Introduction:
Welcome to the Global Day of Jewish Learning! Rachel's voice - her speech, her cries, and her prayers - serves as a focal point in defining this intriguing matriarch. In this class, we will examine the way her voice emerges over the course of her life and her death, and will focus on how Rabbinic tradition consistently views her voice as a transformational force throughout her story.
Part I: The Barren Wife
(א) וַתֵּ֣רֶא רָחֵ֗ל כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָֽלְדָה֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וַתְּקַנֵּ֥א רָחֵ֖ל בַּאֲחֹתָ֑הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ הָֽבָה־לִּ֣י בָנִ֔ים וְאִם־אַ֖יִן מֵתָ֥ה אָנֹֽכִי׃ (ב) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּרָחֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֲתַ֤חַת אֱלֹהִים֙ אָנֹ֔כִי אֲשֶׁר־מָנַ֥ע מִמֵּ֖ךְ פְּרִי־בָֽטֶן׃
(1) And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ (2) And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: ‘Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?’
Questions for Discussion:
1) What prompts Rachel's jealousy?
2) How do you understand Rachel's response to this feeling of jealousy?
3) How do you understand Jacob's response to Rachel?
(א) ותקנא רחל באחותה. קנאה במעשיה הטובים, אמרה אלולי שצדקה ממני לא זכתה לבנים:
Rachel envied her sister - she envied her good deeds, and said: Were it not that she is more righteous than I, she would not have merited children.
Questions for Discussion:
1) According to Rashi, why did Rachel envy her sister?
2) Why do you think that Rashi chose this interpretation of Rachel's feelings?
Part II: The Mother
(ו) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רָחֵל֙ דָּנַ֣נִּי אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְגַם֙ שָׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלִ֔י וַיִּתֶּן־לִ֖י בֵּ֑ן עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ דָּֽן׃ (ז) וַתַּ֣הַר ע֔וֹד וַתֵּ֕לֶד בִּלְהָ֖ה שִׁפְחַ֣ת רָחֵ֑ל בֵּ֥ן שֵׁנִ֖י לְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ח) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר רָחֵ֗ל נַפְתּוּלֵ֨י אֱלֹהִ֧ים׀ נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי עִם־אֲחֹתִ֖י גַּם־יָכֹ֑לְתִּי וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ נַפְתָּלִֽי׃
(6) And Rachel said: ‘God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son.’ Therefore called she his name Dan. (7) And Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. (8) And Rachel said: ‘With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.’ And she called his name Naphtali.
(22) And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
As reward for the modesty shown by Rachel, she merited having Saul among her descendants, and as a reward for the modesty shown by Saul, he merited having Esther among his descendants. What modesty was shown by Rachel? As it is written: "And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother." Now was he her father's brother? Wasn't he actually the son of her father's sister? Rather, he said to her, 'Will you marry me?' She replied, 'Yes, but my father is a cheater, and you will not be able to stand up to him.'He replied, 'I am his brother in cheating.' She said to him, 'Are righteous people allowed to engage in cheating? He replied, 'Yes: with the pure thou dost show thyself pure and with the crooked thou dost show thyself subtle (II Samuel 22:27). In what regard will he cheat?' She said to him: I have a sister who is older than I am, and he will not let me marry before she does. He gave her certain signs. When night came, she said to herself, 'Now my sister will be embarrassed.' So she gave the signs over to her. And this is why it is written: "And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, she was Leah (Genesis 29:25)." Does this mean until now, she wasn't Leah?! Rather, because of the signs that Rachel gave to her Leah, he did not know until now. Therefore, she merited having Saul as a descendant.
(א) ויזכר אלהים את רחל. זכר לה שמסרה סימניה לאחותה, ושהיתה מצרה שלא תעלה בגורלו של עשו שמא יגרשנה יעקב לפי שאין לה בנים...
And God remembered Rachel - God remembered that she gave her signs to her sister, and that she was concerned that her fate might be with Esau, lest Jacob divorce her because she had no children...
Questions for discussion:
According to this verse, why does God grant children to Rachel?
What does the Talmud in Megillah add to our understanding of Rachel's merit?
What additional information does Rashi provide about how God thought about Rachel?
Part III: From Beyond the Grave
(14) Thus saith the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; She refuseth to be comforted for her children, Because they are not. (15) Thus saith the LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping, And thine eyes from tears; For thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. (16) And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; And thy children shall return to their own border.
באותה שעה קפצה רחל אמנו לפני הקב"ה ואמרה רבש"ע גלוי לפניך שיעקב עבדך אהבני אהבה יתירה, ועבד בשבילי לאבא שבע שנים, וכשהשלימו אותן שבע שנים, והגיע זמן נשואי לבעלי, יעץ אבי להחליפני לבעלי בשביל אחותי, והוקשה עלי הדבר עד מאד, כי נודעה לי העצה, והודעתי לבעלי ומסרתי לו סימן שיכיר ביני ובין אחותי, כדי שלא יוכל אבי להחליפני, ולאחר כן נחמתי בעצמי וסבלתי את תאותי, ורחמתי על אחותי שלא תצא לחרפה, ולערב חלפו אחותי לבעלי בשבילי, ומסרתי לאחותי כל הסימנין שמסרתי לבעלי, כדי שיהא סבור שהיא רחל, ולא עוד אלא שנכנסתי תחת המטה שהיה שוכב עם אחותי והיה מדבר עמה והיא שותקת, ואני משיבתו על כל דבר ודבר, כדי שלא יכיר לקול אחותי, וגמלתי חסד עמה, ולא קנאתי בה, ולא הוצאתיה לחרפה, ומה אני שאני בשר ודם עפר ואפר לא קנאתי לצרה שלי ולא הוצאתיה לבושה ולחרפה, ואתה מלך חי וקיים רחמן, מפני מה קנאת לע"ז שאין בה ממש והגלית בני, ונהרגו בחרב, ועשו אויבים בם כרצונם.
