Kever Rachel Part 1: Explaining Rachel’s Essence Introduction We first meet Rachel as Yaakov arrives at Charan after escaping from his brother Eisav. Upon arrival, Yaakov meets the town’s shepherds waiting at the well. They cannot give their flocks to drink because there is a huge boulder covering the mouth of the well. Only when all of the shepherds arrive, will they through their combined efforts be able to roll off the boulder and give their flocks water. As Yaakov converses with them, Rachel arrives, together with the sheep of her father which she was shepherding. When Yaakov saw Rachel he single‐handedly rolled the stone off the well and gave her sheep to drink. "‫ ַויֵּבְךּ‬ ‫ ֶאת‐ק ֹלוֹ‬ ‫ ַויִּשָּׂא‬ ‫ל ְָרחֵל‬ ‫יַעֲק ֹב‬ ‫" ַויִּשַּׁק‬, Yaakov kissed Rachel and then raised his voice and cried.‫א‬ Rashi explains that Yaakov cried because he perceived with Ruach HaKodesh that Rachel would not be buried with him in the Mearas HaMachpelah. The first three Berachos of Shemoneh Esreh correspond to the three Avos. Yaakov, the third, corresponds to the third Beracha, Hakeil HaKadosh, where we laud Hashem as the “Holy G‐d, who is king.” We have absolutely no inkling of Yaakov’s extreme Kedusha. He was the holiest person to have graced the earth.1 We praise Hashem as "‫יעקב‬ ‫"קדוש‬, ‘The holy one of Yaakov.’ By observing the supreme holiness of Yaakov, we can begin grasping the Kedusha of Hashem. We have seen awesome level of holiness by men much, much smaller than Yaakov. R’ Eizik of Komarna said of himself that as of nine years old, when he looked at a woman all he saw was the letters of Hashem’s name of which a woman is composed (‫ני‬ ‐‫אד‬ ‫)שם‬. To attribute Yaakov’s treatment of Rachel to gallantry or physical passion (ex. he was human) is blasphemous.2 Rachel is the Shechina To truly explain the relationship of Yaakov and Rachel we would need to climb spheres too lofty for people such as ourselves. However, the Torah was given to every Jew, and can be understood on every level. We will not delve into mystical texts to understand who Rachel is; we will merely turn to the Siddur. There is a prayer recited by many at midnight called Tikkun Chatzos, in which we lament the destruction of Yerushalayim. This prayer is divided into two parts, ‫רחל‬ ‫תיקון‬ and ‫לאה‬ ‫תיקון‬. On weekdays, we recite both parts, while on Shabbos and Yom Tov only ‫לאה‬ ‫תיקון‬ is said. We will explain this on a most elementary level. The Shechina, the light of G‐d, or Divine presence, dwells on Knesses Yisrael, the Jewish Nation. When the Jews were exiled from Yerushalayim, the verse laments, "‫הדרהב‬ ‫כל‬ ‫ציון‬ ‫בת‬ ‫מן‬ ‫"ויצא‬, all the glory of Tzion went out of her. The glory of Tzion is the Shechina itself.‫ג‬ Wherever the Jewish people are, the Shechina is too. When Knesses Yisrael was exiled, the Shechina was also sent out of Tzion. The Shechina is sometimes called Rachel and sometimes called Leah. Rachel and Leah – the Two Aspects of Shechina The Shechina, the revelation of Hashem that is visible upon the Jewish people, has a deeper aspect and a simpler, more external one. The deeper aspect is termed Leah, who is from the ‫דאיתכסיא‬ ‫עלמא‬, hidden world. The 1
He is the only person, who was able to say of his eldest child, born to him at the age of eighty‐four, ‫כחי וראשית אוני‬.
