Rachel

Rachel was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Jacob's uncle Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt Rebekah was Jacob's mother.

Rachel was Jacob's favorite wife, leading her eldest son Joseph to be Jacob's favorite son.

Biography
Rachel is first mentioned in the Old Testament in Genesis 29 when Jacob happens upon her as she is about to water her father's flock. She was the second daughter of Laban, Rebekah's brother, making Jacob her first cousin. Jacob had traveled a great distance to find his uncle. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his furious twin brother, Esau.

During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel and agreed to work seven years for Laban in return for her hand in marriage. On the night of the wedding, the bride was veiled and Jacob did not notice that Leah, Rachel's older sister, had been substituted for Rachel. Whereas "Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful", "Leah had tender eyes".[4] Later Jacob confronted Laban, who excused his own deception by insisting that the older sister should marry first. He assured Jacob that after his wedding week was finished, he could take Rachel as a wife as well, and work another seven years as payment for her. When God "saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb" (Gen 29:31), and she gave birth to four sons.

Rachel, like Sarah and Rebecca, remained unable to conceive, causing her to become jealous of Leah. Accepting this misfortune, Rachel opted to give Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah, to be a surrogate mother for her. Bilhah gave birth to two sons, Dan and Naphtali, both of which were named and raised by Rachel. Leah responded by offering to Jacob her handmaid Zilpah, and naming and raising those two resulting sons (Gad and Asher). Some Bible commentaries state that Bilhah and Zilpah may actually have been half-sisters to Leah and Rachel. After Leah conceived one more time, Rachel was finally blessed with a son, Joseph, who became Jacob's favorite child.