AND HE SAID: I WILL SERVE THEE SEVEN YEARS FOR RACHEL THY YOUNGER DAUGHTER. Why should Jacob have mentioned seven years rather than ten months or one year? For one thing, Jacob did not want people to say that he lusted after Rachel’s beauty. Also he knew that the wisdom of the moon requires a septennate; and all the seven supemal years hovered over Jacob before he married Rachel, so that his association with her should accomplish its true purpose. For Jacob, before his marriage, first made his own all those years, so that when at last he came to her he should be as it were the heaven to her earth.
Hence it says: AND THEY SEEMED UNTO HIM BUT A FEW DAYS. The inner meaning of the word ahadim (few, lit. united) is that all those seven years resembled in his eyes those superior years that are bound together so as to form a complete whole and an inseparable unity. The verse continues: FOR THE LOVE HE HAD FOR HER , that is, his desire to reproduce the supernal pattern.
R. Abba said: ‘Jacob assuredly served seven years in order to join himself to the Sabbatical Year.’ R. Eleazar said: ‘Observe that the Jubilee Year, wherever mentioned, symbolises that which is undisclosed (to the human mind), whereas the Sabbatical Year symbolises the disclosed.
So when Jacob had served the first seven years, a voice went forth and said: O Jacob, it is written: “from one world to the other world” (Ps. 106, 48). The one world is the upper world, which is veiled, the category of the Jubilee Year. From thence is the starting point; for those which are veiled and undisclosed are from the category of the Jubilee Year.’ Hence they were hidden from Jacob, who thus mistakenly thought that his own seven years were from the Sabbatical septennate. Their inwardness was hidden from him in order that he should make a beginning from the highest world, from the Jubilee cycle which is undisclosed. And after the years symbolic of the Jubilee cycle, which is undisclosed, had passed, he served the years of the Sabbatical septennate which are disclosed. He was thus crowned with the two worlds and laid hold of both of them.
תָּא חֲזֵי מַה כְּתִיב, וַיֹּאמֶר (בראשית כ״ט:י״ח) אֶעֱבָדְךָ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים בְּרָחֵל בִּתְּךָ הַקְּטַנָּה, וְכִי מַה דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב דְּלָא קָאֲמַר עֶשֶׂר יַרְחִין אוֹ שַׁתָּא חָדָא, אֶלָּא שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים אַמַּאי. אֶלָּא יַעֲקֹב בְּחָכְמָתָא עֲבַד. בְּגִין דְּלָא יֵימְרוּן, דִּבְגִין תִּיאוּבְתָּא דְּשַׁפִּירוּ דְרָחֵל עֲבַד, אֶלָּא בְּגִין חָכְמְתָא, דְּסִיהֲרָא בַּת שֶׁבַע שְׁנִין הִיא. וְכֻלְּהוּ שֶׁבַע שְׁנִין עִלָּאִין, שָׁרוּ עֲלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב עַד לָא נָסִיב לָהּ לְרָחֵל לְמֵיתַב גַּבָּהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. דְּהָא יַעֲקֹב נָטַל כֻּלְּהוּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וּלְבָתַר אֲתָא לְגַבָּהּ, בְּגִין לְאִשְׁתַּכָּחָא אִיהוּ שָׁמַיִם, וְאִיהִי אָרֶץ.
AND HE SAID: I WILL SERVE THEE SEVEN YEARS FOR RACHEL THY YOUNGER DAUGHTER. Why should Jacob have mentioned seven years rather than ten months or one year? For one thing, Jacob did not want people to say that he lusted after Rachel’s beauty. Also he knew that the wisdom of the moon requires a septennate; and all the seven supemal years hovered over Jacob before he married Rachel, so that his association with her should accomplish its true purpose. For Jacob, before his marriage, first made his own all those years, so that when at last he came to her he should be as it were the heaven to her earth.
וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה, וַיִּהְיוּ בְּעֵינָיו כְּיָמִים אֲחָדִים, מַאי כְּיָמִים אֲחָדִים, אֶלָּא, כֻּלְּהוּ שֶׁבַע שְׁנִין שָׁקִיל לוֹן בְּעֵינוֹי, כְּאִינוּן עִלָּאִין. דְּאִינוּן אֲחָדִין דְּלָא מִתְפָּרְשָׁאן, (צ"ה ע"ב) וְכֻלְּהוּ חַד, דְּמִתְקַשְּׁרָן דָּא בְּדָא. בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אוֹתָהּ, לְאִשְׁתַּכָּחָא כְּגַוְונָא עִלָּאָה.
Hence it says: AND THEY SEEMED UNTO HIM BUT A FEW DAYS. The inner meaning of the word ahadim (few, lit. united) is that all those seven years resembled in his eyes those superior years that are bound together so as to form a complete whole and an inseparable unity. The verse continues: FOR THE LOVE HE HAD FOR HER , that is, his desire to reproduce the supernal pattern.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּאָפִילּוּ לָבָן רָמַז לֵיהּ בְּאִינוּן שֶׁבַע, וְלָא יָדַע מַאי קָאֲמַר, דְּפָתַח וְאָמַר טוֹב, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ט:י״ט) טוֹב תִּתִּי וְגו'. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי, פָּלַח שֶׁבַע שְׁנִין, לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא בִּשְׁמִטָּה. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּכָל אֲתַר יוֹבְלָא סָתִים דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְּיָא וּשְׁמִטָּה אִתְגַּלְּיָא.
R. Abba said: ‘Jacob assuredly served seven years in order to join himself to the Sabbatical Year.’ R. Eleazar said: ‘Observe that the Jubilee Year, wherever mentioned, symbolises that which is undisclosed (to the human mind), whereas the Sabbatical Year symbolises the disclosed.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּיַעֲקֹב פָּלַח שֶׁבַע שְׁנִין קַדְמָאִין, נָפְקָא קָלָא וְאָמַר, יַעֲקֹב, (תהילים ק״ו:מ״ח) מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם כְּתִיב, עוֹלָם סָתִים דִּלְעֵילָא יוֹבְלָא מִתַּמָּן שֵׁירוּתָא. דְּאִלֵּין דְּאִינוּן סְתִימִין, דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְּיָא לוֹן מִן יוֹבְלָא אִינוּן. בְּגִין כָּךְ אִסְתִּימוּ מִיַּעֲקֹב, דְּלָא יָדַע, דְּחָשַׁב דְּהָא מִן שְׁמִטָּה אִינוּן. וּבְגִין דְּיַעֲבִיד שֵׁירוּתָא מֵעוֹלָם דִּלְעֵילָא, אִתְכַּסְיָין מִנֵּיהּ, בְּגִין דְּיוֹבְלָא אִיהוּ סָתִים, וּלְבָתַר דַּעֲבָרוּ שְׁנֵי יוֹבְלָא דְּאִתְכַּסְיָיא, עֲבַד שְׁנֵי שְׁמִטָּה דְאִתְגַּלְיָין, (פקודי רנ"ו ע"ב) וְאִתְעַטַּר בִּתְרֵין עָלְמִין וְאָחִיד לוֹן.
So when Jacob had served the first seven years, a voice went forth and said: O Jacob, it is written: “from one world to the other world” (Ps. 106, 48). The one world is the upper world, which is veiled, the category of the Jubilee Year. From thence is the starting point; for those which are veiled and undisclosed are from the category of the Jubilee Year.’ Hence they were hidden from Jacob, who thus mistakenly thought that his own seven years were from the Sabbatical septennate. Their inwardness was hidden from him in order that he should make a beginning from the highest world, from the Jubilee cycle which is undisclosed. And after the years symbolic of the Jubilee cycle, which is undisclosed, had passed, he served the years of the Sabbatical septennate which are disclosed. He was thus crowned with the two worlds and laid hold of both of them.