Difference between revisions of "Rachel" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
 
(27 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Started}}{{Claimed}}{{Contracted}}
+
{{Copyedited}}{{Images OK}}{{submitted}}{{approved}}{{Paid}}
  
{{about|the Biblical character}}
+
[[Image:William Dyce - The meeting of Jacob and Rachel.jpg.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Rachel''' greeted by her cousin Jacob]]
[[Image:Rachel_with_jar.jpg|thumb|''Rachel'' – [[Gustave Doré]]]]
 
'''Rachel''' (<span style="font-family:SBL Hebrew, Ezra SIL SR, Ezra SIL, Cardo, Chrysanthi Unicode, TITUS Cyberbit Basic, Arial Unicode MS, Narkisim, Times New Roman"><big>{{lang-he|רחל}}</big></span>, also spelled '''Rachael''') "Ewe," also "innocence and gentility of a rose" and may mean "lovely." [[Standard Hebrew]] {{Unicode|'''Raḥel'''}}, [[Tiberian Hebrew]] {{Unicode|'''Rāḫēl'''}}, {{Unicode|'''Rāḥēl'''}}) is the second and favorite [[wife]] of [[Jacob]] and mother of [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]], first mentioned in the [[Book of Genesis]] of the [[Hebrew Bible]]. She is the daughter of [[Laban (Bible)|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.
 
  
==Background==
+
'''Rachel''' ({{lang-he|רחל}}, "Ewe"—also spelled '''Rachael''') was the younger and favorite [[wife]] of [[Jacob]], sister of [[Leah]] and mother of [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]]. Her story is told in the [[Genesis|Book of Genesis]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]].
In the Biblical account, Jacob travels to the hometown of Laban—-the brother of his mother [[Rebekah]]—-to avoid being killed by his brother [[Esau]], and also to find a wife. He encounters Rachel at a well used to water the local flocks, where she is tending her father's sheep. He assists her by rolling a stone away from the mouth of the well and, being her close kinsman, kisses her and begins to weep. She immediately informs her father of his arrival. Welcomed by Rachel's father, Laban, Jacob spends the month working with the family, after which Laban invites him to negotiate over the question of his wages. Here, Rachel is described as "lovely in form, and beautiful," and we are told that "Jacob was in love with Rachel" (Gen. 29:17-18)
 
  
Jacob offers to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for the right to marry Rachel. After the seven years are over, Laban hosts a wedding feast in Jacob's honor, but switches Rachel for Leah—probably through the ruse of a veil—and it is thus Leah who spends the wedding night with Jacob. Laban justifies himself on the grounds that it is uncustomary to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one (Genesis 29:16-30). He offers to give Rachel to Jacob as a second wife in return for another seven years of work. Jacob accepts, spending the week with Leah exclusively and then marrying Rachel as well. Along with each daughter, Laban also sent two handmaids as their servants.  
+
A native of [[Haran]], and the younger daughter of Jacob's uncle [[Laban]], Rachel had been engaged to marry Jacob after he arrived from [[Canaan]], having fled from the wrath of his brother [[Esau]]. Laban, however, deceptively arranged for her older sister, Leah, to be Jacob's bride, by disguising Leah and sending her to Jacob's tent on the wedding night. Rachel became Jacob's second wife a week later, after Jacob agreed to work for him an additional seven years. Although she was loved by him more than Leah was, Rachel suffered for several years without children, while Leah proved the more fertile of the two sisters. To compensate for this, Rachel gave her servant, [[Bilhah]], to Jacob as a concubine and adopted Bilhah's children, [[Dan]] and [[Naphthali]]. Later, Rachel bore Jacob her own natural son, [[Joseph]].
 +
{{toc}}
 +
While leaving with Jacob's clan for [[Canaan]], Rachel stole Laban's household idols and, at the risk of her life, successfully hid them from him when he came looking for them. Settling with her husband and family in [[Bethel]], Rachel became pregnant again but died while giving birth to [[Benjamin]], the last of Jacob's 12 sons. She is the foremother of King [[Saul]], the first king of Israel, as well as several important [[priest]]s and [[prophet]]s, as well as the Christian apostle, [[Paul of Tarsus]].
 +
 
 +
==Jacob's wife==
 +
[[Image:Tissot Jacob and Rachel at the Well.jpg|thumb|300px|Rachel and Jacob at the Well by James Tissot (c. 1896–1902)]]
 +
{{readout||left|250px|Rachel was the favorite wife of [[Jacob]], younger sister of [[Leah]] his first wife, and mother of his favorite sons [[Joseph, son of Jacob{{!}}Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]]}}
 +
 
