Rachel
by HaRav Shlomo Aviner. (From his book “Heroes of the Tanach).
- I Buried Her By The Road
- Rachel And Leah
- The Love Of Yaakov And Rachel
- Give Me Children
- The Humility Of Rachel
- “There Is Merit In Your Works”
- I Buried Her by the Road
Our mother Rachel died on the eleventh of Cheshvan, which was the day when Binyaman was born. The death of Rachel is not a simple or routine matter but a complicated issue which remained with our father Yaakov all the days of his life. On the day of his death, Yaakov asked Yosef: “Please do not bury me in Egypt, for I will lie with my fathers… and I will be buried in their gravesite” (Bereshit 47:29-30). Yaakov knew that his request would arouse astonishment in Yosef: In his case, Yaakov buried Rachel by the road and did not carry her to the Cave of Machpelah, or even to Bet Lechem. Rashi says: “And I buried her there. I did not even bring her to Bet Lechem to enter the land; and I knew that your heart would be set against me. But let it not be said that the rains prevented me from carrying her or burying her” (Rashi on ibid. 48:7). Yaakov did not want excuses or justifications for his act. This was not the reason for his leaving her there.
He knew that Yosef, the righteous one, was one of the great proponents of ethical conduct, as evidenced when he reacted to his brothers by saying: “And while you conspired to harm me, G-d thought to benefit me” (Bereshit 50:20). This is what The Holy One Blessed Be He desires; everything has a Divine rationale: Look, now I have the power to save everyone. Yosef never told his father how it was he found himself in Egypt. Our Sages say that Yosef avoided being alone with his father so that he would not question him and thus be forced to recount what his brothers did to him (Pesikta Rabbati 3, Be-Yom Ha-Shemini). Yosef was among those who watched what they said; and he would have had no pleasure of revenge in telling Yaakov about his brothers’ conduct.
Our father Yaakov, who recognized this quality in his son, said to him: “No doubt you believe that on account of the rains that fell in the month of Cheshvan, I buried her by the road. It was not at all for that reason, but for a Divine reason. By His instruction I buried her there” (Rashi on Bereshit 48:7). Why specifically by the road? So that when Nevuzradan would come to exile the Nation of Israel, and there would go out a great wailing of thousands of Jews including women, children and infants; and they would be broken, downcast and suffering from the oppression of the enemy, Rachel would arise from her grave to cry and plead for mercy on their behalf; as it is said: “A loud voice will be heard, Rachel crying for her children” (Yirmiyahu 31:14). And The Holy One Blessed Be He will answer: “There is reward for your labors.…and your children will return to their own borders” (ibid. 31:15-16). The place of her burial is not by chance. Rachel is the motivating strength within the Nation of Israel. By her merit, the Nation of Israel remains strong even in the most horrendous circumstances. And so her children return to their home: And your children will return to their own borders (ibid. 30: 16). This return is not a natural process. Any other people, after undergoing sufferings and destruction, physical murder and spiritual incineration, certainly would have succumbed and vanished from the face of the earth. But the Nation of Israel has a special power called the strength of Rachel, which keeps it alive. We are not all the children of Rachel: Only Yosef and Binyamin are. We are mainly of the tribe of Yehudah, yet we all say Rachel our mother. Sarah and Rivkah are certainly our mothers; and Rachel, in spite of the strictly biological fact that perhaps she is not our mother, is our mother from the standpoint of spiritual strength. The issue of the actual geographic location of her burial by the road relates to Rachel helping her children strengthen their resolve along the road to reach their ultimate goal.
Not everything in life is simple. We are not always at home, the place where we are protected from the material and spiritual standpoint. Sometimes, we are on the road, and the roads are filled with danger. (Jerusalm Talmud, Berachot 4:4; Rosh on Berachot 9:3). If the Nation of Israel is on the road, the whole world is also on the road. Before going out on the road, everything is pleasant and good; and even the goal is wonderful, but it is essentially very difficult. But how can we avoid falling, how can we survive in order to return home? For that, one needs special Divine strength which equips the Nation of Israel; and that is the strength of Rachel. The entire personal history of Rachel, her life and death, are by the road.