מיד נתגללו רחמיו של הקב"ה ואמר בשבילך רחל אני מחזיר את ישראל למקומן, הה"ד כה אמר ה' קול ברמה נשמע נהי בכי תמרורים רחל מבכה על בניה מאנה להנחם על בניה כי איננו (ירמי' לא יד), וכתיב כה אמר ה' מנעי קולך מבכי ועיניך מדמעה כי יש שכר לפעולתך וגו' (שם שם /ירמיהו ל"א/ טו), וכתיב ויש תקוה לאחריתך נאם ה' ושבו בנים לגבולם (שם שם /ירמיהו ל"א/ טז).
At that moment, our mother Rachel jumped up before God and said: Master of the Universe! It is known to you that Jacob you servant loved me excessively, and worked on my behalf for my father for seven years, and when the seven years were over, and it was time for me to marry my husband, my father wanted to switch me for my husband with my sister, and this was very difficult for me, because I knew my father made this suggestion, and I told my husband and gave him a sign so that he would be able to recognize the difference between me and my sister, so that my father couldn't switch her for me. But afterwards I regretted that I had done this and was burdened by my desire, and I had mercy on my sister so that she would not be embarrassed. That evening, my sister was switched for me with my husband, and I gave my sister all the signs that he had given me, so that he would think that she was Rachel. And not only that, but I went under the bed that he was lying upon with my sister, and he would speak to her and she would be silent, and I would answer him each time, so that he wouldn't recognize my sister's voice. I treated her with kindness, and I didn't envy her, and I didn't embarrass her. And just as I, I who am flesh and blood, dust and ashes, did not envy my co-wife and didn't cast her out to be shamed and embarrassed - You, who are the Living, Eternal and Merciful King, why have you been envious of idol worship, which has no substance, and exiled my sons, and they have been killed by the sword, and their enemies have had their way with them.
God was immediately overcome by God's mercy, and God said: For your sake, Rachel, I will return Israel to their place. This is what is written: "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; She refuseth to be comforted for her children, Because they are not," and it is written,"Refrain thy voice from weeping, And thine eyes from tears; For thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD...And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; And thy children shall return to their own border."
Questions for Discussion:
1) How is this Midrash different from the account presented above, in the Talmud in Megillah?
2) What is the analogy that Rachel makes between herself and God? What do you think about this argument?
3) Why does God listen to Rachel? What does God hear in her voice?
(7) And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some way to come unto Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath—the same is Beth-lehem.’
ואקברה שם. ולא הולכתיה אפלו לבית לחם להכניסה לארץ, וידעתי שיש בלבך עלי [תרעומת], אבל דע לך שעל פי הדבור קברתיה שם שתהא לעזרה לבניה כשיגלה אותם נבוזראדן, והיו עוברים דרך שם, יצאת רחל על קברה ובוכה ומבקשת עליהם רחמים, שנאמר (ירמיה לא יד) קול ברמה נשמע רחל מבכה על בניה וגו' , והקדוש ברוך הוא משיבה (ירמיה לא טו) יש שכר לפעלתך נאם ה' ושבו בנים לגבולם...
I did not take her even to Beit Lechem to bring her into the land, and I know that you harbor complaints about me, but know that I buried her there in response to divine decree, so that she could be of help to her sons when they are exiled by Nevuzzaradan, and they will pass by there, Rachel will come out of her grave and cry and request mercy on their behalf, as it is written: "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children."And God responds to her, "thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; And thy children shall return to their own border."
Questions for Discussion:
1) In this source, even Jacob is aware that there is a greater purpose to burying Rachel in this location. How does this add to the story?
Tkhine of Sore, Rivke, Rokhl, and Leye
From The Merit of Our Mothers: A Bilingual Anthology of Jewish Women's Prayers, compiled and introduced by Tracy Guren Klirs
(A tkhine is a Yiddish prayer, composed by women for recitation by women)
...And may the merit of our faithful mother rokhl, to whom You promised that through her merit her children yisro'el would be delivered from exile, cause the promises to be fulfilled. For when yisro'el was led into exile, they passed not far from the grave in which our mother rokhl lies. Yisro'el begged the enemy to allow them to go to rokhl's grave, and there they began to weep and to cry out: "Our dear mother, how can you watch us being led into exile?" Then rokhl went up to hashem yisborekh with a bitter cry and said, "Riboyne shel oylem, Your compassion is certainly much greater than the compassion of a human being. You, who are certainly a merciful and gracious God, surely have compassion." God answered her: "You are right. I will take your children out of their misery." Thus we ask that this may come to pass for her merit and for the merit of our mother leye and that through her merit you may illumine our eyes so that we may overcome darkness.
Questions for Discussion:
1) How does this tkhine rework the rabbinic sources we have seen? What elements are the same, and what is different?
2) Many prayers from the traditional liturgy reference what is called זכות אבות, the merit of our ancestors. Although this is a different type of prayer, it follows that pattern. If you were to pick an ancestor to invoke in prayer, who might it be, and why?