 +
In the Biblical account, Rachel first appears when she meets Jacob at a well used to water the local flocks, where she is tending her father's sheep. He assists her by rolling a stone away from the mouth of the well and, being her close kinsman, kisses her and begins to weep. Jacob has come to Haran from Canaan in order to avoid being killed by his brother [[Esau]], and also to find a wife. Rachel immediately informs her father of his arrival.
 +
 
 +
Welcomed by Rachel's father, Laban, Jacob spends the month working with the family, after which Laban invites him to negotiate over the question of his wages. Here, Rachel is described as "lovely in form, and beautiful," and we are told that "Jacob was in love with Rachel" (Gen. 29:17-18).
 +
 
 +
Jacob offers to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for the right to marry Rachel. After the seven years are over, Laban hosts a wedding feast in Jacob's honor, but switches Rachel for Leah—probably through the ruse of a veil—and it is thus Leah who spends the wedding night with Jacob. Laban justifies himself on the grounds that it is uncustomary to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. He offers to give Rachel to Jacob as a second wife in return for another seven years of work, saying "Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work" (Gen. 29:16-30). Jacob accepts, spending the week with Leah exclusively and then marrying Rachel as well. Along with each daughter, Laban also sent two handmaids as their servants.  
  
 
===Motherhood===
 
===Motherhood===
In the early years of the sisters' marriage, it is obvious that Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah. However, like several other providential women of the Bible, including Jacob's own mother [[Rebekeh]], she remains childless for many years. God sympathizes with Leah, however, and gives her four sons in quick succession. These are [[Reuben (Bible)|Reuben]], [[Simeon]], [[Levi]], and [[Judah (biblical figure)|Judah]] (Genesis 29:31-35).
+
[[Jacob]] loves Rachel more than he loves [[Leah]]. However, like several other providential women of the [[Bible]], including Jacob's own mother [[Rebekah]], Rachel remains childless for many years. On the other hand, God sympathizes with Leah and gives her four sons in quick succession. These are [[Reuben (Bible)|Reuben]], [[Simeon]], [[Levi]], and [[Judah (biblical figure)|Judah]] (Gen. 29:31-35).
  
Rachel, seeing that she is still unable to conceive, offers her handmaid [[Bilhah]] as a third wife to Jacob. She names and raises the two sons—[[Dan]] and [[Napthali]] that Bilhah bears. Rachel claims the sons as her own, saying of Dan ("vindication"): "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." On the birth of Napthali ("my struggle"), she declares: "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." (Gen. 30:4-7) Leah responds by offering her handmaid [[Zilpah]] as a fourth wife to Jacob. She names and raises the two sons—[[Gad]] and [[Asher]] that Zilpah bears.  
+
Rachel, seeing that she is still unable to conceive, offers her handmaid [[Bilhah]] as a [[concubine]] to Jacob. Rachel claims Bilhah's sons as her own, saying of Dan (whose name means "vindication"): "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." On the birth of Napthali ("my struggle"), she declares: "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won" (Gen. 30:4-7). Leah responds by offering her handmaid [[Zilpah]] as a fourth wife to Jacob. She names and raises the two sons—[[Gad]] and [[Asher]] that Zilpah bears.  
  
The text relates a poignant story demonstrating the tension between Jacob's two primary wives, as well as Rachel's sense of urgency over her apparent infertility. Leah's firstborn, Reuben, returns from the field with [[mandrake (plant)|mandrakes]] for his mother. Rachel, believing the roots will solve her fertility problem, asks for some of the roots. Leah responds angrily: "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" (Gen 30:15) Rachel offers to trade her scheduled night with their husband in return for the mandrakes. Leah agrees, and that night she conceives [[Issachar]], and she later gives birth to [[Zebulun]]. Finally, after six males, Leah finally gives birth to a daughter, [[Dinah]].
+
The text relates a poignant story demonstrating the tension between Jacob's two primary wives, as well as Rachel's sense of urgency over her apparent [[infertility]]. Leah's firstborn, Reuben, returns one day from the field with [[mandrake (plant)|mandrakes]] for his mother. Rachel, believing the roots will solve her infertility problem, asks for some of the mandrakes. Leah responds angrily: "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" (Gen. 30:15). Rachel offers to trade her scheduled night with their husband in return for the plants. Leah agrees, and, ironically, that night she conceives [[Issachar]], and later gives birth to [[Zebulun]]. Finally, after six males, Leah finally gives birth to a daughter, [[Dinah]].
  
