Rachel as illustrated
in the Bible is the beloved wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical
Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban
and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife. Jacob was her first cousin,
and she was the youngest niece of Rebekah.
Rachel's son,
Joseph, is intended to be the leader of Israel's tribes between exile and
nationhood. This role is demonstrated in the Biblical story of Joseph, who
prepared the way in Egypt for his family's exile there, and in the future
figure of Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah, son of Joseph), who, in the Rabbinic
Jewish view, will battle the apocalyptic Wars of Gog and Magog, paving the way
for the kingship of Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David) and the
messianic age. Rachel also had a second son named Benjamin; she died during
labor with him.
