Faith
Were Rachel and Leah identical twins?
Question
Were Rachel and Leah identical twins?
Thank you very much
Answer
Shalom rav,
The very fact that Rachel and Leah were twins appears in Seder Olam Rabbah (chapter 2), as well as in Nahal Kedumim (by the Chida zt"l) on the Torah (Parashat Vayetzei) in the name of Rabbeinu Ephraim. There is room to say that Rachel and Leah were completely identical twins in appearance and voice, and that there was no difference between them except for one small thing: Leah's eyes were soft and not as beautiful as Rachel's (see at length in the bulletin Nazer HaTorah, Tishrei 5769, pages 159-162, in an article by Rabbi Menachem Chaim Glitsky shlit"a).
With blessings, Hillel Meirs
