Vayaytzay

“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of your son's mandrakes.

And she said unto her, ‘Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and you would take away my son's mandrakes also?’ And Rachel said, ‘Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son's mandrakes.’

And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, ‘You must come in unto me; for surely I have hired you with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.”  Genesis 30:14-16

 

Longing and love are in conflict. Leah loved Jacob.  She thrived on his love and presence.  Remember that she was the “second prize.”  Leah was the unwanted wife, the last minute substitution for all Jacob’s labors.    Jacob desired the younger, Rachel.  The reader cannot help but feel sorry for Leah with the “sad eyes.”  Yet she was the one who had an abiding and deep passion for the man she loved.  God rewarded Leah with many children.  


At the same time, Rachel longed for her love.  Her trade to gain the affection, attention and bed of Jacob is also sad.  Rachel, in a sense, had to buy her husband.  


Conflict arises when there is jealousy.  Whether we desire someone else’s possessions, wealth or relationship jealousy invariably leads down a dark path.


Understanding the story in this light, how can you dismiss or redirect the envy that you may feel?  The tale wants us to solve this personal dilemma.

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