After this, at long last, God "remembers" Rachel and gives her a son of her own, [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]]. At his birth, Rachel declares: "God has taken away my disgrace."
+
After this, at long last, God "remembers" Rachel and gives her a son of her own, [[Joseph, son of Jacob|Joseph]]. At his birth, Rachel declares: "God has taken away my disgrace."
  
 
==Journey to Canaan==
 
==Journey to Canaan==
[[Image:Jacob-leaves-Haran.jpg|thumb|200px|Leah and Rachel prepare for their hasty departure from Haran.]]
+
During all this time, about 14 years, Rachel and her family still lived on Laban's land. Even after this, Laban still insisted on another seven years labor from him. During this time Rachel's husband became a wealthy man, amassing large flocks of sheep and goats. In the twenty-first year, however, God called Jacob to return to [[Canaan]].
During all this time, about 14 years, Rachel and her growing family still lived on Laban's land. Even after this, Laban still insisted on another seven years labor from him. During this time Rachel's husband became a wealthy man, amassing large flocks of sheep and goats. In the twenty-first year, however, God called Jacob to return to [[Canaan]]. Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah and shared God's revelation with them. Jacob describes God as telling him, "I am the God of [[Bethel]], where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land." (Gen. 31:12-13)
+
 
 +
Jacob sends for Rachel and Leah and shared God's revelation with them. He describes God as telling him, "I am the God of [[Bethel]], where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land" (Gen. 31:12-13). Jacob instructs the women to get ready to depart immediately, knowing that Laban would accuse him of theft and breaking their agreement. Rachel and Leah willingly unite with Jacob's plan, saying:
 +
 
 +
<blockquote>Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you. (Gen. 31:14-15)</blockquote>
 +
 
 +
While Jacob and the clan prepare for the journey, Rachel makes her way to Laban's house and steals his valuable household gods before leaving. Laban, busy shearing his sheep, does not realize that the large caravan had departed for three days, by which time Jacob's group has crossed the [[Euphrates]] and is well on its way toward Canaan. Laban did not overtake them until they reached the hill country of [[Gilead]], to the east of the [[Jordan River]].
  
Jacob instructed them to get ready to depart immediately, knowing that Laban would accuse him of theft and breaking their agreement. Rachel and Leah replied willingly united with Jacob's plan, saying:
+
God reportedly speaks to Laban and warns him not to harm Jacob. However, a tense drama unfolds with regard to Rachel, as Jacob, unaware of the theft, invites Laban to search for his precious idols, saying: "if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live." Laban searches the camp thoroughly, going from one tent to another, and finally comes to Rachel, who has hidden the sacred items in her [[camel]]'s saddle. Rachel sits passively on the saddle as Laban searches through everything in the tent. In a final act of deception, harkening back to Laban's own ruse of sending [[Leah]] to the wedding tent in Rachel's place, she declares: "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence, for the manner of women is upon me" (Gen. 31:35).
  
<blockquote>Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you. (Gen 31:14-15)</blockquote>
+
Thus defeated, Laban offers a [[covenant]] of [[peace]] between himself and Jacob. Jacob agrees, saying: "May the God of [[Abraham]] and the God of [[Nahor]], the God of their father, judge between us." Jacob sets up a sacred pillar to commemorate the meeting and mark a boundary between his lands and Laban's. They then share a sacrificial feast. Rachel and her one natural son, Joseph, then kiss Laban goodbye for the last time.
  
Leah quickly gathered her children and belongings and joined Jacob—together with Joseph and the slaves—to leave for Canaan. The families apparently did not live in immediate proximity, for only after three days does Laban realize the large caravan—not to mention his daughters and grandchildren--had gone. He did not overtake the group until they had reached the hill country of Gilead, to the east of the Jordan River.
+
Rachel and Joseph traveled in the place of highest honor and protection in Jacob's caravan when he crossed the Jordan and re-united with Esau, being in the rear where they were the least likely to be harmed by Esau's threatening forces.
  