- Rachel and Leah
Rachel and Yaakov lived through a sublime state of falling in love, such that seven years to his eyes were like a few days (Bereshit 29:20). Seven years passed, and they found themselves at the end of a long road; yet everything faded away in one day: “And behold, it was Leah” (ibid. 29:25). Leah was not on the way; Leah was already the goal, the ultimate purpose. Despite this, Rachel was shunted by the side of the road; and all this anticipation vanished in one day. But Rachel agreed with what happen and remained resolute; for had she not agreed, she would have screamed and objected. At the end, after Rachel married Yaakov, they did not have children, but Leah did. The entire passage of Rachel can be portrayed as a kind preparation for the appearance of Leah.
This theme is also played out over the generations between the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel. When the Nation of Israel felt the need for a king (for in the days of the judges, A man did what was right in his own eyes [Shoftim 17:6, 21:25]), when they felt the need for a superior and central majestic personality amid the Nation of Israel, the first king who arose over them was of Rachel’s lineage, King Shaul of the tribe of Binyamin. The excitement and joy were intense: We have a king, they said. But the prophet Shmuel cautioned them, that if the people wanted, he would help them appoint a king from the shoulder upward, over all the people. Thi was not only from the physical point of view, but also from the spiritual standpoint. After Shaul was appointed king, he returned to his home; and even when Shaul was with his own uncle, Shaul did not mention the matter of his kingdom, for he was extremely humble (Shmuel 1 10:16), and thus: “Hashem tore away the kingdom of Israel from you this day” (ibid. 15:28). None of the pleas and requests for mercy helped; the kingship was wrested from Shaul because he strayed from the bond of devotion that existed between him and the Master of the Universe, since he abandoned his supreme duty. Furthermore, this kingship was in preparation for that of David, the permanent kingship. Rambam says that from time to time a king may stem from any of the tribes. But on a permanent basis, only a person from the lineage of David can rule, for he is descended from the son of Leah, as it is written: “The sword shall not depart from Yehudah nor a lawgiver from between his feet” (Bereshit 49:10, Rambam, Laws of Kings 1:8-9). The Messiah son of Yosef is a precursor to the Messiah son of Yehudah – son of David. Even at the crowning, Shmuel the prophet hinted to Shaul that he was like Rachel: “When you leave me this day, you will find two men who are now at Rachel’s grave on the border of Benjamin” (Shmuel 1 10:2). Shmuel the prophet transmitted a great message to Shaul: When you from the sons of Rachel stand to receive the kingship over Israel, you will meet two men by the gravesite of Rachel. And just as Rachel was a precursor to Leah, so too the kingship of the lineage of Rachel will be a precursor to the reign of the lineage of Leah. It is not possible to do great things without preparation; this is the structure of the Divine plan. There are things which are absolute, permanent, final; and there are things which are temporary, preparatory, and they too were required. During the transition from the reign of Shaul to the reign of David, there was enormous suffering, great pain and misfortune. Similarly, the transition from the reign of Rachel to the reign of Leah was filled with great anguish.
- The Love of Yaakov and Rachel
At first, it seemed that the ascendancy of Rachel was something eternal. “The glory of the princess emanates from within” (Tehillim 45:14): This was a powerful love. Certainly love existed between Avraham and Sarah, yet it is not written in Torah. Agreed that not everything that happened was written, but there is a difference between what is written and what is not. In regard to Yitzchak, it says: “And she became his wife and he loved her” (Bereshit 24:67). Yitzchak had not met Rivkah before their betrothal. Eliezer the servant of his father, was a man with a sharp eye, who drew and gave drink from the Torah of his master to others (Yoma 28b; Rashi on Bereshit 15:2), understood that Rivkah was suitable for Yitzchak. At first, Rivkah alighted from her camel when she saw Yitzchak; but afterwards, when she became his wife, the text confirms and he loved her. Eliezer knew exactly who was suitable for Yitzchak.
By contrast, between Yaakov and Rachel, a bond was created from the start. Yaakov was filled with awesome strength: “And he rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well” (Bereshit 29:10). All of the shepherds had assembled to move the stone, yet he did it alone on his own strength. Later, Yaakov kissed Rachel (ibid 29:11). At first glance, this was not an act of modesty. The shepherds saw by the conduct of this person who came from the Land of Israel a brazenness, in that he kissed a young woman whom he had never met. The shepherds considered he had immoral intentions, and that it would be good if Yaakov our father met Rachel. There are people who recognize things without the need for a meeting. Yaakov our father was not an ordinary man; he had the highest sense of spirituality: “And he raised his voice and cried” (ibid). Our Sages say that he cried because people were gossiping about what he had done, but had no understanding (Bereshit Rabbah 70:12).
