ויצא - Love and Hate
In the previous Targum Torah we explored through a narrative of family conflict, how small changes can exist in the text and impact translation and interpretation. In this week’s parsha ויצא, we will see similar themes as we watch Jacob working for his uncle Laban. Many of us are familiar with the story of Laban tricking his nephew into marrying Leah, his older daughter, before his younger daughter Rachel even though Jacob’s request and desire was for Rachel. It is not the focus of our discussion today, but it is worth noting that Laban doesn’t quite agree to Jacob’s terms when Jacob begins his seven year employment contract, in Genesis 29:19 Laban merely says “It is better [lit. good] that I give her to you than I give her to another man” (ט֚וֹב תִּתִּ֣י אֹתָ֣הּ לָ֔ךְ מִתִּתִּ֥י אֹתָ֖הּ לְאִ֣ישׁ אַחֵ֑ר). Ever the crafty business man, Laban gives himself leeway to operate, in neither case does he name Rachel, nor does he actually say that he’ll give his daughter to Jacob.
How do you read the verse?
The part of the parsha that I want to look at this week is Jacob’s relationship to Leah and Rachel after he married both daughters. In Genesis 29:30 we read וַיָּבֹא֙ גַּ֣ם אֶל־רָחֵ֔ל וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב גַּֽם־אֶת־רָחֵ֖ל מִלֵּאָ֑ה וַיַּעֲבֹ֣ד עִמּ֔וֹ ע֖וֹד שֶֽׁבַע־שָׁנִ֥ים אֲחֵרֽוֹת׃, which I translate as “He [Jacob] came to Rachel and he also loved Rachel, more than Leah. He [Jacob] worked with him [Laban] another seven years afterwards.” The part that I want to call out here is “he also loved Rachel” the “also” tell us clearly that he loves Leah. I have chosen to take the מ here as showing a distinction from Leah as “more than”, reading with the standard Jewish commentaries regarding the context of the verse (see רשב״ם for example). The רד״ק supports this idea that Jacob loves Leah even though she wasn’t his first choice in marriage. Important to supporting this view is the use of גַּֽם “also” in גַּֽם־אֶת־רָחֵ֖ל “also Rachel”. Targum Onkelos keeps this word (אף) in its translation, which also gets the additional possible meaning of “moreover”, which may work well in this context. Conversely, the Septuagint rewrites the verse and deletes “also”, thus leaving the possible reading that Jacob doesn’t love Leah in the first part of the verse: καὶ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς Ραχηλ· ἠγάπησεν δὲ Ραχηλ μᾶλλον ἢ Λειαν “He [Jacob] came to Rachel and he loved Rachael more than Leah.”
Comparing the two verses:
Hebrew MT: He [Jacob] came to Rachel and he also loved Rachel, more than Leah […]
Septuagint: He [Jacob] came to Rachel and he loved Rachel more than Leah […]
The translator of the Septuagint has deleted a single word, that looks strange syntactically, but in my opinion (and reading with רשב״ם and רד״ק) the Hebrew is correct syntacticly. We have other examples in the Torah of this syntax with גם to support this point. The choice of the translator, though subtle, makes a big impact on how to read the next verse וַיַּ֤רְא ה׳ כִּֽי־שְׂנוּאָ֣ה לֵאָ֔ה וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח אֶת־רַחְמָ֑הּ וְרָחֵ֖ל עֲקָרָֽה׃ “The Lord saw that Leah was hated and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” Now we have to ask a question “Who hates Leah?” If we read it with the Hebrew we know that Jacob loves Leah, so this must be referring to Rachel, hating her older sister. This may explain why Rachel’s barren status is connected to the hatred of Leah. Otherwise, if we read it with the Septuagint’s translation than there is a greater degree of interpretation and perhaps Leah is also hated by Jacob, Rachel, or both Jacob and Rachel.