson (twice) and at age 61, prior to her husband's inauguration Rachel Jackson died of a heart attack at age 61. She had started from a position of superiority over her sister, since she was the desired wife. xxi., where the number 37 must be corrected to 36). Some rabbinical writings suggest that Rachel and Leah were twins, and were fourteen years old at the time of Jacob's first meeting with Rachel. https://www.learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193 (accessed May 1, 2023). 31:1416attests: A cry is heard in Ramahwailing, bitter weepingRachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone. Those sons became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel. If she had, then she would not have been able to employ a ruse to stop her father from searching her belongings too closely (see below). Before she died, she said that the child should be named Ben-oni, or "son of my pain." Jacob was 147 years old when he died, Gen 47:28. Another tradition suggests that when Rachel saw that she did not bear children, she feared lest Esau take her from Jacob and marry her [because of the prior agreement between the parents of Jacob and Esau that each would marry one of the sisters, while Jacob had married both]. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. xxiii. In the fourth interpretive possibility, the name given by Rachel portrays the childs character, thus predicting the future. DAY 34: Jacob Was 84 Years Old When He Married Rachel And Leah By richoka Leave a Comment We've now arrived at the third Biblical patriarch: Jacob. Zavada, Jack. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/rachel-favored-wife-of-jacob-701193. It speaks of a tradition possessed by Jacob that Esau would fall only by the hand of Rachels sons. This midrash uses a common date to connect various historical events. Themidrashrecords a disagreement among the Rabbis concerning the origins of Elijah. At Naphtalis birth, Rachel said(Gen. 30:8): A contest of God, a fateful contest I waged [naftuleiniftalti] with my sister; yes, and I have prevailed. Themidrashgives four different interpretations of this name. Gen. 29:17attests: Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Themidrashadds that there was no maiden fairer than Rachel (Tanhuma,Vayeze6). Laban agreed to the arrangement. In another midrashic understanding, Rachel alluded to the disgrace during the time of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who was a descendant of the tribe of Ephraim, and who engaged in idolatry and denigrated the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh(I Kings 1214); this disgrace was taken away when Jeroboam was put to death(II Chron. This midrash indicates a certain correction of the injustice done to Rachel. As the four different plants with which the Jews were commanded to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. According to these first two traditions, Naphtalis name portrays an experience undergone by Rachel. Rachel lost being buried next to Jacob because of her dealing with Leah, but she thereby merited having her son Joseph receive the birthright. According to this view, from the outset the birthright belonged to Rachels son, which was the intent of both God and Jacob. Gen. 30:14relates that Reuben found mandrakes, which are prophylactic, in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. 19:11) drippings of the comb [nofet zufim], which are in the portion of Naphtali, who will engage in Torah study (Gen. Rabbahloc. Jacob said to Joseph that he had buried Rachel near Ephrath, where Bethlehem now stands. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover. it is known before You that Your servant Jacobs love for me knew no bounds, and he worked for my father for seven years for me. Rachels merit continued to aid Israel even many years after her demise: when the exiles from Judah (after the destruction of the First Temple) passed by her tomb, she aroused Gods mercy to forgive them; He heeded her, and promised her that He would return them to their land. As punishment for Jacobs behavior, Leahs sons will stand before Joseph, the ruler of all Egypt, hear the same words coming out of his mouth and fear him, not knowing how he will act toward them [after Jacobs death]. In another midrashic tradition, however, Jacob did not initially favor Rachel over Leah. When Jacob left the land of Canaan, he had vowed that he would return to Bethel and sacrifice to the Lord(Gen. 28:2022). Elijah came and stood before them. She put them in the "furniture" of the camel on which she sat, and when her father came to search for them she pleaded sickness (xxxi. Rachel knows that she is Jacobs true intended bride. Once she has given birth, she places the blame on her child (Tanhuma[ed. The uncertainty arises from the unknown time between Jacob leaving Paddan-aram and arriving in Ephrath which was presumably at least 2 years (with Bethel in between) and when Joseph was 17 years old. A miracle was performed for her, the idols were transformed into cups, and therefore Laban did not find them(Gen. Rabbah74:9). Rachels son Benjamin knew about the sale of Joseph but did not reveal it to his father; therefore(Ex. When Jacob saw Rachel coming with the flock, he rolled the heavy stone from the mouth of the well by himself, a task that normally required more than three men; in the midrashic exposition, he rolled the stone as someone who removes a stopper from a flask(Gen. Rabbah70:12). They assert that Jacobs kiss was not a wanton one, but one that expressed familial feeling, since Rachel was related to him (Gen. Rabbahloc. 6:23)(Gen. Rabbah82:7). This midrash is connected to the fundamental Rabbinic disagreement as to whether the harbinger of the Redemption will be from the offspring of Rachel or from those of Leah. Zavada, Jack. pseudo-Jonathan ad loc.). Rachel was one of the four Jewish matriarchs, all of whom were prophetesses (Ber. (This mistaken belief was similar to the belief that both sisters had in the power of the common mandrake to confer fertility.) The stone over the mouth of the well was large. According to one, Reuben, Leahs son and the firstborn of Jacob, does receive the birthright. And this was not allI went under the bed where he lay with my sister: he would speak with her, and I responded every time, while she remained silent, so that he would not recognize her voice. But the Bible makes no specific statement to this effect. 15). "Staging Rachel: Rabbinic Midrash, Theatrical Mime, and Christian Martyrdom in Late Antiquity." The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel. Her first son was Joseph, the future viceroy of Egypt. If you forgot, she was best friends with Rachel Green ( Jennifer Aniston ) before she wound up . When Jacob wanted to leave Haran, he summoned his wives to the field and told them of his plans. And, indeed, she bore Jacob only a single additional son, Benjamin(JTBerakhot9:3, 14[ab]). ; Gen. R. lxxiv. Rachel and Leah were twin sisters, fourteen years old when Jacob came to their father's house; consequently they were twenty-one years old at the time of their marriage to Jacob (Seder 'Olam Rabbah ii.). Gen. 29:18attests: Jacob loved Rachel. The midrashic exegesis of this verse characterizes this love of Jacobs with a reference toCant. Notwithstanding this, Rachels exemplary deeds caused the seniority to return to her. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. The "Sefer ha-Yashar" (section "Wayishla," p. 56b), however, gives her age at the time of her death as forty-five. Rachel's envy at her sister's fertility (comp. The custom in those days was for a man to wait at least a week after arranging to marry a woman. These two reasons reveal the fact that, already at the instant of his first meeting with Rachel, Jacob realized that she was the woman meant for him. She spends much of her married life attempting to bear children for Jacob and eventually uses her maid Bilhah as a surrogate, but Rachel still craves biological children. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Jacob replied that he was her father's equal in trickery; and he agreed with Rachel upon certain signs which would enable him to recognize her. 31:15Israel is called after Rachel: Rachel weeping for her children; inAmos 5:15Israel is named after her son: Perhaps the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph; and inJer. Themidrashlists three reasons for Jacobs crying on this occasion. All this means that Jacob was married to Rachel for some time between about 15 years and 22 years. At the well at Haran, Jacob found Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, tending sheep. Jacob insisted on giving the child the name of Benjamin, or "son of my right hand."[1]. Did I not go to Laban only for Rachel? Why, then, did she die? Then she waived this status when she consented to Leahs marriage to Jacob. 22). cit.). Bilhah bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, the first by her own merit, and the second by the merit of Rachel (Gen. Rabbati,Vayeze, p. 121). She bore another son and a daughter over the next two years. 2227 AM-m. 2245 AM-2266 AM) (ca. Updates? [1] Buber],Vayeze19). A third interpretation takes the wordnaftalifrom pitulim[vicissitudes], and describes what Jacob underwent.