Yaakov our father was a simple man (Bereshit 25:27), immersed in the goal of perfection. He dwelt in tents (ibid.), everything for him was Torah. He dreamed the dream of the ladder set earthward with its top reaching heavenward; and behold angels of G-d ascended and descended on it (ibid. 28:12). A man’s dream reflected his will, his thought and his inner character. But the Jewish Dr. Freud was mistaken in believing that a dream reflects the urges a man seeks to fulfill. Accordingly, if a person wants to revel in immorality during his lifetime, but he lacks the power or ability to act it out, he does it through his dreams. However, there is a more interesting theory of the Jewish thinker Rambam who says that dreams do reveal the deepest yearnings of a person but definitely not yearnings toward immorality. A person who inclines toward immorality, dreams that he is committing an immoral act. An upright man, who is inclined toward the good, dreams that he is doing something good. Yaakov dreamt that Divine angels were ascending and descending, a vision not based on reality. So why dream something which is impossible to realize? Rambam says that people often have high-reaching ambitions which are impossible to fulfil (Guide for the Perplexed 2:37). Our father Yaakov, the most simple man who dwelt in tents, fled for his life, found himself in mortal danger. He had no time to meditate on Divine angels; instead, he had to plan his escape. In a moment of respite, however, when he came to a place and spent the night there (Bereshit 28:11), Divine angels ascended and descended at that spot.
A person who dreams such dreams is not simply smitten. At the moment he encountered the soul of Rachel, he immediately recognized it. He suspected that these two souls, his and hers, were twins. He had reached the level of ultimate inner elevation, a level so high that he was drawn closer. The physical aspect did not interest him. A man who does not recognize the whole night that this woman was not Rachel but Leah, is not a person who is interested in the physical. This is a heavenly man.
The Gemara relates a story of a man whose wife had one arm, which he only discovered on the day of her death. The Gemara teaches that she was certainly a modest woman. Later, the Gemara returns to the story and says that perhaps she was modest. However, this is not the issue, for it is almost certain she wanted to conceal her defect. Rather, her husband was certainly a modest man, for he never looked at her physicality (Shabbat 53b). He was not interested in her arm because he did not get married to arms, but to a soul.
How is it possible that Yaakov did not realize the deception until the morning: “Morning came, and behold, she was Leah” (Bereshit 29:25)? It should be understood that Yaakov our father was completely holy. The whole night he was able to be with a woman and not pay attention to her identity. He was not interested in matters of body and flesh. His love was spiritual, internal (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 240:90, Sha’ar Sha’ar Ha-Tziyun #7; Zohar 1, Vayechi 222:2). Yaakov our father married when he was much older. In spite of the fact that he lived in the land of Canaan, which was steeped in immorality; he remained pure all his life (Yevamot 76a; Rashi on Bereshit 49:3). What it demonstrates is his great quality in not noticing that she was Leah until the morning. Yaakov our father was an exalted person. Avraham our father shares the same purity in that it was only during his descent to Egypt that he said to Sarah: “Behold, I know that you are a beautiful woman” (Bereshit 12:11; Rashi on Bava Batra 16a). Our forefathers were not captivated by such external appearances. Similarly, the love of Rachel was not based on her beauty but on the perception of the inner spark of her spiritual bond.
Was Rachel’s beauty spiritual or physical? Rachel was beautiful on both accounts, as it says: “A beautiful woman of no morals is like a golden nose ring in a pig’s snout” (Mishlei 11:22). A beautiful woman who is far from the spiritual stream partakes of the quality of a golden nose ring in a pig’s snout, because values and beauty are not joined together. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a G-d fearing woman is the one to be praised” (ibid. 31:30), namely she should be praised for her charm and beauty (Le-Tzniut U-Le-Tahara BeYisrael, Or Le-Netivotai of Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah, p. 279). Rachel had a Divine righteousness. She brought in an additional wife [Bilhah] into her house (Petichta Eichah Rabbati 24; Rashi on Bereshit 30:3). Leah’s quality was the greatness of her humanity and the depth of her vision.
