Who is Rachel from The Red Tent and what is their importance?

Rachel is Jacob's second wife, and the love of his life. Jacob was supposed to marry her first, but she became frightened and refused to be the first to marry him. Rachel, however, never forgave Leah for marrying Jacob, and the two sisters never learned how to share a husband. The rift grows even more when Rachel continually has miscarriages, and Leah has babies. Rachel later starts to attend births with the local midwife, Inna, so that she may help others have babies. Finally she has Joseph. Rachel also cares for Dinah as if she's her own, and she later invites Dinah to begin attending births as well. It is Rachel that brings Dinah to the city of Shechem.