Daily Shiur for Hilulah of Rachel Emeinu by Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

IN HONOR OF THE HOLY HILULAH OF RACHEL EMEINU, HERE IS THE FULL DAILY SHIUR WHICH MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A GAVE OVER ON TUESDAY, THE NIGHT OF 6 KISLEV, AFTER MAARIV:

So Rachel did something terrible and shocking – simply, to do such an audacious act as this, that she took the [secret] signs between her and her groom and handed them over to another woman.  We haven’t heard of such a thing since the creation of the world.  No one would have the audacity to do such a thing.  No bride or fiancée would give the signs between herself and her groom to someone else.  This is also a betrayal of the groom – it’s one thing if you are willing to give in…

Have you gone crazy?  What happened to you!?  What, did you regret the match?  Why did you regret?  What happened here?  Something terrible and shocking!  We will mamash protest against this, hold a rally against this, a protest rally!  It’s impossible to stand such crimes.  This is against the Geneva Convention, Oslo, all the conventions.  How is it possible to do such a thing, to give the signs to someone else?  We’ve never heard or seen in history, in any book, in any story, in any nation, that a person relinquishes, to do such a thing, to give their groom to someone else.  There’s no such thing!  It never was and never existed.

Rather, the Ben Ish Chai says that all of this is a preparation for the redemption, that only in the merit of this, there will be the redemption.  Only in the merit of this, Hashem says to Mama Rachel, “Hold back you voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work” (Yirmiyahu 31:15).  This is that “work”!  That you relinquished everything!  Because now Esav would have taken her, abused her, and tortured her – the arch-murderer.  He murdered Nimrod.  Who didn’t he murder?  He murdered everyone.  Now he was going to murder Rachel.  She was going to fall in his portion.  She has no choice, she has no choice at all.  She relents on everything so that her sister won’t have a second of embarrassment.  What happened…?!  So there was a mistake here.  It will work out already.  They’ll tell her, “Your father is wicked and switched you.”  Rachel doesn’t need to agree to this.  Does she need to bring her [Leah] into her house with her own hands?  We’ve never heard of such a thing in any place in the world – there’s no such thing.  We must protest against this, to go with banners in the street and protest this injustice.  It’s impossible to tolerate such injustices.

But the Ben Ish Chai says that this is a preparation for the redemption, that Rachel says to the Kadosh Baruch Hu: “Just as I relented on everything, disregarded all the rules, went against all reason, against all logic, all for my sister’s sake, to protect my sister so that she wouldn’t suffer for even a single second…”  They would have said that, all in all, there was a mistake here and that’s it, and would have bought her some chocolates, and that’s it.  You don’t need for this to give over the [signs].  We’ve never heard of such a thing, to give one’s groom.  It never was and never existed, and also will never be!  Rather, all of this is a preparation for the redemption, that Rachel shows the Kadosh Baruch Hu that she is flesh and blood [and] she relents on everything for her sister’s sake.  So the Kadosh Baruch Hu also needs to relent on everything, like we say, “For the conductor, a psalm by David.  The heavens declare the glory of God…Who can discern mistakes?  Cleanse me from unperceived faults.  Also…”  Even deliberate sins – “Also from deliberate sins, restrain Your servant” and then “I will be cleansed of great transgression” (Tehilim 19).  That Hashem, in the merit of Rachel, forgives all deliberate sins that a person does, whether from all one’s incarnations and also what he will do; Hashem already forgives him in advance for everything in the merit of Rachel Emeinu.