(已加更正）（创29）利亚的感恩心 Leah’s Gratitude (Genesis 29)（Correction Added)
(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）
Genesis 29:17:
“Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance.”
According to Genesis, the patriarchs of Israel’s first three generations are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the matriarchs are Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. From many perspectives, Leah seemingly “does not belong” on this list. Ideally, there should have been three men and three women in the first three generations. Sarah (Genesis 12:11), Rebekah (Genesis 26:7), and Rachel (Genesis 29:17) were all beautiful women, but Leah (Genesis 29:17) was an exception. Furthermore, Sarah (Genesis 11:30), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), and Rachel (Genesis 29:31) all experienced the difficulty of barrenness, while Leah (Genesis 29:31) did not.
Jacob originally intended to marry only one wife, the beautiful Rachel. Leah, Rachel’s older sister, was not expected to marry alongside her sister. According to Jewish tradition, Leah was originally meant to be betrothed to Jacob’s older brother Esau. As recorded in Jewish commentary, people used to say, “Isaac has two sons, Esau and Jacob; Laban has two daughters, Leah and Rachel. The elder daughter is for the elder son, and the younger daughter for the younger son”【Rashi on Genesis 29:17】. However, Esau despised the Abrahamic faith tradition, becoming spiritually disqualified. Leah, unwilling to marry him, wept so much that her eyes became delicate. This imperfection in her appearance thus reflected her spiritual aspirations.
Despite this, Leah was not Jacob’s initial choice. Jacob fell in love with Rachel at first sight. When the two met at the well, Jacob had already kissed her (Genesis 29:11). Later, Leah only became Jacob’s wife due to Laban’s deception, switching the bride on the wedding night.
Although Leah was neither beautiful nor favored, she had a heart full of gratitude. She was the first person in the Bible recorded to thank the Lord. When her fourth son was born, she named him Judah, saying, “This time I will praise the Lord” (Genesis 29:35). Judah means “praise.” Interestingly, this reading portion (vayeitzei) often aligns with the American Thanksgiving season.
God blessed Leah with six sons and one daughter, making her the mother of half of Israel’s tribes. Her lineage included all surviving tribes: the priestly tribe of Levi (from Aaron), the kingly tribe of Judah (from David), and the tribe of Benjamin, where Jerusalem’s Temple was located. Furthermore, she became an ancestress of the Messiah (Christ) in his human lineage.
In birth order, Leah seemingly does not belong to the group of three patriarchs and three matriarchs. Yet, in burial, she became one of them. After completing her earthly mission, she was buried at Hebron as the only matriarch of Jacob’s generation laid to rest there. Leah was buried alongside her husband Jacob (Genesis 49:29-32).
Leah’s story is one of faith overcoming destiny—a tale of one of our spiritual matriarchs, whose perseverance and gratitude inspire us.
Correction: The modern-day Jewish people are not all descendants of Leah; the descendants of the tribe of Benjamin are from Rachel, Leah’s younger sister.
更正：现代存留的犹太人并不都是利亚的后裔，其中便雅悯支派的后裔是从利亚的妹妹拉结所生的。
（创29）利亚的感恩心
创世记29:17 “利 亚 的 眼 睛 没 有 神 气 ， 拉 结 却 生 得 美 貌 俊 秀 。”
按照创世记的记载，以色列人头三代有三个父系祖先亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各，和四个母系祖先撒拉、利百加、拉结、利亚。从很多方面来看，利亚本来是“不属于”这个名单的。三代人的祖先，本来应该三男三女才是最理想的。撒拉（创12:11）、利百加（创26:7）、拉结（创29:17）三个都是美女，而利亚（创29:17）是个例外。撒拉（创11:30）、利百加（创25:21）、拉结（创29:31）三个都经历过不生育的困难，而利亚（创29:31）却没有。
雅各本来应该只娶一个太太，就是美女拉结，而利亚是拉结的姐姐，本来是不应该和妹妹一起嫁给雅各的。犹太人传说利亚本来是要许配给雅各的哥哥以扫的。https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.29.17?lang=bi
当时大家都说以撒有两个儿子以扫和雅各，拉班有两个女儿利亚和拉结。大女儿要嫁大儿子，小女儿要嫁小儿子。但以扫轻视亚伯拉罕家族的信仰传统，是个属灵意义上的不肖子孙。利亚不愿嫁给他，所以才哭得眼睛没有神气了。所以利亚虽然不美，她的长相的缺点却正好反映出她在信仰方面追求上进的优点。
然而，利亚本来是不太可能嫁给雅各的，雅各的心已经另有所属。雅各来娶亲时，一件钟情就看好的是妹妹拉结，两人早在井旁相遇时就亲过嘴了（创29:11）。后来是妹妹出嫁时父亲用了调包计，才让姐姐利亚先嫁给了雅各。
虽然利亚不美，又失宠，但她有感恩的心。她是圣经里第一次记载感谢造物主的人，她给第四个儿子起名犹大，就是感谢造物主的意思，参见创世记29:35: “她 又 怀 孕 生 子 ， 说 ， 这 回 我 要 赞 美 耶 和 华 ， 因 此 给 他 起 名 叫 犹 大 （ 就 是 赞 美 的 意 思 ） 。” （有意思的是，这一个读经进度vayeitzei常在美国感恩节的季节附近阅读。）
造物主让利亚为雅各生了六男一女，成为半个以色列（十二支派中六个支派）的母系祖先，其中包括所有现存的支派：出祭司亚伦的利未支派，出君王大卫的犹大支派，和境内有耶路撒冷圣殿的便雅悯支派。她也是弥赛亚（基督）的肉身母系祖先。
按出生的顺序，利亚本来不属于三男三女的头三代以色列祖先，但是按埋葬的位置，她却属于葬在希伯伦的三男三女的以色列祖先。
那时她地上的任务完成了，就作为第三代以色列人葬于希伯伦的唯一母系祖先，和丈夫雅各睡在一起（创49:29-32）。
这是一个我们信仰上的母系祖先，她因着信心胜过命运的励志故事。