Our father Yaakov was modest, entirely spiritual. He spent the whole night with Leah but he did not look at her until the morning: “And behold she was Leah” (Bereshit 29:25). Yaakov’s mistake flowed from the fact that the souls of Rachel and Leah were like the souls of twins. Yaakov was a holy man, who had no desire for physical matters: “And he will bless the holy Yaakov” (Yeshayahu 29:23; Piskei Teshuva 1:124). The bond between Yaakov and Rachel was the most sublime and glorious inner bond, for it broke through all barriers. Certainly an embrace and kiss of this nature were forbidden, but this was a special situation. The intensity of the relationship was so great that seven years were to him like a few days (Bereshit 29:20). This was on a high level, yet there was someone even higher, namely Leah.
- Give Me Children
The love of Yaakov and Rachel is an aspect of the relationship between them; but was there more? Was mutual love sufficient, and was there nothing more? There is a higher lever, one in which love is bound to eternity. Continuity is possible; eternity is attainable. The span of life of man is circumscribed, but the possibility exists of a connection to eternity through the offspring. Some element of man is passed on to his sons and daughters. Not only is this a biological, but also a spiritual link. The souls of a father and mother infuse their sons and daughters during their lifetime and even more after their death. Our Sages say that a son earns merit for his father. How so? Even if the father is wicked and the son righteous, does the son earn merit for his father? Consider that the righteousness of the son did not come to him by accident. It came to him through the legacy of his father and mother. This righteousness was concealed within them; the attributes of goodness were within them, but were delayed in their appearance. These attributes are distilled in the son and provide retroactive confirmation that the attributes came from the parents. Accordingly, a son can earn merit for a father (Sanhedrin 104a) – a son earns merit for his father.
It is written: “These are the generations of Yitzchak the son of Avraham; Avraham… (Bereshit 25:19). The generations of Avraham and the generations of Yitzchak are as one. Our Sages say that Avraham was called Yitzchak and Yitzchak was called Avraham; Yaakov was called Yitzchak and Yitzchak was called Yaakov, and they note that this is a deep principle (Bereshit Rabbah 63:3). In other words, the basic principle is understanding the meaning of being called by a common name, which is that the father continues to live through his son. The father’s soul travels to and reveals itself within the son’s soul until the end of all the generations. And prepared for him, for himself, a building everlasting (Ketubot 8a; Sheva Berachot for a wedding) – for eternity.
The bond between Yaakov and Rachel necessarily brings us to one on a higher level, that linking Leah. This bond did not arise from an awakening of mutual desire. On the contrary, Leah was hated. Of course, Yaakov our father did not hate her, but “and he loved Rachel more than Leah” (Bereshit 29:30). On account of this, then G-d saw that Leah was hated (ibid. 29:31): Rachel was loved more than her: Therefore Leah felt hated. How did the bond form? Through Reuven [which means “he will see a son”], “now my husband will love me” (ibid. 29:32). Afterward, Shimon and Levi were born; [“Shimon” meaning] “For G-d heard I was hated” (ibid. 29:33), [and “Levi” meaning] “This time my husband will be with me” (ibid. 29:34). This relationship was higher in intensity in terms of family, in its grasp on eternity. This is the way they built for eternity.
After Rachel’s appearance, we see how much deeper the relationship became: Not only in the devotion between husband and wife from the aspect of mutual desire, even if it is a heavenly spiritual desire, but a mutual desire that faced eternity. Rachel’s level was a preparatory level that could be surpassed. It is impossible to speak of eternity before building a suitable present. At this level, there is only knowledge of simple and basic ideas, meaning, all higher ideas are nonsense and lies. One must start on the fundamental level in order to ascend to a higher step (See Orot Ha-Kodesh vol. 3, p. 258, Aliyah Be-hadraga).
