Rachel’s Mesiras HaSimanim: Selflessness Beyond the Akeidah and the Zechus of Yissachar

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. Shalom Aleichem and Bruchim Habaim. In the Torah we find that Rachel Imenu selflessly gives over the simanim to her sister Leah, and with this Leah gets married to Yaakov, while Yaakov was thinking it was Rachel. Pasuk says, Vayehi baboker. It was in the morning, v'hinei hi Leah. He thought it was Rachel, but in the morning it was Leah. Says Rashi, famous Chazal, Avel balayla lo haysa Leah. By night it wasn't Leah. Who was it? It's mashma in the morning it was Leah. By night it was not Leah, and says Rashi, Lefi shemasrah Yaakov simanim l'Rachel. Yaakov gave simanim to Rachel. Here Rashi takes on that the simanim were given from Yaakov to Rachel. Soon we'll see a Medrash that was actually the reverse. It was Rachel who knew well who her father was. She knew well what kind of a liar, what kind of a cheat her father was, so she gave the simanim to Yaakov. Al kol panim, Rashi learns that the simanim were masar Yaakov simanim l'Rachel. Mefarshim tell us that the simanim were chanah, and that is hadlakas neiros. Challah and nidah, all the things that a woman has to keep, her mitzvahs in the home, those were the siman and chana. It was challah, nidah, and hadlakas neiros. U'kesherotze Rachel machnisin lo Leah. And when Rachel sees that they're putting Leah instead of her, אמרה, אחשוב תיכלם אחותי. Now I see my sister will be extremely embarrassed. עמדה ומסרה לה סימנים. So she got up and selflessly gave over the simanim to her sister to let her sister marry Yaakov. You look at the Midrashim, Chazal, we see that there was no greater story, no greater act than the mesiras simanim in the history of Klal Yisrael that gives us all our survival, the zechus of the mesiras simanim, the greatest thing, to the point that it is this act, the selfless act of Rachel Imeinu, that is our survival throughout the Galusin and keeps us alive throughout all the tzaros that we went through, through all the doros. There's a Midrash, the Midrash, some famous Midrash in the Pesikta, Ve'eicha Rabbah, Chavdaled: בשעה שחרב בית המקדש, the time when the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, בא אברהם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא. Avraham Avinu comes to the Ribono Shel Olam, boichu, mema'er ziknoi. He's crying, he's pulling out his hair, toeles saris rosho, the hair from his head, the hair from his beard, u'makeh es panav, and he's hitting himself on the face, v'kore'a es begadav, ואפר על ראשו. All the acts of mourning, v'haya mehalech b'veis hamikdash v'sofeid v'tzo'ek. He's screaming, he's crying. Amar lefanav, lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu, he says in front of the Ribono Shel Olam, מפני מה נשתניתי מכל אומה ולשון שבאתי בושה וחלימה זאת? Why, my children, the nation that comes from me, is different than all other nations, that such a busha, such a chlima, the tzaros of Klal Yisrael through the doros is unmatched, unparalleled to anything that any other nation has ever went through, and through acts of degradation. Churban was not only in pain and suffering, but it was in degradation. It was a busha and it was a chlima. And Avraham is asking by Borei Olam, why? What is galus Klal Yisrael? Why are they going through such suffering? Amar lei HaKadosh Baruch Hu, HaKadosh Baruch Hu answers, Banecha chatu. Your children sinned. Chataim, chataim hagorim churban and galus.

