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chicco
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Wed, Nov 14 2018, 3:18 pm
They were the imahos- of course they were unfulfilled without children. These were the women whose purpose in the world was to be the mothers of Klal Yisrael. That is not to say that anything else they did in their lives was extraneous. But to answer your question, absolutely they were unfullfilled.
We are not all cut out to be imahos. Our fulfillment comes from exercising our kochos hanefesh, whatever those may be.
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chicco
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Wed, Nov 14 2018, 3:22 pm
Just to add, I don't think we see competition from Rachel to Leah. We see a desperation for her to be a mother of the Shiftai Kah.
Leah was the one who struggled to be loved by Yaakov and hoped that the more kids she had, the more love would be fostered.
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TranquilityAndPeace
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Wed, Nov 14 2018, 3:45 pm
etky wrote: | I don't think we can view this issue through a modern lense.
A childless woman in antiquity was unfulfilled. Childbearing was a woman's number one function in society.
The imahot may have had satisfaction from other areas of their lives (Sarah probably foremost among them) but yes, I think we can unequivocally say that they were unfulfilled in terms of the social expectations of them.
I get the feeling though that Rachel was the most personally miserable from her barrenness. Probably because she viewed herself as being in competition with her sister. That probably is what pushed her over the edge. |
Remember that the rest of world was pagan society. They killed their kids for their gods. The terafim that Lavan asked about his kids whereabouts when Yaakov's family ran away were not simply talking avoda zara. The terafim were made by killing a baby and putting amulets under its tongue.
I don't think we can fathom society at that time.
These people were the roots of our nation. Their only will was to do the will of Hashem, although children are taught otherwise in order to relate to the simple pshat of the story.
Yaakov was in his 80's when he married Leah, and he naked Reuven his name because it was the first seed of his strength - the first seed he ever emitted. We cannot comprehend these people who actually walked the earth 3K+ years ago.
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Learning
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Wed, Nov 14 2018, 3:46 pm
I think they were unfulfilled in one aspect of their lives but overall they were extremely fulfilled and were tzadikot and kept the Tora to the most.
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imasoftov
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Thu, Nov 15 2018, 2:57 am
Ruchel wrote: | More recent, rebb Nechoma Leibowitz said she would give up all her work to have a child - definitely a strong enlightened woman |
And yet, she quoted the Akedat Yitzchak in "Iyunim b'Sefer Bereshit", page 233, on the conversation between Rachel and Yaakov where she says that she will die if she doesn't have children. He says that there are two words for (the first) woman, "ishah" and Chava, because a woman has two purposes, the first name which resembles "ish" (man) is because she like him can understand and become wise and pious while the second name, with the reason given for it in Bereshit 3:20 "because she was the mother of all life" refers to her secondary role in childbearing.
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