וַיְהִ֣י בָעֶ֔רֶב וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־לֵאָ֣ה בִתּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתָ֖הּ אֵלָ֑יו וַיָּבֹ֖א אֵלֶֽיהָ׃
At nangyari, pagsapit ng gabi, kinuha ni Laban si Lea na kanyang anak na babae at dinala siya kay Jacob, at sumiping si Jacob sa kanya.
Shemot Rabbah
The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, and they kept the boys alive” (Exodus 1:17).
“The midwives feared God.” About them it is stated: “A God-fearing woman, she will be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).
“And did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them [aleihen].” Lahen is not written, but rather aleihen.31A formulation used elsewhere in the Bible in the sense of sexual relations, e.g., Genesis 29:23. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: It teaches that he demanded that they have relations with him, but they did not accept his proposition.
“They kept the boys alive.” Since they “did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them,” do we not know that they kept the boys alive? Why did the verse need to state: “They kept the boys alive”? There is praise within praise. Not only did they not fulfill his command, but they went beyond that and performed good deeds for their benefit. Some of them were poor women, and the midwives would go and collect water and food from the homes of wealthy women and would come and give it to the poor women, thereby sustaining their sons. That is what is written: “They kept the boys alive.”
Alternatively, “they kept the boys alive” – some had a condition that would result in their emerging crippled, blind, deformed, or needing to have a limb amputated in order to emerge safely. What would they do? They would stand in prayer and say before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You know that we did not fulfill Pharaoh’s command. It is Your words that we seek to fulfill. Lord of the universe, may this child emerge in peace, so Israel will not find a pretext to slander us, saying: Look, they emerged deformed because they sought to kill them.’ Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He would heed their voice, and [the babies] would emerge intact.
Rabbi Levi said: You stated the less severe scenarios; state the severe scenarios. Some of them had a condition that would cause them to die as they emerged, or endanger their mother so she would die after they emerged. They would stand in prayer and say to the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, suspend their sentence now and give them life, so that Israel will not say: They killed them.’ The Holy One blessed be He would fulfill their prayer. Therefore, “they kept the boys alive [vateḥayena et hayeladim]” – vateḥayena, these are the mothers, hayeladim, these are the actual children.
Alternatively, “the midwives feared,” – they adorned themselves with the action of their ancestor, that is Abraham. Just as the Holy One blessed be He attests in his regard: “For now I know that you are God-fearing” (Genesis 22:12), they said: ‘Abraham our patriarch, of blessed memory, opened an inn and would feed all the passersby, uncircumcised people, and we, not only do we not have enough to feed them, but to kill them? We will keep them alive.’ When Pharaoh saw that they did not implement his decree, he sent and called for them; that is what is written: “The king of Egypt called for the midwives [and said to them: Why have you done this thing, and have kept the boys alive?”] (Exodus 1:18).
“The midwives feared God.” About them it is stated: “A God-fearing woman, she will be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).
“And did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them [aleihen].” Lahen is not written, but rather aleihen.31A formulation used elsewhere in the Bible in the sense of sexual relations, e.g., Genesis 29:23. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: It teaches that he demanded that they have relations with him, but they did not accept his proposition.
“They kept the boys alive.” Since they “did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them,” do we not know that they kept the boys alive? Why did the verse need to state: “They kept the boys alive”? There is praise within praise. Not only did they not fulfill his command, but they went beyond that and performed good deeds for their benefit. Some of them were poor women, and the midwives would go and collect water and food from the homes of wealthy women and would come and give it to the poor women, thereby sustaining their sons. That is what is written: “They kept the boys alive.”
Alternatively, “they kept the boys alive” – some had a condition that would result in their emerging crippled, blind, deformed, or needing to have a limb amputated in order to emerge safely. What would they do? They would stand in prayer and say before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You know that we did not fulfill Pharaoh’s command. It is Your words that we seek to fulfill. Lord of the universe, may this child emerge in peace, so Israel will not find a pretext to slander us, saying: Look, they emerged deformed because they sought to kill them.’ Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He would heed their voice, and [the babies] would emerge intact.