Although the scene is ripe for bloodshed, it is said that God spoke to Laban and warned him not to harm Jacob. A tense drama unfolded as Laban searched for his precious household images which Rachel had stolen from him, but they are not discovered. Finally, Laban offers a covenant of peace between him and Jacob, saying:
+
===Death and burial===
 +
[[Jacob]] and his family settled at [[Bethel]]. On the way, Jacob instructed his household to get rid of any "foreign god" they had with them. Although the gods Rachel brought with her from Laban's house are not mentioned, the text states that "they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem."<ref>Earlier, Jacob and Laban had sworn an oath together in the name of the "God of Nahor," their common ancestor. Presumably this was not a "foreign god," but [[El]], Jacob's own deity, later known as [[Yahweh]].</ref> Rachel became [[pregnancy|pregnant]] again, and was nearing the time of delivery when the family traveled to a new place of settlement at Ephrath, known in the future as [[Bethlehem]]. Rachel went into an exceeding difficult labor on the road and there gave birth to her second son, naming him Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my trouble" (Gen. 35:18). He is better known by the name given him by Jacob, Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand." Rachel died soon after delivering this son, traditionally on the eleventh day of the Hebrew month of [[Heshvan]],<ref>Zalman Baruch Melamed, [http://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?id=4115 "The Anniversary of Rachel's Death,"]. Yeshiva.org.il - Bet EL Yeshiva Center. Retrieved August 30, 2007.</ref> and was buried by Jacob on the road to [[Efrat]], just outside [[Bethlehem]].<ref>Emil G. Hirsch and M. Seligsohn, [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=57&letter=R&search=rachel “Rachel,”] Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 30, 2007.</ref> Today Rachel's tomb, located between Bethlehem and the [[Jerusalem]] neighborhood of [[Gilo]], is visited by thousands of visitors each year.<ref>[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=92913 "Kever Rachel Trip Breaks Barriers,"] ''Arutz Sheva'' - IsraelNationalNews.com. Retrieved August 30, 2007.</ref>
  
[[Image:Hills of Gilead.jpg|thumb|200px|The hills of Gilead, where Laban pursued Leah and Jacob's family.]]
+
==Legacy==
  
:The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us. (Gen. 31:43-44)
+
Rachel's son [[Joseph]] was destined as [[Jacob]]'s favorite son and to be the leader of Israel's tribes between exile and nationhood. One important Jewish tradition affirms the coming of a ''Mashiach ben Yosef'' (Messiah, son of Joseph), who will fight the apocalyptic Wars of [[Gog and Magog]], preparing the way for the kingship messiah, son of David and the messianic age.<ref>Yair Davidiy, [http://www.britam.org/messiah.html "Moshiach Ben Yoseph."] Retrieved August 30, 2007.</ref>
  
Jacob agrees to the covenant of peace, indicating an ancient religious bond between him and Laban going back to the time of their grandfather Terah, saying: "May the God of [[Abraham]] and the God of [[Nahor]], the God of their father, judge between us." Jacob set up a sacred pillar to commemorate the meeting and mark a boundary between his lands and Laban's. They share a sacrificial feast. Leah and her children, together with Rachel and Joseph, then kiss their father goodbye for the last time.
+
Rachel is also the foremother of Israel's first king, [[Saul]], as well as the high priest [[Eli]] of [[Shiloh]], and Saul's namesake, the Benjaminite Saul/[[Paul of Tarsus]], the greatest of the early Christian preachers.
  
 +
According to Genesis 46, Rachel had 14 sons and grandsons, not counting her adopted sons [[Dan]] and [[Napthali]], or their children. They include: [[Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]]; Joseph's sons [[Manasseh]] and [[Ephraim]]; and Benjamin's sons Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
  
 +
===Rachel's "weeping"===
 +
In [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 31:15, the [[prophet]] speaks of "Rachel weeping for her children." This is interpreted in [[Judaism]] as Rachel crying over her descendants' sufferings in exile following the destruction of the [[Temple of Jerusalem|First Temple]] in ancient [[Jerusalem]]. According to one rabbinical tradition, Rachel spoke before God:
  
