Rachel Says to Hashem

In honor of the holy yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu, here is the complete daily lesson as delivered by The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, on Tuesday night, the eve of 6 Kislev—after Ma’ariv:

So Rachel did something awesome and terrifying—simply to do such a bold act: she took the private signs between her and her groom and handed them over to another woman. Such a thing has never been heard of since the creation of the world. No one ever dared to do such a thing. No bride and no fiancée would give the signs between her and her groom to someone else. It is also a betrayal of the groom. Fine—you’re willing to give up? Have you lost your mind…? What happened to you!? What—did you regret the match? Why are you backing out…? What is going on here? Something awesome and terrifying!

We would literally rise up against this. We would hold a rally against it—a protest rally! It’s impossible to tolerate such crimes and such… This is against the Geneva Convention, the Oslo Accords—all the conventions. How can someone do such a thing—give the signs to someone else? We never heard and never saw in any history, in any book, in any story of any nation, that a person would give up like this—do such a thing—hand over her groom to another woman. There is no such thing! It never was and it never will be.

Rather, the Ben Ish Chai says that all of this was preparation for the Geulah—that only in this merit will the Geulah come. Only in this merit does Hashem say to Mama Rochel: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your deed” (Yirmiyahu 31:15). This is the deed—this one! That you gave up everything!

Because now Esav would take her and abuse her, and afflict her. That murderer—he murdered Nimrod; whom didn’t he murder? He murdered everyone. Now he would murder Rachel. She would fall into his portion—she would have no choice, no free will at all. And she gives up everything so that her sister will not have even one second of shame.

What happened…?! There was a mistake here—things would work out; they would tell her, “Your father, the wicked one, switched you.” Rachel didn’t have to agree to this. Did she have to bring her into the home with her own hands!? We never heard of such a thing anywhere in the world—there is no such thing. We are obligated to protest this—to act, to go out with flags in the streets and protest this injustice. It’s impossible to tolerate such wrongs.

But the Ben Ish Chai says that this is preparation for the Geulah: that Rachel says to Hashem, “Just as I gave up everything—I went beyond all boundaries, I went against all logic, against all reason—everything was for my sister: to protect my sister, so she wouldn’t fall into pain for even one second.

After all, they could have said, ‘There was a mistake here,’ and that’s it—and buy her some chocolate, and that’s it. For this, you don’t need to hand over the [signs]. We never heard of such a thing—to hand over the groom. It never was, it never will be, and it won’t ever happen!”

Rather, all of this is preparation for the Geulah: Rachel shows Hashem that though she is flesh and blood, she still gives up everything for her sister—therefore Hashem must also forgo everything.

Just as we say: “For the conductor, a psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God… Who can discern errors? From hidden faults cleanse me. Also…”—even the willful sins—“Also from the arrogant, restrain Your servant”—and then, “Then I will be cleansed from great transgression” (Tehillim 19:1–14)—that Hashem, in the merit of Rachel, forgives all sins: whatever a person has done, no matter from all the reincarnations, and even what he will do—Hashem already forgives him retroactively for everything, in the merit of Rachel Imeinu.