From a Logical standpoint, it is also difficult to explain it as such because crying is not possible in such a state. The Midrash cited by Rashi, that Yaakov cried because he saw that she would not be buried with him, proves this even further. Nobody, when overcome by passion is concerned in what manner he will lie in the grave. If Yaakov was concerned about him needing Rachel with him in the grave, we can only imagine what kind of holy thoughts he was thinking then. 2
1 simpler aspect is referred to as Rachel who is from the ‫דאתגליא‬ ‫עלמא‬, the revealed world. Rachel and Leah represented and embodied these two aspects of Shechina. When Leah married Yaakov it was hidden, no one knew about it. She is buried in a cave that is hidden within another cave and the Torah does not even discuss her burial. Rachel is exactly the opposite; she was buried on the open road, with only a stone to cover her grave. Yaakov was a ‫מרכבה‬, a chariot, for Hashem Himself on this world. ‫הכבוד‬ ‫בכסא‬ ‫חקוקה‬ ‫יעקב‬ ‫של‬ ‫צורתו‬, Yaakov’s visage is engraved upon G‐d’s Throne of Glory. Just as Rachel and Leah represented the Shechina on this world, Yaakov represented Hashem on this world. Yaakov had to mirror the heavenly spheres. Hashem rests his glory on Knesses Yisrael, ‫בתוכם‬ ‫ושכנתי‬, I [Hashem] will dwell among them [the Jewish people]. This is referred to as Shechina, which is divided into two aspects which are called Rachel and Leah. Therefore, Yaakov had to marry both Rachel and Leah. When Yaakov saw Rachel, ‫לה‬ ‫וישק‬. The holy Yaakov saw who Rachel personified, she is the Shechina. Do we not kiss our Tzitzis? Our Tefillin? What went on between Yaakov and Rachel is supremely lofty; it has absolutely no connection to anything we, earthly beings, can grasp. There are many parshios in the Torah that we would have absolutely no understanding of without Torah Sh’Bal Peh (Oral law). Would somebody know how to don tefillin from the Torah’s directive, "‫עיניךד‬ ‫בין‬ ‫לטטפת‬ ‫"והיו‬, they should be totafos between your eyes? We need the Torah Sh’Bal Peh’s explanation on these words in order to grasp them. So too, we need Torah Sh’Bal Peh to explain the parsha of Yaakov and Rachel to us. However, the Torah SheBal Peh of this parsha is not to be found in the Gemara. It is no less than ‘Maaseh Merkavah’, the secrets of the Throne of Glory which Yaakov represented on this world. Maaseh Merkavah is not transmitted to the masses; it is given over only to the most elite Torah scholars of each generation in utmost secrecy. ‫דאתגליא‬ ‫עלמא‬ and ‫דאתכסיא‬ ‫עלמא‬, Revealed and Hidden During Galus (exile), Keneses Yisrael seems distanced from Hashem. The Shechina, the light of Hashem, is also sent into exile and we cannot discern the Divine. This results in Hester Panim, the concealment of Hashem. Rachel, the embodiment of the Shechina, is distanced from Yaakov by not being buried together with him. How can that be? How can the Shechina be cut off from Hashem? It is an aspect of G‐dliness! True. The Shechina is never disconnected from Hashem. In a deep way, hidden so that we cannot perceive it, the Shechina always remains attached to Hashem. ‫פשוט‬ ‫אחדות‬ ‫אלקות‬, G‐dliness is unity. However, the aspect of Shechina which represents the immutable unity between Hashem and Keneses Yisrael is called Leah, the ‫דאתכסיא‬ ‫עלמא‬. The Shechina is connected to Hashem, He is always everywhere; we just cannot see it because we live in the ‫דאתגליא‬ ‫עלמא‬ of Rachel. According to how we, with our superficial perception, can grasp matters, the Shechina is terribly torn away from Hashem. It is not at all evident that Hashem dwells in this world. His kingdom is obscured behind a thousand black curtains and most of humanity denies it completely. There is a terrible Hester Panim. On Shabbos we omit Tikun Rachel from Tikun Chatzos because there we bemoan the tragedy of exile. Tikun Leah, which focuses much more on repentance and the future redemption, is recited on Shabbos. Rachel represents ‫בגלותא‬ ‫שכינתא‬, the Shechina is in Galus. Who exiled the Shechina? Our sins. ‫שלחה‬ ‫"ובפשעכם‬