The reign of Rachel had to come to an end. She died on the road, for Rachel was not the ultimate goal. Her goal was on the road; her reality was on the road; yet this is not so simple. There had to be stamina for the road. The Master of the Universe created Rachel’s soul with strength for the road. She waited seven years for Yaakov, after which he was compelled by her father to complete an additional seven years. Even after that, the problems did not end. The bond that was created was sterile; because the secret of this relationship was limited to the state of being on the road. It lacked something that would make it an eternal bond. “Give me children, and if not, I am dead” (Bereshit 30:1). I will be buried alive. When Naftali was born, she said, “Contests with G-d I have fought [niftalti]” (ibid. 30:8); meaning, I fought the glorious fight. But Naftali was not even her son. When at last she gave birth to a son, she called him Yosef: “He is not enough, I must have more” [le-hosif] (ibid. 30:24). After him, Binyamin was born, who rose above all the tribes, because he was born in the Land of Israel (Mechilta Yitro Be-Chadash 4; Ester Rabbah 7:8). On the day she gave birth, she died, which is why he was called “Ben-oni” [orphan] (Bereshit 35:18), “Ben tza’ari” [son of my suffering] (Rashi on ibid.). This is not complete. “And it happened when she was in difficult labor…as her soul was departing, for she died” (ibid.).
There was nothing permanently established during the entire course of Rachel’s life; the goal was never reached. Even if it had been reached, we would have discovered that there was an even higher goal. Rashi says that Yaakov cried when he kissed Rachel because he saw through Divine prophecy that she would not accompany him to the grave (Rashi on Bereshit 29:12, based on Bereshit Rabbah 70:12). He knew that she would be with him yet not with him. This was Rachel’s transient reign, which would cede its place to the permanent reign. Romantic love must cede its place to a responsible love for the building for eternity. And these two types of love are in essence two explanations of the phrase: “And they will be one flesh” (Bereshit 2:24). Ramban says that one flesh is formed by way of love; but Rashi says by way of a child. Two bodies merged through a child. The explanation of Ramban is applicable to Rachel, to the love which was “by the road,” romantic love; while the explanation of Rashi is correct in the absolute sense, in Leah’s sense of building for eternity. Such is the Divine plan of existence: Everything does not come together instantly in the pursuit of completion.
There are many difficult and complicated instances of transience, such as the building of the world, where completion is not immediate. Even the creation of the world was gradual. In the course of creation, each day was called “good” and only on the sixth day was it called “very good.” Time is needed to permit the good to reveal itself in its fullness, and until then, we must strengthen ourselves.
Even the exile of the Nation of Israel takes a long time. Many ask, did the prophets speak about this State [of Israel]; is this the redemption we are waiting for? Surely, that is exactly it. Before people talk about what is not good about the State, they should examine and analyze themselves. In the Gemara there is an insightful story about a man who read the phrase: “Make known to Jerusalem its abomination” (Yechezkel 16:2). Rabbi Eliezer said to him: “Before you examine the abominations of Jerusalem, go and examine the abominations within yourself.” People examined him and discovered on him some small thing that rendered him unfit (Megillah 25b).
Certainly the State of Israel has not yet reached its ideal form, but it is on the way. We speak of an ongoing process. Every day that a person sits with his hands folded and waits for everything to come to him in peace, he will not share in the benefits, even if he joins in later. We proceed on the road; we are forged there in order to withstand perplexing situations. There is no short-cut; it is impossible to reach the goal without marching on the road.
This is the nature of reality that Rachel stands at the fork in the road. She not only stands there. She herself is the fork in the road. By her personal life, she teaches us the wisdom of the road. When the Nation of Israel left the Land of Israel to spend years in exile, in the course of wandering on roads not yet cleared, Rachel stood and blessed them as they left their homes. This is an example of the principle that the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children (Ramban on Bereshit 12:6, 12:10). The mightiness of spirit and the greatness of the qualities of the forefathers are revealed in the sons through heredity. Heredity is not only a matter of the color of the eyes and hair; rather in its essence, heredity connotes spiritual assets. Rachel’s strength to stand by the road was transmitted to the kingdom of Shaul; and it was a bequest for all the Nation of Israel.
