Midrash su Genesi 30:16

Observe that when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to fashion Eve, He gave considerable thought to the parts of Adam’s body out of which He would create her. He said: If I create her out of a portion of his head, she will be haughty; if I fashion her from his eyes, she will be inquisitive; if I mold her out of his mouth, she will babble; from the ear, she will be an eavesdropper; from the hands, she will steal; and from the feet, she will be a gadabout. What did He do? He fashioned her out of one of Adam’s ribs, a chaste portion of the body, so that she would stay modestly at home, as it is said: And the rib which the Lord had taken (Gen. 2:22). Nevertheless, women do not lack any of these failings. He did not create her from the head of Adam lest she be haughty, nevertheless the daughters of Zion arose and were haughty, as is said: Moreover, the Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty (Isa. 3:16). He did not fashion her from his eyes lest she be inquisitive, yet Eve was inquisitive, as it is said: And the woman saw that the tree was good (Gen. 3:6). He did not mold her from his mouth lest she babble, but Leah came and babbled, as it is written: And she said unto her: “Is it a small matter that thou hast taken away my husband?” (Gen. 30:15), and it states elsewhere: And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses (Num. 12:1). He did not create her from the ear, lest she eavesdrop, yet Sarah did eavesdrop, as is said: And Sarah heard in the tent door (Gen. 18:10); He did not fashion her out of his hand, lest she steal, nevertheless Rachel stole the teraphim, as it is said: And Rachel stole (ibid. 31:19); He did not create her from the foot, lest she be a gadabout, but Leah came and was a gadabout, as is said: And Leah went out (ibid. 30:16), and similarly Dinah went out (ibid. 34:1).

And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to see (Gen. 34:1). Was she not also Jacob’s daughter? Indeed, but Scripture associates her name with that of her mother. Leah’s daughter (Dinah) loved to roam about just as her mother did. How do we know this about Leah? It is written: And Leah went out to meet him (Gen. 30:16). Ezekiel declared: Behold, everyone that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying: As the mother, so her daughter (Ezek. 16:44). To see should be read as “to be seen,” for though she went out to see, she was, in fact, seen, as it is said: And Shechem the son of Hamor … saw her (Gen. 34:2).

“The mandrakes have emitted fragrance, and at our entrance are all types of delicacies, new and old; I have them in store for you, my beloved” (Song of Songs 7:14).
“The mandrakes have emitted fragrance,” these are the lads of Israel who have not tasted the taste of sin. “And at our entrance are all types of delicacies,” these are the daughters of Israel who have cleaved to their husbands and do not know another man.
Another matter, “the mandrakes have emitted fragrance,” Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Levi, Rabbi Yudan said: Come and see how beloved are the mandrakes before He who spoke and the world came into being, as, in the reward of these mandrakes, two great, excellent tribes emerged, and they are the tribe of Issachar and the tribe of Zebulun, as it is stated: “Jacob came from the field in the evening, [and Leah went out to meet him and said: You must come in to me for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes]” (Genesis 30:16). Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, Rabbi Elazar says: This one lost and that one lost, this one was rewarded and that one was rewarded. Leah lost the mandrakes but was rewarded with tribes and burial.⁷⁶Because she displayed her fondness for lying beside Jacob, she was privileged to be buried beside him in the Cave of Makhpela. Rachel was rewarded with the mandrakes but lost tribes and burial. This one lost and that one lost, this one was rewarded and that one was rewarded. Leah lost the mandrakes, was rewarded with tribes, and lost the birthright.⁷⁷Ultimately, Joseph supplanted Reuben as the firstborn, as he received the double portion, with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, each becoming independent tribes. Rachel was rewarded with mandrakes, was rewarded with the birthright, and lost tribes.
Rabbi Levi said: It is written: “The Lord showed me and behold two baskets [duda’ei] of figs…the one basket was of very good figs” (Jeremiah 24:1–2), this is the exile of Yekhonya. “And the one basket of very bad figs” (Jeremiah 24:2), this is the exile of Zedekiah. If you say that the exile of Yekhonya repented and the exile of Zedekiah did not repent, the verse states: “The mandrakes [haduda’im] have emitted fragrance,” both duda’im, the good and the bad, emitted fragrance.
