--- title: Happy Mother's Day To Our Jewish Matriarchs! description: "This Mother's Day, meet the Jewish Matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah." image: https://blog.jewishphilly.org/hubfs/Untitled%20design.png --- [![Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia](https://blog.jewishphilly.org/hubfs/JewishFederation_May2019/images/logo--color.svg)](https://jewishphilly.org/) - [Philly Stands With Israel](https://go.jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel) - - [Donate to Philly Stands with Israel Fund](https://donate.jewishphilly.org/page/66252/donate/1) - [Community Resources](https://jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel-resources/) - [Emergency Allocations](https://jewishphilly.org/ways-to-give/donate-emergency-response-fund/emergency-allocations/) - - [Advocate](https://jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel-resources/advocate/) - [Israel in the News](https://go.jewishphilly.org/israel-in-the-news) - [Sign up for Israel Emergency Emails](https://go.jewishphilly.org/israel-emergency-emails) - 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Every Mother's Day, we pay tribute to our amazing Jewish mothers—the women who birthed us, cared for us, and made incredible sacrifices for us. But this Mother's Day, we're giving a special shoutout to a group of very important mothers who formed the basis of our culture and religion. Meet the Four Matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel. ## Sarah Sarah is the foremother of all our foremothers, the first matriarch. A prophetess renowned for her beauty, Sarah was the wife of Abraham and helped him spread monotheism throughout the ancient Middle East, convincing other women of its value while Abraham worked on the men. Sarah struggled to bear a child for almost all of her life. Finally, at the age of 89, she was visited by two angels (Sarah was known for throwing great feasts) who told her she would soon give birth to a son. A year later, she did, and named him Isaac. Sarah lived to the ripe age of 127, but dropped dead after hearing that Abraham had almost slain their son. *You might be a Sarah if:* you're a social influencer, a great dinner party host, and get inexplicably nervous during father/son camping trips. ## Rebecca Rebecca was Sara's daughter-in-law, the wife of Isaac. A beautiful shepherdess, she first drew Abraham's attention by showing kindness and generosity towards his camels. He then sent a servant to offer her a gift of jewelry (including a gold nose ring!) and bring her home to Isaac. Parts of Rebecca and Isaac's wedding are re-enacted in traditional Jewish weddings to this day, including a veiling ceremony with a special blessing. Twelve years into their marriage, Rachel gave birth to twins: Jacob and Esau. While Isaac preferred Esau, Rachel loved Jacob best and helped him trick Isaac into giving him a birthright meant for Esau. *You might be a Rebecca if:* you had an iconic wedding, you have a nose ring, you definitely play favorites. ## Rachel Rachel was so beautiful that Jacob agreed to work for her father for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Unfortunately, he swapped Rachel for her older sister, Leah, tricking Jacob into marrying the wrong woman. Despite this inauspicious beginning, Rachel eventually got her man and became Jacob's second wife. She was a foster mother to the children of her maidservant, and eventually gave birth to Joseph (of the many-colored coat), who was Jacob's favorite child. In the *Midrash*, it is said that Rachel spoke to God and convinced him to end the Babylonian Exile, restoring the Jewish people to Jerusalem. She is often cited as a figure of maternal sacrifice and love. *You might be a Rachel if:* you're incredibly patient, your older siblings always got the best toys, you're a little gullible. ## Leah Noted for her "weepy" eyes, Leah has a bit of a sad tale. As the oldest sister, her father felt she should marry first and tricked Jacob into marrying her, despite the fact that he preferred her younger sister Rachel. However, Leah found her own way to thrive and gave birth to many sons, thanks to a homeopathic potion made with mandrake root.  *You might be a Leah if:* you cry at movies, your younger sibling gets all the attention, you're a plant whisperer. Share [Share on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.jewishphilly.org/happy-mothers-day-to-our-jewish-matriarchs&title=Happy%20Mother's%20Day%20To%20Our%20Jewish%20Matriarchs!) 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