Joseph walked inside his Home.  His home, unlike other homes, which was very comfortable for the family and visitors to move around. Jacob, Joseph's father, was a very wealthy man.  He owned a large portion of land and animals.  His wives and servants made items to sell, like blankets, bags, clothes and sometimes even jewelry.  The women also cooked meals in special occasions although not always and also sold them.  Most of the items were made with sheep, including the meals.  Female goats were great for milk and the camels for long distance.  

"Sit down.  I'll have Bilha come see you," Jacob told Joseph.

"Father, I'm fine.  Look,* Joseph said.  He moved his foot in circular motions and Jacob observed the foot's movements. 

"Why did you lie to me?" Jacob asked his son.  Abijah and Tamar, two female servants, we're in the room, sitting beside Joseph.  One of them was making a blanket and the other one was sweeping the floor.  

"I didn't lie, father.  I was bitten by a wolf, but I was healed," Joseph said.  Jacob scratched his long, gray beard and frowned feeling suspicious about it.

"What do you mean, you were healed?". Jacob asked him.

The lion healed me," Joseph replied.  

"What lion?" Jacob asked him and Joseph told him what he saw at Shechem.  He retold the events of the sheep, how he was playing with Joan and how all of a sudden a wolf came from the forest a few feet away.  He recounted the attack and then what his brothers did.

"I can't believe no one came with you.  Are you sure you didn't dream all of this?" Jacob asked. Joseph shook his head.  

"No father.  I sat on a huge rock and a lion approached me.  I thought it was going to die, but it spoke to me and I saw mother," Joseph explained.  

"Blasphemy! This is false," Jacob replied annoyed. 

"Father, it's true.  She is beautiful.  Her skin glows and her hair is lose and long," Joseph said.  Jacob parted his lips and mumbled the woman's name.

"Rachel," he said.  Joseph gave him a nod and a smile.  

"Yes.  She is somewhere called heaven," Joseph replied.

"Heaven?" Jacob asked him and Joseph gave him a nod.  His gaze was suddenly distant and he remained in silencie for a while.  The servants Abijah and Tamara stared at the both of them.

"Father? What's the matter?" Joseph asked.  Jacob blinked a few times and then gazed up at Joseph.  

"I'm sorry you said, you saw Rachel in heaven?" Jacob asked and Joseph gave him a nod.  Then, Jacob realized that Tamar and Abijah were in the room.  He told them to leave.  

"Please leave us alone for a moment," he told the servants.  The women obeyed and left the room.  They used a door made of wool to separate from each other. 

"Father?"

"Did you see angels with her?" Jacob asked.  Joseph shook his head.

"What did you see exactly?" Jacob asked him and Joseph told him what he saw.  

"She was eating the fruits?" Jacob asked him after he heard Joseph's description.

"No father.  She waved at me and told me that she always loved me, since the moment I was inside of her until the moment she saw me last.  She blessed me and told me that I now belong to God," Joseph replied.

"Fascinating.  Rachel... Rachel," He said to himself and then mumbled her name a few more times.  Joseph patted his father on the shoulder.

"Her skin glows?" Jacob asked him.

"Yes.  She is beautiful.  She dressed in white.  She looked very happy," Joseph said.  

"Did she mention me?" Jacob asked him.  Joseph shook his head feeling a hint of sadness.  He didn't like to make his father feel dissappointed.

"Oh," was the only thing that Jacob said.

"I'm sure she loves you and misses you, father," Joseph said trying to reassure him.  

"I worked 14 years to marry Rachel," Jacob said.

"Yes, I remember.  Grandfather Laban lied about it. You were supposed to marry her after the first 7 years, but instead of giving you mother, he gave you aunt Leah," Joseph said.

"Yes and don't get me wrong.  I think Leah is a good woman and I appreciate her very much.  She was very fruitful and she gave me many children, but Rachel was the love of my life.  Rachel was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.  Her almond shaped eyes, her lips, her hair and even her voice.  There was only one Rachel on this Earth.  I may lay beside other women, but Rachel always was and is.  I don't think I'll ever love another woman the way I loved Rachel," Jacob said.

"My mother," Joseph mumbled.

"Yes, Joseph.  I'm glad that you look like her.  Every time I see you, I remember her.  You bring so much joy to my life.  God blessed us with you.  I am the luckiest father in the world," he said.  Joseph gave him a silent nod.

"Come with me to eat and drink something," Jacob told Joseph and they both walked out of the room.  They went to the table on the floor.  There were comfortable cushions made of wool on the floor where the family sat to eat dinner.  One of the servants, Abijah, was cleaning the table.

"I am glad to see you here, Abijah.  Can you go call Dinah and Benjamin to the table and tell Leah to come in with us.  I think she's with the camels," Jacob instructed.

"Yes, of course," Abijah replied.

"Please call Tamar in," Jacob said. 

"Yes, my Lord," Abijah said.  Abijah left and Tamar quickly came to the eating área. She wore a brown dress. 

"Please serve us some lunch.  For Joseph, Dinah, Benjamin, Leah and for me," Jacob told her.  

"My Lord, lunch isn't ready yet," Tamar replied.  

"Well then feed us something in the meantime. Joseph is starving.  Bring us some wine.  Go," Jacob ordered.  Tamar gave him a quick nod and left.  Jacob noticed that Joseph stared at Tamar who was the youngest servant.  

"Joseph, she's not for you," Jacob told him.  Joseph looked back at his father.

"Father, she is so pretty," Joseph said.  His father shook a finger at him.  