The marriage of Boaz to Rut was the dawn of the coming of the Messiah through David [Moshiach ben David], and the elders blessed him: “May Hashem grant that the woman who is coming into your house be like Rachel and Leah” (Rut 4:11). Boaz was a descendant of Leah, but was also blessed in the name of Rachel as the one who both built up the house of Israel (ibid.). It was impossible to build without preparation in the interim; but completion of the building requires the absolute, the permanent. The significance of the blessing of the elders is that Rut the convert would see within it all the active powers operating within the people: The power of Rachel and power of Leah. Rashi explains: Even though they were from the tribe of Yehudah and of the children of Leah, they thanked Rachel who was the head of the home, and they placed Rachel before Leah (Rashi on ibid.; Rashi on Bereshit 31:4). Rachel was the foundation of the household. On a foundation, one can build additional higher floors. Our Sages interpret the phrase, “And Rachel was barren [akara]” (Bereshit 24:31) as Rachel was the head [ikro] of the household (Bereshit Rabbah 71:2). Being barren is a terrible affliction; but there is a root and foundation which surmounts this affliction; and it forms the basis. Therefore, they were grateful that Rachel was the head of the household, and they placed Rachel before Leah. They both built the house of Israel. Our father Yaakov did not place Rachel before Leah, nor Leah before Rachel.
- The Humility of Rachel
Rachel knew her station, and knew how to act modestly and to make herself small. She conceded to Leah, and this was not an easy concession. She conceded because of her life. Our Sages says that our father Yaakov sent gifts to Rachel, who was steeped in the ways of patience: This strengthened the bond up to the time of their marriage. But Lavan put the gifts aside in order to give them to Leah. However, Rachel, who was worried about losing this righteous man, watched and remained silent (Tanhuma Veyetze 6). She understood the circumstances of her position, endured the maneuvering of Lavan and kept silent. On the day of the marriage, Rachel warned Yaakov that her father was cunning and would certainly give him Leah. Yet Yaakov said, if he is cunning, I am his brother in cunning (Megillah 13b).
However, Yaakov was a simple man who dwelt in tents (Bereshit 25:27), but along with this attribute, he had a penetrating view of the material world. When he came to Shechem, he established a currency, bath-houses and market places (Shabbat 33b). He was well versed in economics, business, in the cleansing of the body and its maintenance. Although his head reached heavenward, his feet were firmly planted on the ground. Yaakov recognized the hidden motives of swindlers and their reasoning. Judges must be familiar with all the ins and outs of those who lie. Yaakov our father was similar. Accordingly he gave Rachel tokens by which to recognize her. Since Rachel feared appearing scornful of her sister, she gave her the tokens (Megillah 13b; Baba Batra 123a; Petichta Eichah Rabbati 24; Rashi on Bereshit 29:25). This was a level of concession which had no parallel. Rachel therefore said to the Master of the Universe: And what am I: Simply flesh and blood, dust and ashes. I was not jealous of my own misfortune. But You are the living and existing King, merciful; how can you be jealous of idol worship (Petichta Eichah Rabbati ibid.)? Although she was jealous of her sister when the latter gave birth, our Sages consider that she was jealous of her good deeds (Bereshit Rabbah 71:6; Rashi on Bereshit 30:1). She knew her sister had risen to a higher spiritual level; and she regretted that her level was lower. Yet Rachel was not at all jealous; on the contrary, she was accepting.
The Ralbag (Rabbi Levi ben Gershom) considers that the righteousness Rachel displayed toward her sister was repaid by Leah’s offspring King David in regard to King Shaul, the offspring of Rachel. David was supposed to have been king, and in effect was appointed king through Samuel; yet he did not want to displace Shaul. Shaul pursued him, and several times almost killed him. But David, despite his being forced to act insane and to live with Achish, the king of the Philistines, did not harbor ill-will toward Shaul. Only once did he tear his robe, and regretted that he attacked the robe of one anointed by G-d (Shmuel 1 24:5-6). All of this in spite of the fact that Shaul was subject to the law of a pursuer, which meant David was permitted to kill him [in self-defense](Berachot 62b). David was supposed to have been the king, but he did not press the matter. He waited and was prepared to place himself in danger and to suffer. In so doing, David repaid the debt of Leah to Rachel for the greatness of generosity she had bestowed upon her. It was impossible to immediately repay such a debt. Many generations passed until David appeared and repaid it.