"‫אמכםה‬, because of your sins, the Shechina, which is referred to as the mother of the Jewish people, was exiled. By denying the presence of G‐d through sinning, His presence was denied us and it seems as if the Jewish people are cut off from Hashem. The goal of every mitzvah we do is '‫ושכינתי‬ ‫הוא‬ ‫ברוך‬ ‫קודשא‬ ‫ליחדא‬, to reunite the Shechina with Hashem, to make it obvious that He is the king of this world. By fulfilling his commands, we crown Hashem as the rightful king of His world and His presence is revealed. In truth, the Shechina is always connected to Hashem, no matter what, and this means that the Jewish people are always connected to Him. But this is only ‫באתכסיא‬, in a way which we cannot see. Our goal is that ‫ותראה‬ ‫"ותגלה‬
"‫קרוב‬ ‫בזמן‬ ‫עלינו‬ ‫מלכותו‬, his kingdom should be revealed and evident upon us in the near future. We want the whole world to know that the Jewish people and the Shechina are connected to Hashem and were never really torn away; it only appeared to be so, in the ‫דאתגליא‬ ‫עלמא‬. 2 What the Mearas Hamachpelah Symbolized Tractate Kedushin, which discuses the laws of marriage, begins by deriving the laws of betrothal from a ‫גזירה‬
‫שוה‬, a parallel wording, between the verse discussing Avraham Avinu’s purchase of the Mearas HaMachpelah and the verse discussing marriage. This is very difficult to understand. Jews are very particular that anything relating to marriage should be with a good omen. Therefore, we generally do not marry during the second half of the month when the moon wanes or during the three weeks when we mourn the destruction of Yerushalayim. We would think that the tractate discussing marriage would begin on a joyful note. Instead, we find ourselves pondering the legal ramifications of the purchase of a cemetery. What kind of good omen is this? To the contrary of how this initially seems, beginning with the Mearas hamachpelah is actually the very best omen possible. What occurred to Adam, when Hashem cut him in half, forming one half into Adam and the other into Chavah, occurs to every couple. Their soul is divided in Heaven and one half becomes a man while the other becomes a woman. When the right time comes, they find each other and there is a reunion of souls. Every Jewish couple was together in Heaven; their souls are really one. When they marry, they do not merely unite, they re‐unite. Superficially it seems as if marriage is merely the decision of two people to spend their lives together, but really, they are two halves of one soul who naturally belong together.‫ו‬ Legally, a woman is considered single when her husband dies and she can remarry. However, a true marriage outlasts a lifetime.3 The Avos were particular that they be buried along with their wives in the Mearas Hamachpelah so that their union not be severed. In fact, right after the discussion of Avraham Avinu’s purchase of the Mearas Hamachpelah, comes the chapter discussing Yitzchak’s marriage to Rivka from where everything a Torah Jew needs to know about marriage is derived. (Sefardim have a Minhag to read it before a wedding.) Beginning tractate Kedushin with Mearas Hamachpelah is the best omen for marriage. It symbolizes the depth and the eternity of the Jewish marital bond. Rachel is not in Buried Together with Yaakov When Yaakov found Rachel, the embodiment of the Shechina, for the first time, he was moved to contemplate, is there ‫שכינה‬ ‫גילוי‬, revelation of the Shechina or is there (Heaven forbid) Hester Panim? Is there ‫הוא‬ ‫בריך‬ ‫קודשא‬ ‫יחוד‬