“And at our entrance are all types of delicacies,” the school of Rabbi Sheila and the Rabbis, the school of Rabbi Sheila say: [This is analogous] to an upright woman whose husband left for her few items and little money for expenditures. When her husband returned, she said to him: ‘Look what you left for me and what I preserved for you, and what I added to them for you.’
The Rabbis say: [This is analogous] to a king who had an orchard and he entrusted it to a sharecropper. What did that sharecropper do? He filled fig baskets with the fruit of that orchard and he placed them at the entrance to the orchard. When the king would pass, he would see all that goodness. He said: ‘If there is all that goodness at the entrance to the orchard, in the entire orchard, all the more so.’ So, in the early generations,⁷⁸This corresponds to the fruit at the entrance to the orchard. there were the members of the Great Assembly, Hillel and Shammai, and Rabban Gamliel the elder. In the later generations⁷⁹This corresponds to the fruit in the entire orchard. there were Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Meir, and Rabbi Akiva, and their students all the more so. In their regard it says: “new and old.”
“I have them in store for you, my beloved.” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘You have in store for Me and I have in store for you. You keep mitzvoth and good deeds, and I keep for you in full storehouses more than all the goodness in the world.’ Rabbi Abba bar Kahana bar Yudan said: His are more plentiful than ours. That is what is written: “How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You, which You have created for those taking refuge in You” (Psalms 31:20).

Another interpretation (of Ezek. 16:44): LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. This refers to Dinah. What is written of Leah (in Gen. 30:16)? LEAH WENT OUT TO MEET HIM. So also (in Gen. 34:1): NOW < LEAH'S DAUGHTER > DINAH … WENT OUT.

Many women have done well (Proverbs 31:29): Adam, the first man, was commanded about six commandments. Noach [was additionally commanded] about [not eating] a limb from a live animal. Avraham about circumcision. Yitschak was educated with [these] eight [commandments]. Yaakov [was additionally commanded] about [not eating] the sciatic nerve. Yehudah about levirate marriage. [The people of] Israel about two hundred and forty-eight positive commandments corresponding to the two hundred and forty-eight limbs in a man - each and every limb says to man, "I plead of you to do this commandment with me" - and three hundred and sixty-five negative commandments corresponding to the three hundred and sixty-five days of the solar [year] - and each and every day says to man, "I plead of you not to do this sin on me." "Grace is false, beauty is illusory" (Proverbs 31:30) - the grace of Noach was false, as it states (Genesis 6:8), "But Noach found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Rabbi Levi said, "Only in his generation [did he find grace]." "Beauty is illusory" - illusory was the beauty of Adam, the first man. Rabbi Shimon ben Manassia said, "The ball of Adam, the first man's heel would dim the sun. And do not wonder - it is customary in the world that when a man makes two salver vessels, one for himself and one for his household, which does he make [nicer], is it not his? So [too], Adam, the first man, was created to serve in front of the Holy One, blessed be He; and the sun was created to make light for the creatures. And if the ball of his heel was such, the contour of his face, all the more so." "A woman that has fear of the Lord, she is to be praised" - this is Moshe. "Give of the fruit of her hand" (Proverbs 31:30) - Rabbi Yose bar Yirmiyah said, "Why did he compare the prophets to women? Rather, just like [a] woman is not embarrassed to claim the needs of the home from her husband, so [too] were the prophets not embarrassed to claim the needs of Israel from in front of the Holy One, blessed be He." The Holy One blessed be He said, "My sons, be involved in Torah [study] day and night, and I will count it for you as if you hold up the heavens and the earth," as it states (Joshua 1:8), "Let not this book of the Torah cease from your mouth, but meditate upon it day and night"; and it states (Joshua 1:9), “Did I not command you, 'Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified or dismayed'"; and it states (Ezra 3:11), "with praise and thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness upon Israel is forever, and the people raised a great shout with praise to the Lord, for the foundation of the House of the Lord had been