The Torah in Parashat Vayetze tells the famous story of Yaakov’s marriage to Leah. Yaakov and his uncle, Lavan, had arranged that Yaakov would work for him for seven years and then marry his younger daughter, Rachel. At the time of the wedding, however, Lavan brought Leah, instead of Rachel. The next day, in response to Yaakov’s protest, Lavan agreed to allow Yaakov to marry Rachel, as well, the following week, in exchange for yet another seven years of service.
Later in the parasha, we read the mysterious story of the duda’im (generally translated as “mandrakes”), the plants discovered by Yaakov’s eldest child, Reuven, who brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel asked Leah for these plants, to which Leah responded, ‘Is it not enough that you took my husband, that you shall also take my son’s duda’im?!” (30:15).
Leaving aside the obvious question of why Leah reacted so harshly to her sister’s request – and why Rachel ultimately agreed to forego on her night with Yaakov in exchange for these duda’im – it seems difficult to understand Leah’s accusation, “you took my husband.” Did Rachel take Leah’s husband? Wasn’t Rachel the intended wife – until Leah, who cooperated with her father’s cruel scheme, took Rachel’s husband? How could Leah have made such a charge, and why didn’t Rachel defend herself?
This question becomes especially difficult in light of the celebrated passage in the Talmud (Megila 13b) which tells that Rachel selflessly and voluntarily facilitated Leah’s marriage to Yaakov. Suspecting that her father would try to substitute her with Leah, Rachel wanted to ensure that Leah would not be humiliated on the wedding night. She therefore “prepped” her sister ahead of time so that Yaakov would not realize who she was. She taught her the special “signals” that she had arranged with Yaakov, such that Yaakov would assume she was Rachel, and she would be spared humiliation.
If so, then how could Leah possibly have the audacity to accuse her sister of taking her husband? To the contrary, if not for Rachel, she herself would never have been married to Yaakov at all, and, moreover, she would have been exposed as an accomplice to her father’s nefarious ruse. How, then, can we understand Leah’s accusation?
We find numerous different interpretations to this verse among the commentators. The Ramban explains, “You took for yourself my husband as though you are his wife and I am the handmaid.” It appears that according to the Ramban, Leah refers not to Rachel’s marriage to Yaakov per se, but rather to her attitude toward her relationship with Yaakov. Rachel conducted herself as Yaakov’s primary wife, which Leah naturally found offensive.
One might argue, however, that Leah had no right to expect anything different from Rachel, who was, after all, the woman whom Yaakov had desired to marry. Leah was made Yaakov’s way only by way of a cruel trick – one in which she was a full participant. It thus seems more than justifiable for Rachel to see herself as Yaakov’s main wife.
Seforno (see also Chizkuni) explains differently, claiming that Leah criticizes Rachel for agreeing to marry Yaakov. While it is true that Rachel was unfairly cheated out of her groom, after the fact, she should not have entered into this problematic, polygamous relationship. By agreeing to marry Yaakov, Rachel indeed took away Leah’s husband, as she left her little chance to earn Yaakov’s affection. Even if Rachel selflessly assisted her sister and facilitated her marriage to Yaakov, Leah charged, she acted cruelly by then joining the marriage, thereby denying Leah the possibility of being loved.
The Radak explains differently, suggesting that Yaakov spent more nights with Rachel than with Leah, in order to increase her chances of conceiving. As Rachel was having difficulty conceiving, whereas Leah (at least originally) conceived immediately, Yaakov engaged in intimacy more frequently with Rachel, in the hope that she would bear a child. Leah resented this favoritism showed to Rachel, and it is to this preferential status that she refers when she accuses her sister of taking away her husband. This explanation of the verse works well with Rachel’s response, offering to forego on her scheduled turn to spend the night with Yaakov. Upon hearing Leah complain that she receives intimacy more frequently, Rachel offers to relinquish her next turn in exchange for the coveted duda’im.