Leah and Rachel

Martha Hill Jamison, Melinda’s little sister (spoiled and dependent)

Genesis 29 (selected). 

(When Jacob first saw Laban’s daughter), he kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had delicate eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel.

(Typical Genesis drama ensues—Laban fools Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel; Jacob freaks out; Laban negotiates with Jacob to marry both.)

Reflection:
Readers of Genesis tend to feel sorry for Leah, the unloved sister to Rachel. They also tend to view her as unattractive, though no flaw is mentioned other than her “delicate” eyes. Yes, Jacob obviously fell head over heels in love with Rachel, and their father Laban had failed to make a match for Leah, who should have married before Jacob wooed her younger sister. But, this failure may be due to Laban’s laziness and not any deficiency in Leah.

I have known many older sisters, including my own. Scientists believe that older siblings tend to be responsible, hard workers, outspoken, and goal-oriented. I suspect that Leah, being Jacob’s first wife (by one whole week), and having those older sister traits, played a significant role in managing his large family of wives, children, servants, livestock, and possessions. Little sister Rachel may have possessed the traits commonly associated with younger children (including this writer)–mischievous, charming, spoiled, and dependent—that were good at a cocktail party, but not very useful in facing many of life’s challenges. Jacob may have dearly loved Rachel, but he was lucky that Leah was there. So was Rachel.

God, “seeing that Leah was not loved,” made sure that Leah was able to conceive, (Rachel had difficulties at first). You may remember that Jacob’s sons comprised the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Six of the sons were born to Leah (she also gets credit for two sons born to her handmaiden– more Genesis drama), who also bore daughter Dinah. Rachel finally gave birth to two sons (plus extra credit for her handmaiden’s two). Jesus’s lineage is traced through one of Leah’s sons, Judah. It took both these matriarchs to build a Nation.

Genesis bears down on the rivalry between the sisters for Jacob’s attention. When Leah and Rachel were not competing in the conception wars, however, there would have been many hours and many tasks left in their days. The sisters had become co-wives, but they had been sisters for, well, their entire lives. No doubt big sister Leah had controlled that early relationship. Rachel surely depended on her sister’s experiences to prepare for adulthood. According to the lyrics of “Sisters” from the movie White Christmas, “Two different faces, but in tight places we think and act as one.” Yes, the lyrics go on to warn about “me and my man,” but that is only part of a lifetime relationship. There were many more important day-to-day tasks involved in raising many children, managing a large estate, and relocating to another country than trying to look cute when Jacob came home from the office. Their life was difficult and dangerous. It was necessary for Leah and Rachel to think and act as one. Sisters!

God put them in each other’s lives for a reason.

Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father: You put people in our lives for a reason. Thank you. Help us to love them, learn from them, and lean on them. Help us to see You in their faces. Help us also, dear God, to fight against jealousy and comparisons. Amen.