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Conclusion: Learning from Leah’s Story
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187 conclusion Learning from Leah’s Story The Bible made Leah a Matriarch, but it took midrash to make her a heroine. Our examination of Leah’s story with the help of the traditional rabbinic midrash and modern commentary has also rewarded us with a bonus: appreciation for the workings of the midrashic process that is so central to understanding and appreciating the richness of the Bible. Even those Rabbis most determined to stress God’s recognition and reward for the moral excellence of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs cannot ignore the adversities that mar Leah’s life. And if a God of justice ought to reward goodness, the conditions of Leah’s life don’t seem to demonstrate a uniformly affirmative divine judgment. So instead of ignoring Leah’s sorrowful struggles, midrash focuses on the fact that her hardships do not destroy her. Rather, they become the basis for her moral development. Leah learns that perseverance and adaptability can make a difference, even when a primary goal of life proves unattainable. Both Bible and midrash recognize that Leah does not merely fade into the background in reaction to her hardships. Leah changes. She changes her character in the same way that we see Jacob changing his character, choosing new and better ways to respond to the experiences of life. But when Leah refocuses on more realistic objectives, this is far from being an act of surren- 188 Conclusion der. Her ultimate victory is marked by much more than dogged perseverance or how she adjusts her hopes and goals to match a restricted reality. The essence of Leah’s victory can be found in the model that she offers us of moral heroism in the face of adversity. Her most important lesson to us is that even harsh, unfair challenges need not automatically call forth equally harsh and unfair responses. Leah manages to remain faithful to her own ethical standards, even at the risk of forfeiting any chance of winning the immediate rivalry with Rachel. Leah’s story can also teach us another major lesson for our lives. Both the Bible and midrash portray God intervening repeatedly to help Leah and relieve her distress. In the view of some commentators God acts in response to Leah’s previous manifestations of virtue, such as when God grants Leah fertility to end her tears of anguish at the prospect of having to marry her evil-natured cousin, Esau. However, we can also read the narrative as showing God intervening for Leah simply because of her suffering. God acts because of Leah’s deep distress at being unloved. So the model presented to us here may not relate to Leah’s character so much as God’s character. On this basis, the lesson is that we too should show concern for the unloved—the disadvantaged and distressed —in our society. Read in this way, Leah’s story presents the Bible’s universal moral command for compassion toward others. Midrash frequently compares or contrasts Leah and Rachel. Although I have tried to focus on revealing Leah as an individual rather than only comparing her to her sister, perhaps the final assessment of Leah cannot avoid comparing the sisters. So as an ultimate test, I considered which of these two Matriarchs I would choose as a role model of ethical character for my children and grandchildren. It is clear that Leah’s actions are not all admirable, but the same can be said of the other two points of this love triangle, Rachel and Jacob. The Bible and midrash generally present their heroines and heroes with all their unde- [44.200.77.59] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:17 GMT) Conclusion 189 niable human faults; the main players in Leah’s story are no exception. But for me, those inevitable human faults that Leah displays are, paradoxically, the basis for my conclusion that hers is the ethical character I would choose. Rachel opens Leah’s story in the midrash with a magnificent act of self-sacrifice—giving Leah the secret signs and answering for her in the wedding tent to enable Leah to marry Jacob first. Rachel subsequently changes by developing her personality but not her moral character. The ethical trajectory of her life after the wedding appears to descend to an increasingly stubborn, desperate pursuit of unchanging demands. She becomes more assertive, more effective, more directive—practical qualities that I would indeed wish for my children and grandchildren, but for which I don’t...