In Vayetze, this week’s Torah portion, we learn of Yakov’s running away from Esav and his sojourning in Charan. There Yakov stays with and works for his uncle Lavan, tending Lavan’s sheep. Lavan agrees to give him his younger daughter, Rachel—whom Yakov loves—in marriage, in return for seven years’ labor. But on the wedding night, Lavan gives him his elder daughter, Leah, instead—a deception Yakov discovers only in the morning. There we read:

When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Lavan, “What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” ( Genesis 29:25)

What does that mean, ” there was Leah!”? On this Rashi explains:

AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT IN THE MORNING, BEHOLD, IT WAS LEAH —But at night it was not Leah (i. e. he failed to recognize that it was Leah) because Yakov had given Rachel certain secret signs by which they could at all times recognize one another, and when Rachel saw that they were about to bring Leah to him for the marriage ceremony, she thought, “My sister may now be put to shame”, and she therefore readily transmitted these signs to her (Megillah 13b). ( Rashi in Genesis 29:25)

Here the Rabbis attribute an incredible level of care to Rachel of her older sister. But, it seems that this midrash is really there to give a reason for Yakov not realizing the switch. This is truly incredible. Even with these secret signs, how in the world did Yakov sleep with Leah and think he was sleeping with Rachel?

This made me think of Toldot, last week’s Torah portion. There we read:

When Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” He answered, “Here I am.” (Genesis 27:1)

Here we learn that Yitzchak had gone blind. But how did he lose his sight? Rashi quoting the Midrash offers three explanations. The first is that he went blind from the smoke from offerings Esav’s wives who were using fire to worship their idols. This is due to proximity of these two ideas in the text. The second reason given is that Yitzchak went blind due to the ministering angels’ tears falling into his eyes during his would be sacrifice at the hand of his father The last rationale offered by Rashi is that this blindness was needed to make it possible for Yaakov to get the blessing instead of his brother Esav. None of Rashi’s explanations attribute Yitzchak’s “blindness” to natural aging. The first explains helps explain where Yitzchak was at that moment in the story, the second an impact of an earlier trauma in his life experience, and the last one helps move the narrative along.

Might we look at Yakov’s temporary “blindness” within these three frames? Within the first frame, how might we come to understand Yakov’s situation at that moment? In the second frame, how might we understand the impact of an earlier trauma in his life experience? And lastly, how does this move the plot along ?

As for the first frame, it is possible to imagine that he was feeling very stressed around his father-in-law and that this clouded his vision. This is not hard to imagine seeing how manipulative Lavan was. The last frame is self explanatory. This event showed his commitment to Rachel and eventually pushed Yakov to leave Lavan, so of course it moved the plot along. It is the second frame of trauma that is interesting. If Yitzchak went bling due to the Akeyda, what might have been the traumatic even in Yakov’s life that made him go blind? It must have been rather traumatic for him to fool his father and run away from home. In this way it does seems like a fitting parallel that his punishment would fit the crime. It must have been a rude awakening to realize that the acorn did not fall far from the tree.