Vayetze: Chapter 19

"And Hashem saw that Leah was hated"

Synopsis

The Zohar reflects on the symbolic importance of Jacob's relations with Leah, whom he hated in public but loved in private, and who bore him six sons and one daughter. Jacob was unaware that his true relationship with Leah was hidden. She had a direct relation to the Eternal Mother, and therefore most of Jacob's sons came from her. In this same way, God's true intentions are hidden from us.

Relevance

Our perceptions often deceive us, as hidden truths lurk behind the physical world. Though it appeared that Jacob hated Leah, a profound spiritual love existed on a deeper level. The lives of many of us are like that. Hence, the Light of this passage instills within us a keen awareness and desire to probe to hidden levels of the relationships and events that life presents us.