My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - Vayetze
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on November 14, 2007 | Tags: Vayetze
Poor Leah. The fourth matriarch gets a bad rap. She's the older
sister foisted on Jacob who thought he was marrying his true love
Rachel. As noted in Parshah Va-Yetzei she bears sons, hoping each
one will finally make Jacob love her. Though she bears him six sons, his favorites are Rachel's two boys: Joseph and Benjamin. And yet, take note that Levi and Judah are two of Leah's sons. Levi's
descendents include Moses and Aaron (and thus the entire
priesthood). As for Judah, centuries later when the Second Temple
was destroyed and our ancestors lost their land, they would become
known as Judeans or, as we say today, Jews. So Leah, rather than
being an odd footnote to the story of the patriarchs, may have the
most important role of all. In a crucial way Leah, more than anyone
else, deserves to be remembered as the mother of the Jewish
people. You can never tell how these things will turn out.
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Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