"No, Joseph.  You will not marry a servant.  When the time is right, you will marry a virgin of a good family," Jacob told him.

"But mother's family wasn't so great," Joseph complained.  Jacob raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.  He was about to reprimand him, but Benjamin came into the eating area with Dinah.  He jumped right into his father's lap, laughing.  Jacob jerked up and laughed.  

"Why, you little lamb! What were you doing?" Jacob tenderly asked Benjamin.  Then, he tickled Benjamin on his armpits and on his belly.  Benjamin giggled.

"Oh, father! He needs to wash," Dinah said laughing.  

"He does smell a little like camel crap," Jacob remarked.  

"I wasn't playing with the camels.  I promise," Benjamin said.

"Liar!" Dina replied.

"Benjamin, lying is a sin," Jacob told him.  

"I wasn't playing with the camels, the camels played with me," Benjamin said and then he laughed.  Jacob tickled him again.

"Oh, we have a smart one here.  Of course he's Rachel's," Jacob remarked and Leah walked in and had heard the comment about Rachel.  She eyed her husband with a blank stared, but everyone could see that the remark offended her. 

"Rachel is more loved than me Even when she's dead," Leah said sitting down on one of the cushions.  Jacob stopped tickling Benjamin and he ordered the child to sit down. 

"Leah, you know you are loved," Jacob said.

"But not like Rachel.  Rachel wins even when she's buried in Ephrath," Leah complained.  Then, Tamar came in with a plate of fruits and bread.  She set it on the table and left the room.  

"And I came in for this?" Leah remarked grabbing a grape.  

"Stop complaining, woman.  Maybe I would love you more if you showed more gratitude," Jacob scorned her.  Leah frowned and ate the fruit in silence.  Benjamin reached out to take some bread, but Dina stopped him. 

"No, Benjamin.  Wash your hands, first," Dinah said.  

"I'm hungry," Benjamin replied. Abijah walked in with a pot of water.

"You came just in time," Joseph said.

"God knows everything," Jacob told Joseph. Abijah passed around the por and every members hands was washed with water and a piece of cloth.  Tamar soon returned with another plate with cups made of wool.  In them was the wine.  

"Thank you," Joseph told Tamar and he smiled at her.  Jacob frowned at Joseph and then he sent the servant out.

"You can leave, Tamar, thank you," Jacob said.

"Yes, my lord," Tamar replied and she left the eating area.  Jacob then grabbed a cup and a slice of bread.  He ate and drank.

"Joseph, has a story to tell.  Joseph, tell them,' Jacob said and Joseph told them everything that happened to him at Shechem.

"And you believed him?" Leah asked after Joseph told his story.  

"Why would he lie about such a thing?" Jacob asked Leah.

"Boredom?" Leah suggested, but Joseph shook his head.

"It was real.  Dinah saw the blood on my foot," Joseph said.  Dinah nodded.

"Yes.  It's true.  When he came here, he had blood all over his ankle and sandal," Dinah said and Leah raised her eyebrows.  She was unamused. 

"How do we know you didn't just add some animal blood on your foot?" Or maybe it was fruit juice," Leah said.

"No.  It was My blood," Joseph insisted, but Leah didn't believe him. 

"I don't believe you.  You made that story up to leave everything to Reuben," Leah said, but this annoyed Jacob.

"Leah, Joseph wouldn't make something like this up.  He knows that lying is a sin," Jacob said.  Leah pursed her lips unconvinced.  She didn't say anything else.  She thought that it couldn't make a difference anyway.  Leah believed that Joseph was way too pampered by his father. Reuben was the oldest son.  Reuben and not Joseph should have been the favorite son, but of course he was Rachel's son.  Leah believed that if Reuben and not Joseph would have been the favorite.  In her mind, it wasn't about the boy.  It was about the mother of the boy.  Rachel had always been Jacob's favorite wife and no matter how many children she bore for Jacob, Rachel would always be his favorite wife.  Sometimes Leah felt that her husband never really appreciated her.  This was all her father's fault.

"Joseph, what an amazing story.  I can't believe that the lion didn't eat You," Benjamin said.

"This was a special lion.  Under no circumstances will you even be near one of them," Jacob told his son Benjamin.

"Yes father," Benjamin replied.

"Lions are extremely dangerous.  When I was younger I saw a lion eat one of My friends.  He sacrificed his life for the tribe.  He is now with God," Jacob said.

"Really?" Benjamin asked his father.  His big, almond shaped eyes widened.  

"Yes, the lion ripped my friend apart. His name was Zebelum.  Zebelum told us to flee so that could stay behind and distract it.  The lion ate off his arm.  Blood dripped everywhere.  He screamed and we wanted to save him, but couldn't.  We were too young and we didn't have any weapons with us. It was horrific," Jacob said.

"How come I've never heard of that story before?" Leah asked Jacob.

"Because I don't like to remember what happened.  I prefer to forget about what happened to my friend, Zebelum.  I was so young and I wasn't like my brother, Esau.  He was used to hunting, but me, no.  I spent most of my time with My mother Rebecca.  I had no weapons and no skills.  Leaving was my only choice," Jacob explained.

"But isn't that considered cowardly?" Leah asked.  Dinah's eyes popped wide.  She thought that Leah was going to get into a lot of trouble for saying that.

"The only reason why that doesn't offend me is because you have never seen a lion up close.  If you had, you wouldn't have asked such a foolish question," Jacob replied.  Leah grabbed a cup of wine and drank. She didn't speak again.