laid"; (Proverbs 23:23) "Acquire truth"; (Proverbs 5:17) "They will be yours alone"; (Proverbs 9:9) "Give to a wise man, and he will grow wiser"; (Proverbs 9:11) "For through me your days will increase, and years of life be added." Another interpretation: "A woman of valor who can find?" - this is [the meaning] of what the verse states (Psalms 92:15), "In old age they still produce fruit, etc." - corresponding to Avraham and Sarah who were of the same measure concerning charity and acts of kindness; they were a good sign for the world. In this way, He does not prevent proper women from the righteous ones, [but] matches them. As so [too] do we find with the wife of Noach that her actions and his actions were of the same measure - that is why she merited with him and was rescued from the waters of the flood. "Her husband puts his confidence in her" - this is Sarah, our mother, as Avaraham grew rich on her account, as it states (Genesis 12:16), "And he benefited Avraham for her sake." "She bestows good to him, and not bad" - this is Rivkah, our mother, who bestowed [good] to Yitzchak at the time that Sarah, his mother died. "She seeks wool and flax" - this is Leah, our mother, who received Yaakov with a pleasant countenance, as it is written (Genesis 30:16), "And Yaakov came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You are to sleep with me, for I have hired you, etc.'" Therefore she merited and kings and prophets came from her. "She is like a merchant fleet" - this is Rachel, our mother, who was embarrassed about [her lack of] children every day. Therefore she merited and a son came from her who was similar to a ship that is filled will all the good [found] in the world - so [was it with] Yosef, that the whole world survived from his merit and he supported the world in the years of famine. "She rises while it is still night" - this is Batya, the daughter of Pharaoh. She was a gentile and became a Jewess and they mentioned her name among the proper [women], since she took care of Moshe. Therefore she merited and entered the Garden of Eden in her lifetime. "She sets her mind on a field and acquires it; [she plants a vineyard from the produce of her hand]" - this is Yocheved, that from her came Moshe who is equivalent to all of Israel, which is called a vineyard, as it states (Isaiah 5:7), "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the House of Israel." "She girds her loins with strength" - this is Miriam, as before Moshe was born, she said, "In the future, my mother will give birth to the savior of Israel." Once he was born and the yoke upon them became heavier, her father got up and bopped her on the head. He said to her, "Where is your prophecy?" And he got up and spit in front of her face. And nonetheless, she exerted herself about her prophecy, as it is written (Exodus 2:4), "And his sister stood from a distance." "She advises (taamah) that her merchandise is good; [her lamp never goes out at night]" - this is Channah who tasted (taamah) the taste of prayer, as it states (I Samuel 2:1), "And Hannah prayed, 'My heart exults in the Lord, etc.'" Therefore she merited and a son came from her that was the match of Moshe and Aharon, which would bring light to Israel like lamps, as it is written (Psalms 99:6), "Moshe and Aharon among his priests, and Shmuel among the ones that call His name." And it is written about Shmuel (I Samuel 3:3), "The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Shmuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord." "She sets her hand to the distaff" - this is Yael, who did not kill Sisera with a weapon, but rather with a peg through the force of her hands. And because of what did she not kill him with a weapon? In order to fulfill that which it states (Deuteronomy 22:5), "There shall not be the vessel of a man on a woman." "Her palm she spreads out to the poor" - this is the widowed woman of Tsarfat, who supported Eliyahu with bread and water. "She is not worried for her home because of snow, for her whole home is dressed in crimson" - this is Rachav the prostitute. When Israel came to destroy Yericho, she did not fear from them, because they give her a sign - (Joshua 2:18) "this line of scarlet string." "She makes covers for herself; [her clothing is linen and purple]" - this is Batsheva, that from her came Shlomo, who was adorned with linen and purple and ruled from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. "Her husband is known in the gates," - this is Michal, who saved David from death. "She makes cloth and sells it" - this is the mother of Shimshon, that through him Israel was saved. "Strength and splendor