Bamboo Trinh

Mrs. Gormon
Faith and Religion, Block 1
21 October, 2014
Leah
Leah was born thousands of years ago during the time the Book of Genesis took place.
She is originally from the Paddan-Aram and later moved to Canaan. Leah was married to Jacob,
whom she shared with her sister, Rachel. She was the mother of many children who have also
played an important role in the Bible. The story of Leah is about much more than a sibling
rivalry. Leah is a woman that anyone who has ever felt unloved and isolated can relate to.
Her relationship with Jacob began after he met her father, Laban. Laban was a wealthy
landowner and introduced Jacob to both of his daughters. Love at first sight was real for Rachel
and Jacob, however, Laban told Jacob he would have to work for her. They made a deal: Jacob
would serve seven years for Rachel's hand. When the seven years were up, Laban threw a feast
and gave Jacob not Rachel, but Leah.
Leah's name in Hebrew means "weary." In fact, the only description of her given is that
she has weary eyes. Leah is not the object of Jacob's affection even though they are married.
Leah was a believer in God. She entrusted her faith in him and he watched over her. He watched
over her in times of need by blessing her with children.
Laban's logic was that it is customary for the older daughter to get married first, who in
this case was Leah. Jacob saw he was tricked and decided to talk to Laban about this. They made
yet another deal: Rachel would be given to Jacob one week after being married to Leah, under

condition that he would work another seven years for Laban. And so, Leah ended up married to
the same man as her sister.
One of Leah's biggest struggles in life was the feeling of being unloved and accepted.
Jacob did not love her for he loved her sister. This was hard on Leah and made her feel isolated
even within her own family. God saw this and opened her womb. She had seven children
including influential figures Judah and Levi. Children did not completely cure Leah of
loneliness, but did create a sense of jealously inside of the home. Rachel was extremely jealous
she could not bear Jacob any children at the time.
The last time Leah is mentioned is when Jacob met with his estranged brother, Esau. He
puts her in a receiving line. Along with her goes the rest of the family.
"Rachel is associated with the revealed, beautiful world of the present," recalled biblical
scholar Chana Weisberg. Patrick Reardon, another biblical scholar said "Although she had not
been part of Jacob's plans, Leah was a most important component in God's plan, for from her
body leapt the royal and priestly bloodlines of the realm." Leah wasn't initially who Jacob
wanted to marry, but they did have some pretty important children. She was the mother of half of
the leaders of the 12 tribes.
I believe that everyone deserves to be loved, so I can definitely feel for Leah. Leah
struggled with being accepted ever since her father tricked Jacob into marrying her. It would be
hard for anyone to know their husband had to be forced into marrying them. However, I have
respect for Leah because stuck in their when times were tough and raised some good kids.

Works Cited
Blank, Wayne. "Leah." http://keyway.ca/
Frymer-Kensky, Tikya. "Leah: Bible." http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/frymer-kensky-tikva
R. Grosse, Jeremiah. "Sibling Rivalry: The Story of Leah and Rachel." http://lifeissues.net/
Capoccia, Kathryn. "Women of the Bible - Rachel and Leah." hhtp://biblebb.com