===Death and burial===
+
<blockquote>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 [[idolatry|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?</blockquote>
Rachel died in childbirth on the eleventh day of the Hebrew month of [[Heshvan]],<ref>Melamed, Zalman Baruch, [http://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?id=4115 "The Anniversary of Rachel's Death,"] at [http://www.yeshiva.org.il yeshiva.org.il]</ref> and was buried by Jacob on the road to [[Efrat]], just outside [[Bethlehem]].<ref name = "je">[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=57&letter=R&search=rachel '''Rachel'''] at [http://jewishencyclopedia.com http://jewishencyclopedia.com]</ref> It is clear from the text of the Bible that Rachel died while having a [[Breech birth|breech baby]].  The midwife tells her in the middle of the birth that her child is a boy.<ref>Reisenberger, Azila, [http://www.uct.ac.za/newsroom/mondaypaper/?id=4123 "Medical history: Biblical texts reveal compelling mysteries,"] Newsroom and Publications at the [http://www.uct.ac.za/ University of Capetown] website</ref> Today [[Rachel's Tomb]], located between Bethlehem and the [[Jerusalem]] neighborhood of [[Gilo]], is visited by thousands of visitors each year.<ref>[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=92913 "Kever Rachel Trip Breaks Barriers"] by Israel National News Staff at [http://www.israelnationalnews.com israelnationalnews.com], Published: 11/14/05</ref>
+
 
 +
God accepted her plea and promised that, eventually, the exile would end and the Jews would return to their land.<ref>Chana Weisberg, [http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article.asp?AID=439609 "Rachel - Biblical Women,"] Chabad.org. Retrieved August 30, 2007.</ref>
 +
 
 +
In the second chapter of the Christian [[Gospel of Matthew]], 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 of Nazareth|Jesus]].
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
*Bloom, Harold. ''The Book of J''. Grove Press, 2005. ISBN 0802141919
 +
 
 +
*Card, Orson Scott. ''Rachel and Leah: Women of Genesis'' (Novel). Forge Books; New Ed edition, 2005. ISBN 978-0765341297
  
==Rachel's offspring==
+
*Davis, Cynthia. ''Beloved Leah'' (Novel). Americana Publishing, 2001. ISBN 978-0739429426
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,<ref>[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=441&letter=J&search=Joseph '''Joseph'''] at [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com jewishencyclopedia.com]</ref> 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.<ref>Davidiy, Yair, [http://www.britam.org/messiah.html "Moshiach Ben Yoseph,"] at [http://www.britam.org/ britam.org]</ref><ref>[http://www.truthnet.org/TheMessiah/4_Messiah_of_Judaism/ "The Messiah of Judaism,"] at [http://www.truthnet.org/ truthnet.org]</ref>
 
  
==Additional references ==
+
*Fischbein, Jessie. ''Infertility in the Bible: How The Matriarchs Changed Their Fate; How You Can Too''. Devora Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1932687347
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.<ref>Wagensberg, Abba (2006), [http://www.aishdas.org/ta/5767/vayeitzei.pdf "Between The Lines,"] in Toras Aish, Volume XIV, No. 11, © 2006 Rabbi A. Wagensberg & aish.com </ref>
 
  
In [[Book of Jeremiah|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 [[idolatry|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.<ref>Weisberg, Chana, [http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article.asp?AID=439609 "Rachel - Biblical Women"] at [http://www.chabad.org chabad.org]</ref>
+
*Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. ''Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories''. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211
  
In the second chapter of the [[Gospel of Matthew]] (part of the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[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]].
+
*Kirsch, Jonathan. ''The Harlot by the Side of the Road''. Ballantine Books, 1998. ISBN 0345418824
  
==See also==
+
*Russell, Letty M. ''Feminist Interpretation of the Bible''. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0664246396
*[[Rachel's Tomb]]
 
*[[Red string (Kabbalah)|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]]
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved December 7, 2022.
 +
 
*[http://www.rachelstomb.org/ The Committee for Rachel's Tomb]
 
*[http://www.rachelstomb.org/ The Committee for Rachel's Tomb]
  
{{Sons of Jacob}}
 
  
 +
[[Category:Religion]]
 
[[Category:philosophy and religion]]
 
[[Category:philosophy and religion]]
 
{{Credit|130329689}}
 
{{Credit|130329689}}

Latest revision as of 22:37, 7 December 2022


Rachel greeted by her cousin Jacob

Rachel (Hebrew: רחל, "Ewe"—also spelled Rachael) was the younger and favorite wife of Jacob, sister of Leah and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her story is told in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.