'‫ושכינתי‬ or is there (Heaven forbid) a chasm between Hashem and Keneses Yisrael? Rashi explains that Yaakov cried because he saw that Rachel would not be buried with him in the Mearas HaMachpelah. Based on our above discussion, we understand the reason for his tears. He saw that Rachel, the aspect of revealed Shechina, would not be with Yaakov who represents Hashem. Their bond would be severed after Rachel’s death. There would therefore be a Galus of the Shechina and a terribly frightening Hester Panim. When the Shechina is distanced from Hashem she is in a sorry state, abandoned and alone. The ‫אתגליא‬ aspect of Shechina is then referred to as ‫ואלמנה‬ ,‫יתום‬ ,‫גר‬, ‐ foreigner, orphan and widow. Rachel was described as ‫ויפת‬ ‫תואר‬ ‫יפת‬
‫מראה‬, of which the first letters spell ‫יתום‬. Therefore, we cry on Tisha Ba’av and while saying Tikun Chatzos. We ask that "‫הארץז‬ ‫כל‬ ‫את‬ ‫כבודו‬ ‫"וימלא‬, the honor of Hashem should fill the world; that Keneses Yisrael should be re‐connected to Hashem.4 3
This is hinted at in the Kesubah, the marital guarantee which the chassan gives the kallah, where he promises that he will provide for her not only during his lifetime but also beyond. 4
The Chassam Sofer thus homiletically interprets the verse,(‫כ‬:‫"ּכִי תחּב ֹט זֵיתְ ָך ֹלא תְ פַאֵ ר ַאחֲ ֶריָך ַלּגֵר ַלּיָתֹום וְלַָאלְמָ נָה י ִהְ י ֶה" )דברים כד‬ , When you beat [i.e. gather the fruit of] your olive tree, do not take off the fruit at the top of the tree or the olives you left behind, for the orphan and widow it should be – as follows: ‫כי תחבט זיתך‬, when you perform mitzvos (which olives hint to) ‫לא תפאר אחריך‬, do not be haughty, ‫לגר ליתום‬
‫ולאלמנה יהיה‬, they need to help the Shechina who is compared to a ‫גר יתום‬ and ‫!אלמנה‬ If you pride yourself with the mitzvos you do, they will not have the power to redeem the Shechina from exile. 3 Only after attaching himself to Rachel, through 5‫לרחל‬ ‫יעקב‬ ‫וישק‬, did Yaakov connect to the aspect of Shechina which she represents, the aspect of ‫אתגליא‬ which will be exiled. He saw that she would not come with him into the Mearas Hamachpelah and understood that there would come a time when there would be a Galus of the Shechina. The Jewish people would be in a sorry state, "‫ישראלח‬ ‫תפארת‬ ‫ארץ‬ ‫משמים‬ ‫"השליך‬, the glory of the Jewish people would sink down to the earth. There would be a tremendous Chilul Hashem (desecration of Hashem’s name). Therefore, for the first time in history, ‫רחל‬ ‫תיקון‬ was recited. As we do on Tisha Ba’av, Yaakov sat down on the earth, took off his shoes, put ash on his head and cried ‫רחל‬ ‫תיקון‬, like a Jew who laments the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. Why wasn’t Rachel Buried in the Mearas HaMachpelah? Rashi‫ט‬ explains that the reason Yaakov did not bury Rachel in the Mearas Hamachpelah was because Heaven revealed to him that the Jewish people would pass by the site of her burial place on the way to exile and would cry to their mother. Rachel, stirred by their tears, would rouse the heavens with her tearful prayer. She would then be assured of their eventual return to Eretz Yisrael. However, the Ramban explains simply, that Yaakov was embarrassed to bring her into the Mearas Hamachpelah because he was ashamed of his father and grandfather that he violated the command of the Torah by marrying two sisters.6 Because Rachel was the second wife, and by marrying her he violated the commandment, he could not bury her in the Mearas Hamachpelah. Why was Yaakov ashamed? He never did anything wrong in his life. If he was correct in marrying Rachel, what was there to be ashamed of? And if it was the wrong thing to do, Yaakov would never have done it to begin with. As explained above, Yaakov had to marry both Rachel and Leah, or else the representation of the ‫הכבוד‬ ‫כסא‬ would have been incomplete. Had he not done so, then he would truly have had to be ashamed of his father and grandfather. Ideally, what Yaakov should have done, was to first marry Rachel, knowing that she would die young and thereby accomplish what he needed to with the aspect of the Shechina called Rachel. After Rachel passed away, he would have married Leah, and accomplished everything necessary in the aspect of Leah, as it is only forbidden to marry a sister in the lifetime of the first. Thus, Yaakov could have, without any shame, buried