Beauty

By Venessa Holtzhausen

Gen 29:17 Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.

The Complete Jewish Study Bible interpret the verse as: The Hebrew word used to describe Leah’s eyes is rachot. This word can mean ‘weak’ or ‘gentle,’ but also ‘soft’ or ‘delicate.’ according to David Friedman’s commentary on B’resheet (p6), the latter is the better choice. Thus this verse is not ment to sharply compare Leah with Rachel. Instead, it is meant to feature both of the young women’s best features: Rachel was a beautiful young woman, while Leah’s best feature was her soft, beautiful eyes.

However in the ancient east, the eyes of a woman made her beautiful or not. Thus the verse here indicates directly that Leah was not as beautiful as her sister.

Leah was tender-eyed – weak-eyed. “Leah’s eyes were feeble, i.e., dull, without brilliancy and freshness. In the East the clear expressive lustrous eye is accounted the chief feature in female beauty. It was compared to the eyes of a gazelle.

The end of the story is that Leah was the one who bore the Jews and Levites. Judah the line of Christ and the Priesthood. You see, we think that things just bypass God, but it doesn’t. He is a master in lifting up the nobodies, and shame the seemingly somebodies.

Leah is indeed a example of this. Do you feel like a nobody. There is room for you in the heart of God. To Him, you are precious. You don’t need’s men’s approval, if you already has it from God. Seek His approval.

Amen!