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PARSHAT VAYEITZE LEAH'S HIDDEN BEAUTY In this Parsha, two of our great mothers are introduced and contrasted:
"And the eyes of Leah were tender; but Rachel was of beautiful
form, and of beautiful appearance" (29:17). Rachel, who was
beautiful on all levels, represents the revealed world - the world
of the Tzaddik. Her righteousness illuminated her to such an extent
that everyone agreed that she was a striking beauty. One has to
look deeper, however, to get in touch with the beauty of Leah. The
description of Leah's eyes as being soft has puzzled many commentators.
Since the eyes are the Inner Light of the soul, Chassidic commentaries
explain that Leah represents the world of tshuva, whose beauty is
hidden. Her eyes were soft from crying out to G-d in prayer. This
prayer enabled her to transcend her destiny and merit to become
a partner with her sister in the building of the house of Israel. The meeting between Yaacov and Rachel is the romantic encounter
of two soul mates that know they are made for each other. In the
morning following the wedding night, Yaacov realizes that he has
married the wrong woman: "And it came to pass, that in the
morning, behold, it was Leah" (Bereishit 29:25). Rashi asks,
was it not Leah at night? The reason that Yaacov failed to recognize
her until the morning was because he had given Rachel certain secret
signs, and when Rachel saw that they were about to substitute Leah
in the marriage ceremony, she thought, "My sister may now be
put to shame." She therefore readily transmitted these signs
to her. Rachel's righteousness went beyond anything expected. She
was willing not only to share her beloved but also to give up the
entire dream of her future life with Yaacov. How was she to know
that she would merit becoming Yaacov's wife as well? In her selfless
concern, that her sister not be embarrassed, she sacrificed her
own future and enabled Leah to become a mother in Israel. In this
way, Rachel became the embodiment of motherhood, the mother of all
mothers.
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