מיד פסח חברהם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא ואמר, ריבונו של עולם, למאה שנה נוסעתו לי בן, וכשאמר על דעתו, והיו בוכים בין שלושים ושבע שנים, אמרת לי העלהו לעולה. You gave me a child. I was a hundred years old waiting for this child. And when you finally gave him to me 37 years later, you tell me that I should go be makriv him as an olah. I should bring him up as a korban. And what did I do? I took this child, נעשיתי עליו כאכזר ולא רחמתי עליו. I was merciless. I didn't have any mercy. I was merciless, and I didn't have rachmanus, and I took him and I tied him up to be makriv. ולא תזכר לי זאת, ולא תרחם על בני. You don't have rachmanus on my children. I always understood the medrash to be saying, l'choira, it's not a midah k'neged midah. If he was merachem, so you could ask the Ribono Shel Olam, midah k'neged midah, have rachmanus. But he's saying, I was not merachem. I gave up my rachmanus. I overcame my rachmanus. So what is he asking Avraham Avinu in this place he should have rachmanus? I always understood that he was telling the Ribono Shel Olam the fact that I was not merachem and I gave up the rachmanus, I was makriv my rachmanus. I brought a korban. That korban was my rachmanus. That was also part of my korban. So use the korban of Rachmones. Use the sacrifice of the Rachmones as a korban to be mechaper and to be merachem on Klal Yisrael. And yet we see that it did not move the Eibishter. The Ribono Shel Olam was not moved by it. It wasn't enough of a zechus for Klal Yisrael to be saved. Comes Yitzchak. Pasach Yitzchak v'amar. Yitzchak Avinu comes, and he says, Ribono shel olam, k'she'amar li Abba, Elohim yir'eh lo ha'seh l'olah b'ni. My father said, I'm going to be the korban. Le'kafti al varecha v'nekadti b'ratzon libi. I went with my own free will, willingly I went, to be an akeidah, to be a korban. That's a zechus. Can't that zechus save my children, Klal Yisrael? Pasach Yaakov v'amar. Yaakov Avinu starts to talk. Ribono olamim, lo yasham shanah amadti b'veis Lavan, u'k'sheyatza'si mi'beiso, paga bi Esav ha'rasha. You know how much yissurim I had, and nevertheless I learned Torah, and nevertheless I was emes l'Yaakov. I don't have enough zechus to save Klal Yisrael. Pasach Moshe v'amar. Then Moshe Rabbeinu chimes in and he says, Lo ro'ah ne'eman ha'Yisrael. Was I not a loyal, a loyal leader? V'ratzisi lifneihem k'sus ba'midbar. I went like a horse. Without any question, without, with diligence, with strength, I went like a horse to do and lead Klal Yisrael in the midbar. Is that not enough of a zechus? And the answer was silence. The Ribono Shel Olam is not moved by all of this. Comes Rachel Imeinu lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu, v'omrah, she says, Ribono shel olam, galui lefanecha sheYaakov avdecha ahavtani ahavah yeseirah. You know that Yaakov loved me, v'avad bishvili, and he worked for me sheva shanim, for seven years. And u'kesheh shilam osah sheva shanim, v'higia zmana libali, yaatz avi lachlifeni l'Bali. He wanted to switch me. Mishvil achosi, v'hikshah alai hadavar me'od. I had a very difficult to accept, to see that my sister would have to go through this embarrassment. And here the Chazal, like I explained to you in the Rashi, are arguing the way Rashi learns, that it was Yaakov who gave Rachel the simanim. And here Chazal are telling us that it's actually Rachel, u'masarti lo simanim. Rachel says clearly, I was the one who gave him the simanim to Yaakov, sheYaakov beni uven achosi, k'dei shelo yuchal l'hachlifeni.

Person my father is. I knew my father's scheme. ולאך כן ניחמתי בעתמי, וסבלתי תאוותי וריחמתי על אחי. I've held myself. I controlled my urge. I wanted to marry Yaakov. I controlled that urge. ניחמתי בעצמי וסבלתי תאוותי וריחמתי על אחי שלא תצא לו חרפה. And I gave over the simanim, and like the famous Chazal, I stayed underneath the bed. And when Yaakov was talking to, officially, me, it was really Leah, I was answering from underneath the bed. Ribbono shel olam. So Klal Yisrael, what did they do? They brought an avodah zarah into the Beis Hamikdash. Ribbono shel olam, this zechus that I gave the simanim should be mechaper, should cover over, should be a zechus to protect Klal Yisrael from their aveirah. And as yadua, Ribbono shel olam is moved to Rachel's request, to Rachel's tefillah, to Rachel's bakashah. Miyad nisgalgel rachamav shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu, ve'amar, 'Bishvil Rachel ani machzir Yisrael limkomam,' u'chsiv, 'V'yesh tikvah.' Hope. Klal Yisrael's hope throughout all the tzaros, throughout all the galus, is Rachel's act of mesiras simanim v'shavu banim ligvulam, yadua famous Midrash. So we see clearly that the kiyum of Klal Yisrael throughout all the galus, throughout all the difficulties, throughout the doros. There's zechus hakiyum is the mesiras simanim. It's yedua, the question everyone asks: but why akeidah was the akeidah not enough? Why did the akeidah not come as the zechus to protect Klal Yisrael? Avraham is saying, Ribono Shel Olam, I took my