Seder 27: Gen 29---Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

 After the ladder dream Jacob went on to Haran, repeating the journey that Abraham's servant had undertaken some 97 years before.  Like Abraham's servant, Jacob came to a well and met a young woman from the clan of Abraham.  Genesis 29 describes the meeting this way:

"Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.  Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud.  And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father."  (vv 10-12)

There is a rich collection of Jewish legends surrounding the events of Gen 29.  Books that discuss them include 

• Jerry Rabow's The Lost Matriarch, a book on the traditions about Leah;
• The Passions of the Matriarchs by Shera Aronoff Tuchman and Sandra Rapoport, which covers traditions on Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. 

For example, one detail in Gen 29:12 that has raised questions is Jacob's telling Rachel that "he was her father's kinsman"---literally, her father's brother.  In what sense were Jacob and Laban brothers?  

This question led to a tradition recorded in the Talmud about the details of the conversation between Jacob and Rachel at the well:

Jacob:  Marry me.

Rachel:  Yes, but my father is a deceiver, and you will not be able to outwit him.

Jacob:   I am his brother in deceit.

Rachel:  Is a righteous man allowed to act deceitfully?

Jacob:  With the pure be pure, but with the crooked be sly.  What deceit will Laban attempt?

Rachel:  He will not let me marry before my older sister. 

And so Jacob gave Rachel a secret password that she could use to identify herself.  However, Rachel felt sorry for Leah and told Leah the password, helping to explain how Jacob was fooled on his wedding night. 

Another detail that has led to questions is in the remark about Leah's eyes in verse 17.  Leah's eyes are said to be rakhov, which has been translated in a number of ways---weak, soft, tender, gentle, sad.  One tradition says that Leah's eyes were this way because she had spent so much time crying.  People were saying that Laban's two daughters were destined to marry Rebekah's two sons, and that Leah, the older daughter, would end up marrying Esau, the older son.  Not wanting to be an addition to Esau's harem, Leah did a lot of crying.  

A third story surrounds verse 22, where Laban "gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast."  Tradition says that Laban instructed the people of the community not to tell Jacob about his plan to switch brides.  Jacob's presence was bringing prosperity to the community, and it would be to their advantage if Jacob stayed longer. The community also made sure that Jacob had plenty to drink at the wedding feast.  

In any case, Jacob the deceiver became the deceived on his wedding night, when Laban switched brides and gave him Leah rather than Rachel.  Jacob went on to marry Rachel a week later.