Rachel in the Mearas Hamachpelah and they would have still been connected spiritualy and there would never have been any separation between Hashem and the Shechina even ‫באתגליא‬. There would never have been an exile! So why did Yaakov not do so? Indeed, this was Yaakov’s original plan. However, as we say in the Hagaddah on Pesach, ‫אבי‬ ‫אובד‬ ‫ארמי‬, Lavaan the Aramite destroyed my father. He tricked Yaakov into marrying Leah first. Yaakov was then forced into marrying Rachel while still married to Leah because he knew that Rachel would pass away before Leah. Yaakov’s entire ambition, to rectify the heavenly worlds and ensure that there would never be a Galus was destroyed because he could not bring Rachel into the Mearas Hamachpelah. Had Yaakov been successful, and Rachel would’ve been buried in the Mearas Hamachpelah, there would have been a ‫קיימא‬ ‫של‬ ‫קשר‬ and a ‫עד‬ ‫עדי‬ ‫בנין‬, a permanent bond between Hashem and the Jewish people and the Bais HaMikdash would never have been destroyed. Instead, ‫אמכם‬ ‫שלחה‬, our mother Rachel is sent away from Yaakov symbolizing that our mother the Shechina is exiled. The Jewish people are severed from Hashem and the Bais HaMikdash is destroyed. ‫הדרה‬ ‫כל‬ ‫ציון‬ ‫מבת‬ ‫ותצא‬, the Shechina would descend into exile along with the Jewish people and be cut off from the dwelling place of the ‫יעקב‬ ‫קדוש‬. Rachel Cries and She is Consoled Yirmiyahu proclaims, "‫איננוי‬ ‫כי‬ ‫בניה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מבכה‬ ‫"רחל‬, Rachel cries for her children’s sake, because He is not here. Who is not here? Hashem. Hashem is not here and the Shechina is cut off from Him. True, "‫בֵיתֹויא‬ ‫י ָב ֹא‬ ‫הַ ּכֶסֶ א‬ ‫"לְיֹום‬, on the day which is hidden, (it is ‫)באתכסיא‬ we do not know when it will be, Hashem will return to Rachel. But meanwhile He is not home. 5
‫נשיקה‬ brings ‫דביקות‬, connection.
Although he was technically permitted to do so because the Torah had not yet been given, it was still a blemish for him because the Avos kept the Torah even before it was given. 6
4 Rachel doesn’t cry alone. She is ‫מבכה‬, she makes everyone cry along with her. The upper spheres and earthly spheres, the fiery angels and heavenly hosts all weep along with Rachel and bemoan the terrible tragedy of the concealment of Hashem’s kingdom. Therefore, Hashem comforts Rachel, "‫לאחריתך‬ ‫תקוה‬ ‫ויש‬ ,‫לגבולם‬ ‫בנים‬ ‫"ושבו‬, your children will return, there is a hopeful future. There will once again be a connection between Hashem and the Jewish people. And really, ‫באתכסיא‬, the Jewish people were never severed from their beloved and that is why Leah is in the Mearas Hamachpelah together with Yaakov. But we cannot see it; our vision falls short of such depth. For us it is very painful. Yaakov’s stay at Lavan was a phase in his war against the Sitra Achra, the Satan and his demons. Yaakov’s goal was to establish the Kingdom of Hashem on Earth and their objective was to deter him. During Yaakov’s stay, Lavan’s house was the headquarters of the Satan himself. In his fierce battle against the powers of evil, Yaakov was mostly successful. He married both Rachel and Leah, accomplishing what was necessary in the ‫הכבוד‬ ‫כסא‬ and he fathered the twelve tribes from which the Jewish people would emerge. However, he lost one battle. He could not prevent the Galus. Of this he was ashamed of his father and grandfather. He did not succeed in marrying Rachel first and effecting a utopian world. For that, Lavan, i.e. the Satan, mocks him. However, this is only a temporary loss, because Mashiach will come soon, the eternal Bais HaMikdash will be built and the Jewish people will be permanently and visibly connected to Hashem; Yaakov will be unified with Rachel forever. ‫א‬
‫ויצא‬ ‫פרשת‬ ‫ריש‬ ‫ו‬:‫א‬ ‫איכה‬ ‫ג‬
‫פסיקתא רבתי כ"ט סימן י"ג‬
‫ד‬
‫ח‬:‫דברים ו‬
‫ה‬
‫א‬:‫ישעי' נ‬
‫ו‬
(‫י‬:‫שנאמר "המה מהבל יחד" )תהלים סב‬
‫ז‬
‫יט‬:‫תהלים עב‬
‫ח‬
‫א‬:‫איכה ב‬
‫ט‬
‫ז‬:‫בראשית מח‬
‫י‬
‫יד‬:‫ירמיהו לא‬
‫יא‬
‫כ‬:‫משלי' ז‬ ‫ב‬
5