- “There is Merit in Your Works
Rachel our mother died by the road, a young woman not yet mature. She married at the age of twenty-two and died at the age of thirty-six (Seder Olam Rabbah 2). Everything happened in her youth. Even the Gemara refers to her as a very young person: A child for a child (Baba Batra 123a). She was a child, everything around her was in its childhood, in preparation. We are all the children of Rachel; we are all always by the road. Scholars have no rest either in this world or in the world to come, as it is said: “They go from strength to strength” [Tehillim 84:8] (Berachot 64a). The whole world was built on struggles. We have never achieved rest. Man always finds himself at the crossroads seeking the way to go forward, how to strengthen his position, how not to succumb to the pressures along the way; only in so doing do we attain the position of Leah.
There are two sections in the Tikkun Chazot (midnight prayer of mourning for the Temple): Tikkun Rachel and Tikkun Leah. Tikkun Rachel brings together the songs of Tehillim lamenting the destruction. Tikkun Leah is full of joy. On those days when the prayer for mercy “Tachanun” is not said, we do not say Tikkun Rachel, and likewise on special occasions, such as the Sabbatical year [Shmittah]. In Tikkun Rachel, we cry over the troubles of the Shechinah – the Divine Presence. By contrast, Tikkun Leah looks to the building of the future, replete with strength, spirit and courage. But before we get to that stage, we must shore up our position.
As long as Rachel is crying for her children, she is alive and suffering; she is not dead. As long as she responds to comfort us, she continues to exist. To comfort means to restore something lost. So it is said about Yaakov our father: “He refused to be comforted” (Bereshit 37:35) regarding Yosef after he disappeared. The rule is that the dead should be forgotten (Pesachim 54b; Rashi on Bereshit 37:35). It is impossible to continually carry about the memory of someone deceased. Therefore Yaakov refused to be comforted, because Yosef was not dead. We live with the living, and are devoted to the Living G-d (Devarim 4:4). So Rachel refused to be comforted because the Nation of Israel was not dead, of which it is said: “Your work shall be rewarded” (Yirmiyahu 31:15). Rachel’s entire effort, her entire lengthy struggle, will be rewarded: “And your children will return to their borders” (ibid. 31:17).
When the return of the descendants occurs, Leah’s light will start to be brilliant. However, we will have reached the end of the road by merit of Rachel’s efforts. The road is however difficult and paved with tears. Yet there is a reward at its side; hence it says: “Keep your voice from weeping” (ibid. 31:15) because “And your children will return to their borders” (ibid. 31:17). Many misfortunes have plagued the Nation of Israel, although they have not succeeded in crushing it. We are the descendants of Rachel; and we are not crushed. We are not only like a king in peace time who rules with courage, honor and glory. We are also like a king in the time of war, in difficult times; we are also a king in captivity. We are like Rachel who was not crushed during her lifetime, despite her having suffered the greatest misfortunes that could befall anyone in their personal life. There is nothing greater than the love that binds husband and wife. “Great floods of water cannot drown love, nor can the rivers wash it away” (Shir Ha-Shirim 8:7), because love is as strong as death (ibid. 8:6). However, it seemed this love was extinguished, buried by the side of the road, although it was not. For that reason, the blessing says: “May Hashem provide a wife… like Rachel and Leah” (Rut 4:11). We are not crushed; we have strengthened our stamina through all situations; nothing has eradicated us, for we are the descendants of Rachel. It is difficult to describe the situation of exile of a people from its land, as has occurred twice to our people. There is a terrible feeling of the end, of ruin, of destruction of the country, perhaps even of the people. Yet Rachel stands at the fork in the road; and it is this strength of Rachel, this Divine strength, that maintained the entire nation in the time of its troubles (See Netzech Yisrael of the Maharal, end of Chapter 1). Our Sages say, regarding Rachel’s gravesite, there are twelve stones [twelve tribes] (Midrash Lekach Tov on Bereshit 35:20), because Rachel is our mother, the mother of the whole Nation.
Although the Nation of Israel weeps as it goes forward, yet at the end of it all, your children will return to their borders. Today we are fortunate to witness the realization of the children will return to their borders. Little by little, Rachel’s tears will be dried on her cheeks. Your efforts will be rewarded will be realized after a long interval of two thousand years. But even now, when we are in our own Land, there is more of the road to travel: We are still on the main road. This is a perpetual state of existence. We will continue however to move forward armed with the Divine power of Rachel our mother hidden within us.