A native of Haran, and the younger daughter of Jacob's uncle Laban, Rachel had been engaged to marry Jacob after he arrived from Canaan, having fled from the wrath of his brother Esau. Laban, however, deceptively arranged for her older sister, Leah, to be Jacob's bride, by disguising Leah and sending her to Jacob's tent on the wedding night. Rachel became Jacob's second wife a week later, after Jacob agreed to work for him an additional seven years. Although she was loved by him more than Leah was, Rachel suffered for several years without children, while Leah proved the more fertile of the two sisters. To compensate for this, Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a concubine and adopted Bilhah's children, Dan and Naphthali. Later, Rachel bore Jacob her own natural son, Joseph.

While leaving with Jacob's clan for Canaan, Rachel stole Laban's household idols and, at the risk of her life, successfully hid them from him when he came looking for them. Settling with her husband and family in Bethel, Rachel became pregnant again but died while giving birth to Benjamin, the last of Jacob's 12 sons. She is the foremother of King Saul, the first king of Israel, as well as several important priests and prophets, as well as the Christian apostle, Paul of Tarsus.

Jacob's wife

Rachel and Jacob at the Well by James Tissot (c. 1896–1902)
Did you know?
Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob, younger sister of Leah his first wife, and mother of his favorite sons Joseph and Benjamin

In the Biblical account, Rachel first appears when she meets Jacob at a well used to water the local flocks, where she is tending her father's sheep. He assists her by rolling a stone away from the mouth of the well and, being her close kinsman, kisses her and begins to weep. Jacob has come to Haran from Canaan in order to avoid being killed by his brother Esau, and also to find a wife. Rachel immediately informs her father of his arrival.

Welcomed by Rachel's father, Laban, Jacob spends the month working with the family, after which Laban invites him to negotiate over the question of his wages. Here, Rachel is described as "lovely in form, and beautiful," and we are told that "Jacob was in love with Rachel" (Gen. 29:17-18).

Jacob offers to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for the right to marry Rachel. After the seven years are over, Laban hosts a wedding feast in Jacob's honor, but switches Rachel for Leah—probably through the ruse of a veil—and it is thus Leah who spends the wedding night with Jacob. Laban justifies himself on the grounds that it is uncustomary to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. He offers to give Rachel to Jacob as a second wife in return for another seven years of work, saying "Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work" (Gen. 29:16-30). Jacob accepts, spending the week with Leah exclusively and then marrying Rachel as well. Along with each daughter, Laban also sent two handmaids as their servants.

Motherhood

Jacob loves Rachel more than he loves Leah. However, like several other providential women of the Bible, including Jacob's own mother Rebekah, Rachel remains childless for many years. On the other hand, God sympathizes with Leah and gives her four sons in quick succession. These are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (Gen. 29:31-35).

Rachel, seeing that she is still unable to conceive, offers her handmaid Bilhah as a concubine to Jacob. Rachel claims Bilhah's sons as her own, saying of Dan (whose name means "vindication"): "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." On the birth of Napthali ("my struggle"), she declares: "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won" (Gen. 30:4-7). Leah responds by offering her handmaid Zilpah as a fourth wife to Jacob. She names and raises the two sons—Gad and Asher that Zilpah bears.

The text relates a poignant story demonstrating the tension between Jacob's two primary wives, as well as Rachel's sense of urgency over her apparent infertility. Leah's firstborn, Reuben, returns one day from the field with mandrakes for his mother. Rachel, believing the roots will solve her infertility problem, asks for some of the mandrakes. Leah responds angrily: "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" (Gen. 30:15). Rachel offers to trade her scheduled night with their husband in return for the plants. Leah agrees, and, ironically, that night she conceives Issachar, and later gives birth to Zebulun. Finally, after six males, Leah finally gives birth to a daughter, Dinah.

After this, at long last, God "remembers" Rachel and gives her a son of her own, Joseph. At his birth, Rachel declares: "God has taken away my disgrace."

Journey to Canaan

During all this time, about 14 years, Rachel and her family still lived on Laban's land. Even after this, Laban still insisted on another seven years labor from him. During this time Rachel's husband became a wealthy man, amassing large flocks of sheep and goats. In the twenty-first year, however, God called Jacob to return to Canaan.

Jacob sends for Rachel and Leah and shared God's revelation with them. He describes God as telling him, "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land" (Gen. 31:12-13). Jacob instructs the women to get ready to depart immediately, knowing that Laban would accuse him of theft and breaking their agreement. Rachel and Leah willingly unite with Jacob's plan, saying:

Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you. (Gen. 31:14-15)

While Jacob and the clan prepare for the journey, Rachel makes her way to Laban's house and steals his valuable household gods before leaving. Laban, busy shearing his sheep, does not realize that the large caravan had departed for three days, by which time Jacob's group has crossed the Euphrates and is well on its way toward Canaan. Laban did not overtake them until they reached the hill country of Gilead, to the east of the Jordan River.