are her clothing; [and she laughs to the last day]" - this is Elisheva, the daughter of Aminadav, who saw four joyful events in one day: her brother [became] a prince; her husband, high priest; the brother of her husband, king; and her two children, young priests. "She opens her mouth with wisdom" - this is the wise woman who said (II Samuel 20:16), “Listen, listen! Please tell Yoav, 'Come over here and I will speak to you,'” who saved the city with her wisdom; and this was Sarach the daughter of Asher. "She oversees the activities of her household" - this is the wife of Ovadiah, who rescued her sons and they did not worship idolatry with Achav. "Her children rise and declare her happy" - this is the Shunamite, who is called a great woman (II Kings 4:8). And because of what? Because she pressed upon Elisha to eat. “Many women have done well, but you surpass them all” - this is Ruth the Moabitess, who came under the wings of the Divine presence. "Grace is false, beauty is illusory" - as she left her mother and her forefathers and her wealth, and came with her mother-in-law and accepted all of the commandments: the domain of Shabbat - "to where you will walk, I will walk" (Ruth 1:16); the prohibition of isolation with a man - "and in that which you will lay, I will lay"; the six hundred and thirteen commandments - "your people is my people"; idolatry - "your God is my God"; the four death penalties of the court - "and in that which you will die, I will die"; "and there will I be buried" - these are the two graveyards arranged for the court, one for the stoned and the burned, and one for the killed and the strangled. Therefore, she merited and David came from her, who gave pleasure with songs and praises to the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is stated, "Give of the fruit of her hand and let her works praise her in the gates." Be strong in ethical behavior, keep the Torah, and be rescued from the evil inclination.

Dinah the daughter of Leah went out (Genesis 34,1) Why, everyone who uses proverbs applies to you the proverb “Like mother, like daughter.” (Ezekiel 16,44) Yosi from Me‘ona was giving Targum (translating in exegetical fashion) in Shul in Me‘ona the verse, (Hosea 5,1) “Hear this, O priests, Attend, O House of Israel, And give ear, O royal house…” He said, “In the future G-d will take the Cohanim and make them stand trial, saying to them ‘Why didn’t you put effort into learning Torah? Didn’t you have the 24 Priestly gifts?’ and the Cohanim responded, ‘They [Bnei Yisrael] didn’t give us anything.’ So Hashem says “‘Attend, O House of Israel,’ why didn’t you give the Cohanim their 24 gifts that are written in the Torah?” and Bnei Yisrael replied, “Because the taxes of Nasi already took it all.” So G-d turns to the house of the king, “‘And give ear, O royal house For right conduct is your responsibility’ it’s yours! [make sure that] ‘This then shall be the priests’ due from the people:’ (Devarim 18,3)therefore the [G-d’s] trait of judgment will befall you and your house! Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi heard this, was incensed, and left. Then Reish Lakish said to Rabbi Yehuda to appease him after the Yosi Me’ona incident, “Rebbe, we need to thank the nations of the world for bringing mimes into their theaters and circuses and performing before them, so they don’t come to talk to each and get into meaningless fights, Yosi Me’ona said a word of Torah and you’re so bothered by it?!? [Reish Lakish] continues, “Do you think he knows Torah?” Rabbi Yehuda, “Yes.” Reish Lakish, “Has he been taught and learned something?” Rabbi Yehuda, “Yes” Reish Lakish, “If we ask him something would he be able to answer? Rabbi Yehuda, “Yes.” Reish Lakish, “If so, let’s leave here and go see him.” [Reish Lakish] asks [Yosi from Me‘ona], “What is meant by the verse ‘Why, everyone who uses proverbs applies to you the proverb “Like mother, like daughter.”’ Yosi replies, "Like the daughter so too is the mother, the generation is like its Nasi, the altar is like its Cohanim. Around here we say like the garden so is the gardener." Reish Lakish said to him, “You still haven’t apologized for the first comment and you insult him again?” So what about the main point of ‘all who rule over you?’” Yosi said, “There is no cow that gores until its daughter is a kicker, no daughter prostitutes herself unless her mother has. Reish Lakish and Rabbi Yehuda, “Are you calling Leah our Matriarch a prostitute?!?” Yosi replied to them, “‘Leah went out to meet him [Yaakov]…’ and Leah went out dressed like a prostitute, therefor Dinah also went out dressed like a prostitute.”