Did Rachel come to Jacob only seven days after Jacob married Leah?

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  • #1267449
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Why did I think that Jacob worked seven years, realized that he married Leah, and then worked seven more years AND THEN finally he could be with Rachel?

    So technically Jacob was only married with Leah for seven days before Rachel came into the picture for good? So he wasn’t technically married to Rachel, but was with her too for those seven years he worked for her father Laban?

    Thank you

    Bereishit – Genesis – Chapter 29 (Chabad translation)

    27 Complete the [wedding] week of this one, and we will give you this one too, for the work that you will render me for another seven years.” כזמַלֵּא שְׁבֻעַ זֹאת וְנִתְּנָה לְךָ גַּם אֶת זֹאת בַּעֲבֹדָה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲבֹד עִמָּדִי עוֹד שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת:

    28 And Jacob did so, and he completed the week of this one, and he gave his daughter Rachel to him as a wife. כחוַיַּעַשׂ יַעֲקֹב כֵּן וַיְמַלֵּא שְׁבֻעַ זֹאת וַיִּתֶּן לוֹ אֶת רָחֵל בִּתּוֹ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה:

    #1267493
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    Correct. A lot of people get confused about this because they know that he had to work 14 years for Rachel, so they don’t realize that he actually married her after the first 7 years.

    #1267501
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    Rachel didn’t marry Leah.

    #1267502
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Thanks LU!!! 🙂

    Mind blown! How did I live up until now thinking that Jacob waited seven more years to see Rachel again?

    Wow. Is it wrong to be relieved that I’m not the only one?

    #1267506
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    Sorry, I just reread what you wrote. Not completely correct. He actually married Rachel after he married Leah but the deal was that he would then work another 7 years. But he was actually married to her during those 7 years (the second set).

    #1267549
    Sadigurarebbe
    Participant

    #Yinglish

    #1267559
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    Who said she did?

    #1267569
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    Implied by title.

    #1267589
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Lol I had to condense the title and clearly got the grammar wrong.

    Thankfully you read the OP and know what I mean 🙂

    #1267627
    TheGoq
    Participant

    The Title is missing a pronoun.

    #1267640
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    That still debunks what I thought happened all along.

    Wow thanks LU ☺

    #1267659
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    It fits! Yay 😊 Thanks grammar ninjas 👍

    So now we know that seven days after Jacob married Leah, he married Rachel. Jacob then worked for Laban for seven more years to earn Rachel.

    I heard that in general marrying Rachel and getting Leah is a metaphor about how we really never marry the person we think we are marrying because people are different once married and living together (maybe it is the spiritual fusion?)

    What does this story mean spiritually? That in order to get back the connection that happened when things were new, we have to work for it? Labor to stay connected with our true love and soulmate?

    And Leah is always there because she is the vulnerable fertile self whose presence is just as necessary even if it does not always feel that way?

    What did you learn about the lessons here?

    Thank you ☺

    In the future you can just ask for the title to be changed. No need to start a new thread.

    #1267819
    golfer
    Participant

    The lesson here is the amazing selflessness and kindness of Rachel Imeinu in giving the simanim (prearranged signs) to her sister Leah.
    The other lesson is the actual series of events that led to the births of the 12 Shevatim.
    It isn’t always necessary to come up with esoteric explanations and inspirational messages.
    Just reading and understanding the psukim in the Torah is beneficial to a person’s Neshama, and allows us to fulfill the Mitzvah of Torah study, even (and perhaps especially) without philosophizing and trying to insert our own uplifting or mystical speculations.

    #1268795
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Thanks Mod! I’ve asked for titles to be changed in the past and it was left as is… at least as far as I know.

    Yay thank you for that!!!

    Much appreciated <3 <3 <3

    #1268800
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Sometimes the inspirational messages help me better appreciate the meaning so that I can do a better job at living Torah, versus learning Torah.

    #1268807
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    Torah is meant to be learned on various levels – pshat, drash, remez, Some people relate more to some ways and others to others. That being said, it is best to at least start with the pshat, but then there’s nothing wrong (an d a lot right) with looking deeper.

    #1268877
    👑RebYidd23
    Participant

    On the other hand, Yaakov could easily be seen as the victim here. It is now considered a crime to marry someone who thinks you’re someone else.

    #1268963
    WinnieThePooh
    Participant

    Within certain boundaries. I don’t think it is appropriate, for example, to pyschoanalyze the avos and then try to apply that analysis to our current lives. Also, one should realize that even when there is symbolism/different meanings, it does not take away from the pshat itself- the events are true and meaningful in their simple sense first and foremost, as opposed to certain streams that prefer to “interpret” the Torah as being only a metaphor- is that what you mean Golfer?
    And also, one should know the difference between a pshat presented by a rishon for example, and one that the person comes up with him/herself.

    #1270163

    Thank you golfer and WTP with such beautiful posts and important lessons.

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