Daily Chumash & Rashi Shelishi Vayeitzei – The wedding scandal

Shelishi

• Yaakov works for Rachel: Yaakov loved Rachel and he offered Lavan to work for him for seven years in exchange for his daughter Rachel’s hand in marriage. Lavan agreed to the proposal, stating that it is better he give his daughter to Yaakov than to another man. So Yaakov worked in exchange for Rachel for seven years. Due to his great love for her, it appeared in his eyes like only a few days.

1. The wedding scandal:

• The wedding: After completing the years of work, Yaakov asked Lavan to give him his wife. Lavan gathered all the people in the community and they made a wedding feast. At night, Lavan took his daughter Leah and gave her to Yaakov for a wife, and he consummated the marriage with her. Lavan also gave Leah his maidservant called Zilpa, to be a maidservant for her.
• The morning after-The confrontation: In the morning, Yaakov noticed that he had been tricked, and was given Leah as a wife. Yaakov confronted Lavan saying “What have you done to me? I worked for you in exchange for Rachel. Why have you deceived me?” Lavan replied “It is not the custom of our town to marry the younger daughter before the older.” Lavan then gave Yaakov a second offer “Work for me another seven years, and in exchange I will give you also this daughter [Rachel] after the week is up.
• Yaakov marries Rachel: Yaakov agreed to the proposal and married Rachel at the end of the week. Yaakov consummated the marriage with Rachel and loved her more than Leah. He worked for Lavan for another seven years.

2. Yaakov has children:
   • Leah gives birth to Reuvein, Shimon, Levi and Yehuda: Hashem saw that Leah was hated and he thus opened her womb, although Rachel was barren. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom she named Reuvein, in commemoration of the fact that “Hashem has seen my suffering, as now my husband will love me.” She again became pregnant and had a son whom she named Shimon, in commemoration of the fact that “Hashem has heard that I am hated, and thus gave me another son.” She again became pregnant and had a son whom she named Levi, in commemoration of the fact that “Now my husband will attach to me as I have borne him three sons.” She again became pregnant and had a son whom she named Yehuda, as sign of thanks to Hashem. She then stopped having children.
   • Rachel confronts Yaakov: Rachel saw that she had not borne Yaakov any children and she was jealous of her sister. She demanded from Yaakov to give her children as otherwise “I am like dead.” Yaakov became angered and chastised her saying “Am I in place of G-d who has withheld children from you?”
   • Rachel gives Bilhah to Yaakov in marriage: In response, Rachel told Yaakov to take her maidservant Bilhah in marriage so she can have a child through her and raise him. Yaakov took Bilhah as a wife and he consummated the marriage with her.
   • Bilhah gives birth to Dan and Naftali: Bilhah became pregnant and had a son for Yaakov who Rachel named Dan, in commemoration of the fact that “Hashem has judged me [favorably] and heard my voice to give me a son.” Bilhah again became pregnant and had a second son for Yaakov who Rachel named Naftali, in commemoration of the fact that “I have stubbornly offered my prayers to Hashem to bond with my sister and become an equal.”
   • Leah gives Zilpah to Yaakov in marriage: Leah saw that she stopped giving birth, so she gave her maidservant Zilpah to Yaakov in marriage.
   • Zilpah gives birth to Gad and Asher: Zilpah gave birth to a son for Yaakov who Leah named Gad, from the word Bagad, which means a good fortune has come. Zilpah again gave birth to a second son for Yaakov who Leah named Asher, from the word Ashruni, as now “I am praised/fortunate because now women will praise me, and deem me fortunate.”