Rachel Imeinu Image - דמותה של רחל אימנו

                                         "וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹקִים אֵת רָחֵל"  בראשית ל' , כ"ב

                                                             אוֹמֵר רָשִׁ"י: " זָכַר לָהּ שֶמָסְרָה סִימָנֶיָהָ לַאֲחוֹתָהּ וְשֶהָיְתָה מְצִירָה,

                               שׁלֹא תַּעֲלֶה בְּגוֹרָלוֹ שֶל עֵשָו",

                               שֶכּן הָיּוּ הַכּל אוֹמְרִים: שׁנֵי בָנִים לְרִבְקָה וּּשְתֵי בָנוֹת לְלָבָן, הַגְדוֹלָה-  

                                        לַגָדוֹל, וְהַקְטָנָה- לַקָטָן, לְפִיכָךְ בָכְתָה לֵאָה עַד שֶנַעֲשׂוּ עֵינֶיהָ רַכּוֹת, 

                                           לְפִי שֶהָיְתָה סְבוּרָה לַעֲלוֹת בּגוֹרָלוֹ שֶל עֵשָו (כ"ט-י"ז ברש"י).

                             וְעַכְשָיו, מִשֶרָאֲתָה רָחֵל שֶיַעֲקֹב עוֹמֵד לָשֵאת אֶת לֵאָה, הֲלֹא צְרִיכָה 

                                        הָיְתָה לַחְשוֹש פֵּן תַעֲלֵה הִיא בְגוֹרָל עֵשָו, (אוֹתָה שָעָה הֲרֵי לֹא

                             יָדְעָה עֲדַיִין, כִי יַעֲקֹב יִרְצֶה לַעֲבֹד שֶבַע שָנִים נוֹסָפוֹת כְדֵי לָשֵאת

                             גַם אוֹתָה), וְּבְכָל-זֹאת הִפְקִירָה אֶת עַצְמָהּּ וַאֲפִילוּּ אֶת הָעוֹלָם-הַבָא

                             שֶלָה, וּּמָסְרָה אֶת סִימָנֶיהָ לְלֵאָה, כְדֵי שֶלֹא תִתְבַיֵש. אֶת זֹאת זָכַר                                                          

                                        לָהּ הַשֵםֵ-יִתְבַרַךְ- "שָמְסָרה סִימָנֶיהָ לַאֲחוֹתָהּ",

                             מִשֶרָאָה יַעֲקֹב אֶת גודֶל צִדְקוּּתָהּ וְעוֹצֶם מְסִירוּת-נַפְשָהּ, עַד כֵּדי                                       

                                        הַפְקָרַת עַצְמָה לְמַעַן אֲחוֹתָהּ, נִתְגַבְרָה בּוֹ אַהֲבָתוֹ אֵלֵיהָ.

                                                         (קדושת לוי, מתוך-מעיינה של תורה)

 Breishit perek lamed.

(Rashi)-

Rachel gave Leah the signs, because she had mercy on Leah (because she was to marry eisav).The rabbis said: Rivka had 2 sons, and Lavan had 2 daughters. The older son was to marry the older daughter, and the younger son was to marry the younger daughter. Therefore, Leah cried until her eyes were soft, because she was sure her lot was to marry Eisav.

When Rachel saw that Yacov was going to marry Leah (instead of her), she also had to be afraid, because she also may have had to marry Eisav instead! However, she still nullified herself, and even was willing to give away her olam haba, and gave Leah the signs, so that she would not be embarrassed.

Hashem remembered this “that Rachel gave Leah the signs.” When Yacov saw the great thing that Rachel did, he loved her even more.

תלמוד בבלי, מסכת מגילה דף י"ג, ב

"בִשְכַר צְנִיעוּּת, שֶהיתָה בָה בְרָחֵל, זָכְתָה וְיָצָא  מִמֶנָה  שָאוּּל,  וּבִשְכַר  צְנִיִעוּּת  שֶהָיָהָ  בּוֹ בְשָאוּל  זָכָה וְיָצָא מִמֶנוּ אֶסְתֵר.

וּמַאי צְנִיעוּת הַיְתָה בָהּ בְרָחֵל?

דִכְתִיב 'וַיְהִי בַבֹקֶר  וְהִנֵה  הִיא לֵאָה' מִכְלָל שֶעַד עַכְשָו הִיִא לֹא לֵאָה?! אֶלָא מִתוֹךְ  סִימָנִין,  שֶמָסְרָה  רָחֵל  לְלֵאָה  לֹא  הִכִיר בָהּ עַד עַכְשָו. לְפִיכָךְ  זָכְתָה  וְיָצָא  מִמֶנָה  שָאוּל.  וּמַה צְנִיעוּת הַיְתָה בְשָאול? דִכְתִיב  'וְאֶת דְבַר הַמְלוכָה לֹא הִגִיד לו '. זָכָה וְיָצְאָה  מִמֶנוּ  אֶסְתֵר. "

Talmud bavli, masechet megilah, daf 13.

As a reward for the Tzniut that Rachel displayed, she merited that Shaul hamelech will come from her. Because of Shaul’s tzniut, he merited having Esther as a descendant.

What was the tzniut that Rachel displayed?

