Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE BEREISHIT STORIES
by Dr. Meir Tamari

These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical.

"Building Beit Yisrael" [3]
In our modern times of the nuclear family and hedonism it is perhaps often difficult, even sub-consciously, to understand the true religious perspective of the barrenness and yearning for children of Rachel and Leah. Cultural trends, to which we are exposed willy-nilly contribute to the difficulty. Sociologists tell us that in the Middle East, ancient and modern, sons are the measure of a man's wealth and social standing, demeaning thereby the role and status of the barren wife. Psychologists and some religious teachers add to this, child bearing and nurturing being the fulfillment of women's emotional or spiritual role. Marx and Engels, and perhaps even modern feminists albeit unconsciously, see in both of these views a justification for the oppression and denigration of women. However, none of this applies to our stories in Bereishit of the barren Matriarchs. "These are rooted deeply in the teaching that the pure seed of Klal Yisrael had to have its source beyond Nature, as befits the nation whose whole existence lies in the miraculous and the Divine" (Ramban). Indeed, Rachel and Leah simply were consumed by yearning and sanctity to bear the 12 sons from whom are to come Am Yisrael, the receivers of Torah and inheritors of Eretz Yisrael so that a human Holy Nation and Kingdom of Priests can be built. Indeed they are only some of the players in bearing those sons.

Sarah the first Matriarch was likewise barren, and in her spirituality and understanding of that future, in order to make it possible, she was even willing to introduce her maid into her household despite the complications and problems that followed. The second Matriarch Rivka and her husband Yitschak, jointly prayed for the same goal. Later, Tamar and Ruth risked their very lives to give that Nation and Kingdom the Kingship that it would need to fulfill its spiritual task.

Yaakov too, had the same yearning to establish the future Avrahamic Nation. "How is it that Yaakov chose to differ from the tzaddikim of previous generations? Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem and Ever, never took more than one wife. Yitschak married Rivka but took no concubines, while Avraham took Hagar only at the suggestion of Sarah. However, Yaakov took two sisters and their maids as his wives. He knew that he was the last of the Avot and that there had to be a nucleus to go into exile, sufficiently large so that they could grow to be the multitude that God had promised.

However, since he was already quite old when he married, there was a danger that he, like Avraham and Yitschak, would only have one son and then the future of Am Yisrael would not be assured. So he married the four women simply in order to establish the 12 tribes" (Abarbanel).

"When God saw that Leah was the hated one, He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren". "Far be it from us to think that Leah was hated by Yaakov, for one is forbidden to marry a woman that one hates. Rather as we learn from the case of a man who has two wives, one loved and the other hated [D'varim 21:15], this means only that one is more loved than the other. [This is common in societies practicing polygamy that one wife is considered the main wife]. So it was with Yaakov who loved Rachel more than Leah but he loved Leah as well, as the verse (29:30) tells us. Yet in her own eyes, Leah felt that she was less loved, so God saw her suffering and opened her womb" (Radak). "Here the Name Hashem [Merit of Mercy is used] whereas with regard to Rachel's barrenness Yaakov says that Elokim [Merit of Justice] has withheld children from her. This teaches us that it was God's mercy alone that caused Leah to give birth otherwise Judgment would have demanded that she remain barren like Sarah, Rivka, and Rachel until such time as He decreed miracles" (R' Hoffman). From the Midrash we learn more. "G-d saw that Leah, in her resolution not to be married to Eisav, defrauded Yaakov thus acting in the way of those that He hates; now He gave her her just reward, a son from that tzaddik. God hearkens to the poor, the miserable ones and the barren women. This is Leah; for when God saw her suffering He opened her womb. [Furthermore, understanding S'NU'A in the midrash to come from the Latin 'to pierce like a thorn'], she was hated by people, even women who were strangers, even those who were outcasts from society, spoke slightingly about her saying that she had supplanted her sister and that showed she was not as pious as she pretended to be. Yaakov thought that because of her barrenness she had agreed to Lavan's deception so he thought of divorcing Leah. When God saw that, He opened her womb so she gave birth, and He said to Yaakov, 'the mother of these sons you would divorce?' In the end, Yaakov gave recognition to Leah's spiritual greatness, as we read, "And Yaakov bowed to the head of the bed" [after blessing the sons of Yosef]. Who was the head of Yaakov's bed? Leah" (Bereishit Rabba 71:1-2).

"That which was denied to the bride and wife [Rachel] was fully given to the mother of his children [Leah]. It was just to Leah the sad one that it was decreed to experience and immortalize the cheerful and brightest aspects of home and marriage, while to Rachel the happy one was allocated the more serious ones" (R' S.R. Hirsch).

"Rachel is the mainstay of Beit Yaakov" (Midrash Bereishit Rabba 71:2). Yet Leah bears half of the 12 Tribes and provides Israel with Priesthood and Kingship. It has been suggested to me that as far as the nation is concerned Leah is the mainstay, while to Yaakov the man, Rachel whom he loved more is the mainstay as the wife is the mainstay of every husband. Furthermore, the Midrash continues: "Everything is dependent on Rachel, therefore Israel is named after her; 'Rachel weeps for her children' (Yirmiyahu 31:15)". The Midrash concludes: "Everybody at that feast [for the birth of Ruth's son] was from Leah yet everything depends on Rachel; everybody present was from Yehuda, descendant of Leah, yet they blessed Ruth that she should be like Rachel and Leah who [supplementing and completing each other], together built the House of Yaakov, placing Rachel first".

This is installment #134 in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

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