Rabbi Levi said: You stated the less severe scenarios; state the severe scenarios. Some of them had a condition that would cause them to die as they emerged, or endanger their mother so she would die after they emerged. They would stand in prayer and say to the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, suspend their sentence now and give them life, so that Israel will not say: They killed them.’ The Holy One blessed be He would fulfill their prayer. Therefore, “they kept the boys alive [vateḥayena et hayeladim]” – vateḥayena, these are the mothers, hayeladim, these are the actual children.
Alternatively, “the midwives feared,” – they adorned themselves with the action of their ancestor, that is Abraham. Just as the Holy One blessed be He attests in his regard: “For now I know that you are God-fearing” (Genesis 22:12), they said: ‘Abraham our patriarch, of blessed memory, opened an inn and would feed all the passersby, uncircumcised people, and we, not only do we not have enough to feed them, but to kill them? We will keep them alive.’ When Pharaoh saw that they did not implement his decree, he sent and called for them; that is what is written: “The king of Egypt called for the midwives [and said to them: Why have you done this thing, and have kept the boys alive?”] (Exodus 1:18).
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Ibid., cont.:) BUT RACHEL HAD A LOVELY FORM AND WAS LOVELY TO LOOK AT. Why? Because it is stated (in Prov. 15:30): GOOD NEWS PUTS FAT ON THE BONES. He (Esau) took no action. Rather (in Gen. 28:9): ESAU WENT TO ISHMAEL AND TOOK MAHALATH BAT ISHMAEL < BEN ABRAHAM, THE SISTER OF NEBAIOTH, FOR A WIFE >. Jacob said: Because of the blessings he wanted to kill me; so when I take his wife Leah, who knows if he will leave Mahalath bat Ishmael, come against me, and say: Was it not enough for you to take my birthright and my blessing, that you have taken my betrothed as well! He therefore said to Laban (in Gen. 29:18): I SHALL SERVE YOU SEVEN YEARS FOR < YOUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER > RACHEL. Apart from such a situation, would a man taking a wife leave the older and take the younger?35Since daughters inherit in the absence of sons (Numb. 27:8), the elder daughter would receive the double inheritance of the first-born. See Deut. 21:15-17. Rather < the story is > to teach you that, since Leah was sitting around because of Esau, Jacob said to Laban (ibid.): I SHALL SERVE YOU SEVEN YEARS FOR < YOUR YOUNGER DAUGHTER > RACHEL. Now, when Laban saw that, he said: See here, I am giving away the elder immediately. (Gen. 29:23:) AND, WHEN IT WAS EVENING, HE TOOK HIS DAUGHTER LEAH < AND BROUGHT HER TO HIM >. Jacob said to him: Now were these the terms?36Cf. Gen. R. 70:17. (Gen. 29:25, 26, 28:) DID I NOT SERVE WITH YOU FOR RACHEL? THEN LABAN SAID: IT IS NOT THE CUSTOM IN OUR PLACE…. SO JACOB DID THUS, < AND COMPLETED THE BRIDAL WEEK OF THIS DAUGHTER; THEN LABAN GAVE HIM HIS DAUGHTER RACHEL FOR A WIFE >. He began to love her more than Leah. The Holy One said: Look, I am giving Leah children so that she may be more beloved than Rachel. (Gen. 29:31:) WHEN THE LORD SAW THAT LEAH WAS HATED, HE OPENED HER WOMB.
Aggadat Bereshit
[5] Another interpretation: And God saw who was hated, in the presence of her husband, when he rebuked her. When was this? As it is said, "And Jacob served Rachel for seven years" (Genesis 29:18). This is what his mother Rebekah told him, "And you shall dwell with him for a few days" (Genesis 27:44). And Jacob loved Rachel (Genesis 29:18). And Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife" (Genesis 29:21), and it was in the evening, and all night he lay with her, thinking that she was Rachel. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that it was Leah. He said to her, "Why have you deceived me?" She replied, "Didn't you deceive your father when he asked you, 'Are you my son Esau?' and you said, 'I am' (Genesis 27:19)? And when he blessed you, you said, 'Why have you deceived me?' But your father didn't say, 'Your brother Esau came with deceit and took your blessing' (Genesis 27:35)." Because of these things, which rebuked him, he began to hate her. God said, "Her only cure is to have children. I will give her children, and her husband will be humbled before her." Therefore, God saw that Leah was hated (Genesis 29:31). "He opens the womb" (Genesis 29:31). David mocks and says, "He executes justice for the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free" (Psalms 146:7).