 Rachel was so modest that Yacov did not know the difference between Rachel and Leah (he couldn’t differentiate between their different features). Because of this, she merited to have shaul as a descendant.  Rav Aviner adds that just like Rachel was buried on ‘the way’ and not in the final destination, the kingship that came from her was not the final kingship (it was malchut ben yosef). The final kingship will come from malchut ben david (from Leah) which will come in the geula.

"וַתֵרֶא רֵָחֵל כִי לֹא יָלְדָה...וַתְקַנֵא רָחֵל בַאֲחוֹתָהּ"

אָמַר רַבִי יִצְחָק: כְתִיב (משלי כג) "אַל יְקַנֵא לִבְךָ בַחֲטָאִים, כִי אִם בְיִרְאַת ה' כָל הַיוֹם".

וְאִם אָמַרְתְ וַתְקַנֵא רָחֵל בַאֲחוֹתָהּ?

אלָא מְלַמֵד שקִנְאָתָהּ בְמַעֲשֵיהָ הַטוֹבִים

אָמְרָה אִילוּלֵי שהִיא צַדֶקֶת לֹא הַיְתָה יוֹלדת."

Jealousy…

“ And Rachel saw that she didn’t give birth… and Rachel was jealous of her sister.”

Rabi Yitzchak said, “it says (in mishlei) “ your heart should not be involved in jealousy, only in the fear of heaven the whole day.”

So how can it be that Rachel was jealous of her sister?

Rather, she was jealous of her good deeds, she said, “Leah must be a righteous woman since she merited to have many children.”

האם

                                     "וַיֶאֱהַב יַעֲקֹב אֶת רָחֵל וַיֹאמֶר אֶעֱבָדְךָ שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים

                             ְּבּרָחֵל בִּתְּךָ הַקְּטָנָה" (בראשית כ"ט, י"ח)

“And Yacov loved Rachel, and he said, ‘I will work for you for 7 years, for Rachel your young daughter.”

                            "באותה שעה קפצה רחל אמנו לפני הקדוש-ברוך-הוא ואמרה:

                 רבונו של עולם, גלוי וידוע לפניך, שיעקב אהבני אהבה יתרה

                 ועבד בשבילי לאבא שבע שנים, וכשהגיע זמן נשואי לבעלי

                 יעץ אבי להחליפני באחותי, ולא קנאתי באחותי ולא הוצאתיה

                 לחרפה , ומה אם אני, שאני בשר ודם, עפר ואפר, לא קנאתי

                 בצרה שלי-אתה, מלך חי וקים ורחמן, מפני מה...הגלית את בני?

                 מיד נתגלגלו רחמיו של הקדוש-ברוך-הוא ואמר:

                 בשבילך, רחל, אני מחזיר את ישראל למקומם, זה שנאמר:

                          כה אמר ה':

                  קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמע,          נְהִי בְּכִי תַּמְרוּרִים,

                  רָחֵל מְבַכּה עַל בַנֶיהָ       מֵאֲנָה לְהִנּחֵם

                        וְנֶאֱמַר:

                   מִנְעִי קוֹלֵךְ מִבְּכִי          וְעֵינַיִךְ מִדִמְעָה

                   כִּי יֵשׁ שׂכָר לִפְעוּלָתֵךְ     וְיֵשׁ תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ

                          וְשָׁבוּ בּנִים לִגְבוּלָם.

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11 Cheshvan - Rachel Imeinu Passes Away

On the eleventh of Cheshvan, while giving birth to her 2nd son,  Binyamin, Rachel, the beloved wife of Ya'akov, died, and was buried on the road to Bethlehem.

The site of her burial in Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, known to us by tradition, is covered by a stone edifice.
For millennia, Jews have come to this site to pour forth their hearts in prayer, and to awaken her merit in any time of travail, for the community as well as for the individual.

Our mother Rachel was not buried in the tile cave of Machpelah in Hevron together with the other Matriarchs and Patriarchs of our people. Instead, she was buried on the road to Jerusalem, exactly where she died, while coming back to Jerusalem from the House of Lavan with Ya'akov.

Why did our Father Ya'akov bury Rachel on the road in Bethlehem?

According to Rabbi Eliyahu Ki Tov's Book of Our Heritage, Ya'akov saw prophetically that in the future, Jewish exiles would pass by on that road and she might seek mercy for them.

When Nebuzaradan exiled the Jews from Israel, and they in fact passed her grave, Rachel emerged to weep and to ask for mercy in their behalf, (Yirmeyahu 3l): "Thus did the Lord say, a voice is heard on high, lamentation and hitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children, for they are not." And God in fact answers: "Thus did the Lord say, refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your labor, said the Lord, and the children shall return to their boundary" (Rashi Va'yechi, and Midrashim quoted by Radak, Yirmeyahu 31).


From the time when the People of Israel went into their first exile until Yirmeyahu's prophecy of redemption ('and the children shall return to their boundary'), the grave of our mother Rachel has always been and will always remain a House of Prayer to Israel, for she is a mother to all Israel, and always awakens mercy in their behalf.

"ויזכור אלוקים את רחל"

מה זכירה זכר לה?

זכר לה שתיקתה לאחותה,

בשעה שהיו נותנין לו את לאה, היתה יודעת ושותקת,

ולכן "ויזכור אלוקים את רחל".

                           (דרשת חז"ל)

“ And Hashem remembered Rachel”. What did He remember? He remembered that she was quiet regarding her sister. At the time when they gave Yacov Leah, she knew but she was quiet, and therefore “Hashem remembered rachel.”