Seven years have passed, during which time Yaakov worked faithfully for Lavan in order to earn the right to marry his beloved Rachel. Upon Yaakov’s request, Lavan complies:

And Lavan gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. And it was in the evening that he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him, and he came to her. And Lavan gave her Zilpah his handmaiden to Leah his daughter [as] a handmaiden (SHIFCHAH) (Bereshit 29:22-24).

In the morning, Yaakov discovers Lavan’s deception, and complains. Lavan explains that the younger daughter Rachel may not be married before her older sister. He instructs Yaakov to wait until the end of Leah’s week-long marriage celebration, when he can then marry Rachel.

And Yaakov did so; he completed this one’s week. Then he gave him his daughter Rachel to him as wife. And Lavan gave Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaiden to her as a handmaiden (L’SHIFCHAH) (28-29).

The mention of Zilpah and Bilhah is noteworthy. As Radak explains simply, each of Lavan’s daughters is receiving a wedding present of one of his handmaidens for her personal use. Also, Yaakov will later marry Bilhah and Zilpah at their mistresses’ prompting, and each will bear him two children. Thus it is understandable that the Torah sees fit to acquaint us with these two women at this point, so we see how Yaakov’s two other wives first entered into his household.

But the descriptions of Zilpah’s and Bilhah’s introductions raise questions. Chief among them is: Why does Lavan present his daughters with their “presents” in what seems to be the midst of the consummation of the marriage? Would it not have been more appropriate to do so either during the pre-wedding feast (when Lavan could even show off his magnanimity!), or on the next day?

R. David Zvi Hoffman points out that, despite the fact that Yaakov worked for fourteen years to marry two daughters, Lavan’s manner of giving his handmaidens gives the impression that he still expects something in return. This is later echoed in the complaint voiced by Rachel and Leah:
Were we not considered like strangers to him, for he sold us . . . (Bereshit 31:15).

Moreover, there are differences between the two accounts:
• when giving Zilpah, Leah is not named (And Lavan gave her), while in the case of Bilhah, her mistress is named (And Lavan gave Rachel his daughter);
• conversely, when it comes to receiving the handmaidens, Leah is named (to Leah his daughter), while Rachel is not (to her); and
• the purpose of each “present” is as a handmaiden, but Zilpah’s account lacks the preposition (SHIFCHAH), while Bilhah’s includes it (L’SHIFCHAH).

Wily Lavan must be up to something! But, what is it?

Rashi addresses this issue later on in our portion. When Leah sees that she has stopped bearing children, she gives Zilpah as Yaakov’s fourth wife:
And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaiden, bore Yaakov a son. And Leah said, Fortune has come, so she called his name Gad. And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaiden, bore Yaakov a second son. And Leah said, For my happiness, Hashem has made me happiest of maidens, so she called his name Asher (Bereshit 30:10-13).

Zilpah seems to bear two children without first conceiving! Rashi explains, however (based on Bereshit Rabbah 71:9):
since she was the youngest of them and a child in years, pregnancy was not noticeable in her.

Then, Rashi adds an idea not found in his original source:
And in order to deceive Yaakov Lavan gave her to Leah, so he would not understand that Leah is being brought in to him, for such was the custom, to give the older handmaiden to the older [daughter] and the younger [handmaiden] to the younger [daughter].
In the midst of the proceedings, Lavan creates the illusion that Yaakov is marrying Rachel first.

Parenthetically, scholars are unsure Rashi’s source. Some point to the similarity between this addition and the following, from “Midrash Aggadah” (29:24):
Zilpah his handmaiden And she was younger and was fit for Rachel, and she was given to Leah in his deceit, so as to show Yaakov that this one is Rachel’s handmaiden.

However, despite its name (which was bestowed on the untitled manuscript by its first publisher, Solomon Buber, in 1894), “Midrash Aggadah” might not be a true midrash, based on the teachings of Tanaim and Amoraim. Instead, it might be a medieval anthology of midrashim and later commentaries, since it dates from the period around Rashi. In other words, Rashi’s additional comments here might be his own, and the anonymous writer of “Midrash Aggadah” might have used Rashi as a source!

The subtle differences between the two accounts of Lavan’s “presents” further show his deceit. With regard to the public gift to Leah, And Lavan gave her --- without indicating which daughter --- Zilpah his (younger) handmaiden, thereby giving the impression that Rachel is the recipient; but, as Lavan knows full well, Zilpah is really being given to Leah his daughter [as] a handmaiden (SHIFCHAH).

R. Menachem Kasher, in Torah Shelemah, quotes “Rimzei Torah” by R. Yoel (13th century), who explains the significance of SHIFCHAH, without the preposition L’: Since Zilpah is more suitable for Rachel, Lavan gives her to his daughter without specification, just a handmaiden. And this completes the deception.

On the other hand, when Lavan later gives Bilhah to Rachel, there is no longer a need for him to dissemble. Therefore, he acts openly:
And Lavan gave Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaiden --- expressly --- to her as a handmaiden (L’SHIFCHAH).

Notice how cunningly Lavan manipulates the situation for his own purposes. And it matters little to him who will suffer: his daughters, his handmaidens (who, as we learn in Bereshit Rabbah 74:14 and Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer 36, were also Lavan’s daughters), or his new son-in-law. And he “pulls it off” without anyone --- except our Sages --- realizing what he is up to.

What a sneak!