וַיָּבֹ֨א לָבָ֜ן בְּאֹ֥הֶל יַעֲקֹ֣ב ׀ וּבְאֹ֣הֶל לֵאָ֗ה וּבְאֹ֛הֶל שְׁתֵּ֥י הָאֲמָהֹ֖ת וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֑א וַיֵּצֵא֙ מֵאֹ֣הֶל לֵאָ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֖א בְּאֹ֥הֶל רָחֵֽל׃
At pumasok si Laban sa tolda ni Jacob, at sa tolda ni Lea, at sa tolda ng dalawang aliping babae, ngunit hindi niya natagpuan ang mga iyon. At lumabas siya sa tolda ni Lea at pumasok sa tolda ni Raquel.
Bereshit Rabbah
“They said to him: Where is Sarah your wife? He said: Behold, in the tent” (Genesis 18:9).
“They said to him [elav]: Where is Sarah your wife?” The letters alef, yod, vav are dotted;42These three letters in the word elav have dots placed over them in the Torah. lamed is not dotted. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Wherever you find the number of undotted letters greater than the number of dotted letters, one expounds the undotted letters. If the number of dotted letters is greater than the number of undotted letters, one expounds the dotted letters. Here, where the number of dotted letters is greater than the number of undotted letters, one expounds the dotted letters, [which spell out]: ‘Where is he [ayo] – Abraham?’ Rabbi Azarya said: Just as they said [to Abraham]: “Where is Sarah?” so they said to Sarah: ‘Where is Abraham?’
“He said: Behold, in the tent” – that is what is written: “Blessed beyond women is Yael, wife of Ḥever the Kenite; beyond the women in the tent, she shall be blessed” (Judges 5:24). Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, Rabbi Elazar said: Beyond the women of the generation of the wilderness, who dwelled in tents, as it is stated: “Each man at the entrance of his tent” (Numbers 11:10). Why should she be more blessed than they were? They bore children and kept the world going, but what use would it have been? Were it not for her, they would have been eradicated. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Beyond the matriarchs.43Sarah (here), Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and Leah and Rachel (Genesis 31:33), are all mentioned in connection with tents. They bore children, etc., but were it not for her, they would have been eradicated.
“They said to him [elav]: Where is Sarah your wife?” The letters alef, yod, vav are dotted;42These three letters in the word elav have dots placed over them in the Torah. lamed is not dotted. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: Wherever you find the number of undotted letters greater than the number of dotted letters, one expounds the undotted letters. If the number of dotted letters is greater than the number of undotted letters, one expounds the dotted letters. Here, where the number of dotted letters is greater than the number of undotted letters, one expounds the dotted letters, [which spell out]: ‘Where is he [ayo] – Abraham?’ Rabbi Azarya said: Just as they said [to Abraham]: “Where is Sarah?” so they said to Sarah: ‘Where is Abraham?’
“He said: Behold, in the tent” – that is what is written: “Blessed beyond women is Yael, wife of Ḥever the Kenite; beyond the women in the tent, she shall be blessed” (Judges 5:24). Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, Rabbi Elazar said: Beyond the women of the generation of the wilderness, who dwelled in tents, as it is stated: “Each man at the entrance of his tent” (Numbers 11:10). Why should she be more blessed than they were? They bore children and kept the world going, but what use would it have been? Were it not for her, they would have been eradicated. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Beyond the matriarchs.43Sarah (here), Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and Leah and Rachel (Genesis 31:33), are all mentioned in connection with tents. They bore children, etc., but were it not for her, they would have been eradicated.
Bereshit Rabbah
“And Jacob answered, and said to Laban: Because I was afraid, because I said that you might steal your daugters from me” (Genesis 31:31).
“With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live; before our brethren, identify what is with me, and take them for yourself. And Jacob did not know that Rachel stole them” (Genesis 31:32).
“With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live” – and so it was, “like an error that emerges from the ruler” (Ecclesiastes 10:5). “Rachel stole…” (Genesis 31:19); “Rachel died…” (Genesis 35:19).
“Laban came into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find; he emerged from Leah's tent, and came into Rachel’s tent” (Genesis 31:33).
“Laban came into Jacob’s tent, and into Rachel’s tent” – “into Jacob’s tent,” which was Rachel’s tent; “and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants…he emerged from Leah’s tent, and came into Rachel's tent.” Why into Rachel’s tent twice? It is because he was familiar with her, that she was a toucher.21She had a tendency to touch items that did not belong to her and take them.
“Rachel had taken the household idols, placed them in the cushion of the camel, and she sat upon them. Laban felt throughout the tent and did not find” (Genesis 31:34).
“Rachel had taken the household idols, placed them in the cushion of the camel” – in the camel’s saddle.
“She said to her father: Let my lord not be angry, as I cannot arise before you because the manner of women is upon me. He searched, but did not find the household idols” (Genesis 31:35).
“And she sat upon them…she said to her father: Let my lord not be angry, as I cannot…” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He did not find household idols, but he found jugs. The household idols were transformed into jugs so as not to embarrass Rachel.
“With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live; before our brethren, identify what is with me, and take them for yourself. And Jacob did not know that Rachel stole them” (Genesis 31:32).
“With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live” – and so it was, “like an error that emerges from the ruler” (Ecclesiastes 10:5). “Rachel stole…” (Genesis 31:19); “Rachel died…” (Genesis 35:19).
“Laban came into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find; he emerged from Leah's tent, and came into Rachel’s tent” (Genesis 31:33).
“Laban came into Jacob’s tent, and into Rachel’s tent” – “into Jacob’s tent,” which was Rachel’s tent; “and into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two maidservants…he emerged from Leah’s tent, and came into Rachel's tent.” Why into Rachel’s tent twice? It is because he was familiar with her, that she was a toucher.21She had a tendency to touch items that did not belong to her and take them.
“Rachel had taken the household idols, placed them in the cushion of the camel, and she sat upon them. Laban felt throughout the tent and did not find” (Genesis 31:34).
“Rachel had taken the household idols, placed them in the cushion of the camel” – in the camel’s saddle.
“She said to her father: Let my lord not be angry, as I cannot arise before you because the manner of women is upon me. He searched, but did not find the household idols” (Genesis 31:35).
“And she sat upon them…she said to her father: Let my lord not be angry, as I cannot…” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He did not find household idols, but he found jugs. The household idols were transformed into jugs so as not to embarrass Rachel.