God reportedly speaks to Laban and warns him not to harm Jacob. However, a tense drama unfolds with regard to Rachel, as Jacob, unaware of the theft, invites Laban to search for his precious idols, saying: "if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live." Laban searches the camp thoroughly, going from one tent to another, and finally comes to Rachel, who has hidden the sacred items in her camel's saddle. Rachel sits passively on the saddle as Laban searches through everything in the tent. In a final act of deception, harkening back to Laban's own ruse of sending Leah to the wedding tent in Rachel's place, she declares: "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence, for the manner of women is upon me" (Gen. 31:35).

Thus defeated, Laban offers a covenant of peace between himself and Jacob. Jacob agrees, saying: "May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Jacob sets up a sacred pillar to commemorate the meeting and mark a boundary between his lands and Laban's. They then share a sacrificial feast. Rachel and her one natural son, Joseph, then kiss Laban goodbye for the last time.

Rachel and Joseph traveled in the place of highest honor and protection in Jacob's caravan when he crossed the Jordan and re-united with Esau, being in the rear where they were the least likely to be harmed by Esau's threatening forces.

Death and burial

Jacob and his family settled at Bethel. On the way, Jacob instructed his household to get rid of any "foreign god" they had with them. Although the gods Rachel brought with her from Laban's house are not mentioned, the text states that "they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem."[1] Rachel became pregnant again, and was nearing the time of delivery when the family traveled to a new place of settlement at Ephrath, known in the future as Bethlehem. Rachel went into an exceeding difficult labor on the road and there gave birth to her second son, naming him Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my trouble" (Gen. 35:18). He is better known by the name given him by Jacob, Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand." Rachel died soon after delivering this son, traditionally on the eleventh day of the Hebrew month of Heshvan,[2] and was buried by Jacob on the road to Efrat, just outside Bethlehem.[3] Today Rachel's tomb, located between Bethlehem and the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, is visited by thousands of visitors each year.[4]

Legacy

Rachel's son Joseph was destined as Jacob's favorite son and to be the leader of Israel's tribes between exile and nationhood. One important Jewish tradition affirms the coming of a Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah, son of Joseph), who will fight the apocalyptic Wars of Gog and Magog, preparing the way for the kingship messiah, son of David and the messianic age.[5]

Rachel is also the foremother of Israel's first king, Saul, as well as the high priest Eli of Shiloh, and Saul's namesake, the Benjaminite Saul/Paul of Tarsus, the greatest of the early Christian preachers.

According to Genesis 46, Rachel had 14 sons and grandsons, not counting her adopted sons Dan and Napthali, or their children. They include: Joseph and Benjamin; Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim; and Benjamin's sons Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.

Rachel's "weeping"

In Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet speaks of "Rachel weeping for her children." This is interpreted in Judaism as Rachel crying over her descendants' sufferings in exile following the destruction of the First Temple in ancient Jerusalem. According to one rabbinical tradition, 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.[6]

In the second chapter of the Christian Gospel of Matthew, 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.

Notes

  1. Earlier, Jacob and Laban had sworn an oath together in the name of the "God of Nahor," their common ancestor. Presumably this was not a "foreign god," but El, Jacob's own deity, later known as Yahweh.
  2. Zalman Baruch Melamed, "The Anniversary of Rachel's Death,". Yeshiva.org.il - Bet EL Yeshiva Center. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  3. Emil G. Hirsch and M. Seligsohn, “Rachel,” Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  4. "Kever Rachel Trip Breaks Barriers," Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews.com. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  5. Yair Davidiy, "Moshiach Ben Yoseph." Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  6. Chana Weisberg, "Rachel - Biblical Women," Chabad.org. Retrieved August 30, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Card, Orson Scott. Rachel and Leah: Women of Genesis (Novel). Forge Books; New Ed edition, 2005. ISBN 978-0765341297
  • Fischbein, Jessie. Infertility in the Bible: How The Matriarchs Changed Their Fate; How You Can Too. Devora Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1932687347
  • Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211
  • Kirsch, Jonathan. The Harlot by the Side of the Road. Ballantine Books, 1998. ISBN 0345418824
  • Russell, Letty M. Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0664246396

External links

All links retrieved December 7, 2022.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.