וישא יעקב רגליו, when a person proceeds on a journey voluntarily, at his own initiative, this is described in terms of his personality carrying, lifting his feet. When the initiative is not his, even when he does not march involuntarily, under orders against his will, his feet are described as carrying him, i.e. his personality, the rest of his body. At this point of Yaakov’s journey, he belonged to the category of traveler mentioned first. We find the other category mentioned in Isaiah 23,7 יובילוה רגליה, “would her feet carry her?”

?השלום לו, Yaakov wanted to find out something about Lavan’s circumstances and state of mind before he would come face to face with him. He did so as it is not appropriate for a guest to make such enquiries about his host after he has already been welcomed in his home.

The day is yet long. He thought they were shirking their duties. The righteous are disturbed by injustice even when they are not the victims.

כי רועה היא, she is familiar with the finer points of successfully locating pastures for her flocks.

כאשר ראה יעקב את רחל, until he had met Rachel Yaakov had not been interested to get involved in the problem of rolling the rock off the top of the well. He had been afraid that if he helped the three shepherds would only be concerned with watering their own flocks without waiting around to assist any other shepherds.

And cried in a loud voice. He was pained that he did not merit marrying her in his youth so that by now he would have had grown up children.

כי אחי אביה הוא, the Torah adds this at this point to justify his kissing Rachel and her allowing herself to be kissed by him.

וכי בן רבקה הוא, he mentioned Rivkah to Rachel although Rachel did not know Rivkah at all. He did so because he wanted her to tell Lavan about who exactly Yaakov was.

את שמע יעקב, that he had succeeded in single-handedly rolling the rock off the top of the well.

ויספר ללבן, in order to inform Lavan that he had not come to him because he needed to look for a livelihood, but rather to that he was escaping from the wrath of his brother and that his mother had commanded him to go to Lavan and to stay there for a while.

אך עצמי ובשרי אתה, even though you are no doubt able to make a living without me by undertaking to look after the flocks or in some other manner, the fact remains that you are my flesh and blood and it is therefore appropriate that you should stay under my roof.

וישב עמו, during which time he looked after Lavan’s livestock. The expression ישב implying more than just being a tourist, a visitor in someone’s house for an extended period is found elsewhere also, as for instance in Exodus 2,21 when Moses is described as ויואל משה לשבת את האיש, where it means not merely that Moses agreed to stay at the house of Yitro but that he undertook to become a shepherd for him. When Lavan, in verse 19 of this chapter asks Yaakov שבה עמדי, he did not merely offer hospitality but meant that Yaakov would continue to mind his flocks. The fact that Lavan himself refers to Yaakov working for him without wages makes it clear that during the first 30 days he was not merely sitting around, but had been more than earning his keep.

יפת תאר, possessed of beautiful features, as described in Isaiah 44,13 ובמחוגה יתארהו.

ויפת מראה, her skin looked very healthy. Colour is something which attracts closer inspection by the sense of sight.

אעבדך שבע שנים ברחל, there can be no question that a righteous man such as Yaakov would not have the audacity to marry a woman and to found a family unless he were able to support her and to provide her with the requirements specified in Exodus 21,10 as spelled out in Yevamot 19. “a man is allowed to marry several wives provided he can look after them financially.” There is therefore no reason to believe that Lavan, who was himself a man of means, would give his daughters to sons-in-law who were unable to provide for them in the manner they had been accustomed to. If all this is so, how do we explain Yaakov’s referring to the time when he crossed the river Yabbok on his way to his uncle as having only his walking staff? (Genesis 32,10)? What Yaakov meant when he said this was that at the time he referred to he had not owned any livestock, nor any profession with which to earn his livelihood. The reason he offered to work for Lavan for 7 years was to use his work in lieu of a cash dowry he would pay her father for her hand in marriage, something that was customary in those days. Lavan’s daughters themselves referred to their father having sold them into marriage in Genesis 31,15. They were modest enough to know that Lavan had taken advantage of Yaakov by demanding an exorbitantly huge amount as dowry from him. We know also from Exodus 22,16 that a father used his daughter as a source of augmenting his income and when the value of such “merchandise” had been reduced through rape or seduction of the daughter (loss of virginity) he is entitled to financial compensation by the man who seduced his daughter (when he refuses to give her to the seducer in marriage in exchange for a regular dowry).

בתך הקטנה, although she was very young at this time, within the seven years of Yaakov’s service for her she would mature and be able to be a wife for him in the full meaning of the word.

ויהיו בעיניו כימים אחדים, he considered himself as having struck a good bargain, considering Rachel as worth far more than seven years of his labour.

באהבתו אותה, on account of how much he loved her.

ואבאה אליה, let us make the consummation of the wedding immediately after the betrothal, i.e. the chuppah. He wanted to skip as many of the formalities in order to achieve his purpose of building a family with her.

It is not done in our place. Lavan claimed that the people would not allow him to keep his word, since it was in violation of local custom.

ונתנה לך, then they will agree for the younger one to be given to you also.

ויאהב גם את רחל, not only because she was his wife, and such love is natural, but because she was Rachel, because of her distinct personality and her deeds which reflected this personality.

מלאה, even though since she was his first wife it would have been natural for her to capture most of her husband’s love, (Yevamot 63) Yaakov preferred Rachel.

כי שנואה לאה, because after his first meeting with her Yaakov recognised that Leah bore the symptoms of a woman who is unable to have children.

ויפתח את רחמה, Yaakov had thought that the reason Leah had been willing to deceive him was because of her awareness of her barrenness. She remained in such a state until G’d took pity on her and opened her womb.

בעניי, that my husband suspected me of agreeing to deceive him. As compensation for having been unfairly suspected G’d granted me male seed. (compare the reward for a woman unjustly suspected of infidelity Numbers 5,25)

כי שנואה אנכי, and because of this hatred He has given me also this son.

הפעם ילוה, I have by now acquired a tendency, a justified presumption, חזקה, of producing numerous children. Our sages in Yevamot 64 consider an occurrence thrice repeated as establishing such a presumption.

על כן קראה שמו יהודה, to reflect the letters in the name which alludes to the Essence of G’d, the tetragram. Upon closer inspection we can detect elements of such allusions to G’d’s “great” name in the names of the sons Leah had born earlier also. The names mentioned both here and later in the Scriptures were not necessarily innovations, but people who had lived in former times had already been given such names. We encounter יהודית בת בארי in 26,34; there is a שמואל בן עמיהוד in Numbers 34,20, (so that Channah, wife of Elkanah had not invented a new name when making her son the prophet Samuel as she did. (Names usually were associated with an event in the lives of either parent that the parent wanted to perpetuate.)