child. A hundred years I waited for this child, and I took the child and I made an akeidah. I bound him. Can you imagine a father needs to bind the child because the Ribono Shel Olam had to be... It's a tremendous zechus akeidah. Rosh Hashanah, we talk about the zechus akeidah. Rosh Hashanah, we're maskir the zechus akeidah. We don't stop mentioning and we don't stop bringing up the zechus of the akeidah. And yet, the akeidah didn't move the Ribono Shel Olam, but the simanim. We don't mention the simanim of Rachel on Rosh Hashanah. We don't ask b'schus the simanim. What is it in the simanim, in the mesiras simanim, which is, lichora, a greater zechus to protect Klal Yisrael in zman of churban, in the times of galus, more than the akeidah? Akeidah, sacrifice. It's an unbelievable sacrifice, Avraham's sacrifice, Yitzchak's sacrifices. Yet it's still not the zechus of Klal Yisrael, of survival through the galus. Mesiras simanim, that the Ribono Shel Olam says, miyad nizgalgel rachamav shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu. What is so special about the mesiras simanim, that this is Klal Yisroel's protection, this is Klal Yisroel's act that they come with and gives them the kiyum throughout the galus? So an interesting kli yakar, rabosai. After the mesiras simanim, we don't find that Yaakov is angry at Rachel. Another person, he makes up with a wife, a future wife, simanim, that this is a private thing between a husband and a future wife, and that it should protect, that she should be the one that he marries, and she freely, true, with a good cheshbon, but freely gives it over to Leah. We don't find he's angry. As a matter of fact, the pasuk says that as soon as he marries Rachel, right after he marries Leah, the pasuk says, Vaye'ehav gam es Rachel miLeah. He loves Rachel gam, also, from Leah. Do you mean to say that he loves Rachel more than Leah? To say he loves Yoiser, he loves her more. He had more...

Ahava terachel. What does it mean, gam es Rachel? He loves gam also Rachel miLeah, says the Kli Yakar, hafla v'fela. What, he loves Rachel even more, not only because she's Rachel and what he saw in Rachel when he met her by Yishak Yaakov l'Rachel, he saw the kedushah of Rachel, but even more now he loves Rachel, miLeah for what she did for Leah. The fact that she gave over the simanim is what Yaakov loves in. Not only is he not angry at her, he loves her even more because of what she does for Leah, the sacrifice, the selflessness, the tzidkus. What do we see? That to Yaakov it was ahavah teluyah b'davar. What does he love about Rachel? He loves about Rachel, her gufa, that she gave the simanim. The giving of the simanim itself is what he loves. This is the kedushah of Rachel. What is Rachel? Who is Rachel? Who is Mama Rachel? Mama Rachel is mesiras ha-simanim, her kedushah, her essence, her greatness. Her greatness is the mesiras ha-simanim. This defines Rachel, and this is what Yaakov Avinu is in ahavah for Rachel. He is in love with Rachel for this. What is the zechus? What is the zechus? Of the mesiras simanim, which directly protects Klal Yisroel from the bonecha chatu, it's mechaper directly on the bonecha chatu. So, kipshuto, you could say that what was the bonecha chatu? That they brought Sarah litoch beiso shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The avodah zarah is like a tzarah; it's like a second wife, so to speak, to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. And they brought, hichnisu, the tzarah, and that's what really the Medrash says, that it's true, hichnisu tzarah l'beisecha, but I also brought in. I also brought in a tzarah. I also brought in a second wife, my sister. In order not to embarrass her, I accepted, and I even facilitated that we should bring in this tzarah to the bayis. And yet, I was not mekaneh. As the lashon of the Medrash, not mekaneh means I wasn't jealous. We find that in punishment for avodah zarah, the pasuk says clearly that it's, v'kina Hashem. Hashem is mekaneh. Kinah is a lashon of striking with anger, which is really rooted in the word kinah, which is really rooted in the word kinah, of kana Kinaisi, we find by Pinchas, kana Kinaisi, Hashem, kinah, mekaneh. So we could come and say that it was a midah keneged midah ta'ina: Ribono shel olam, I too brought in Sarah l'beisi, and this was to be a baalas chesed, not to hurt my sister. So if Klal Yisroel brings Sarah, they bring an avodah zarah into the Beis Hamikdash, which was the ta'ina. I wasn't mekaneh. You don't be mekaneh; kinah, anger, taking the revenge, and therefore it's midah keneged midah, and that's the pshat how this mesiras simanim is mechaper. It fixes. It's the tikkun, it's the zechus for the ponecha chatu. L'choira, that's the pshatava in the Medrash, kipshuto. Tzara, tzara. Klal Yisrael brought a tzara, an avodah zarah, into the Beis HaMikdash. Rachel says, I also brought tzara into the Beis, into my home. I wasn't mekaneh, jealous, so you don't be mekaneh, take revenge, midah keneged midah. So l'choira, according to this, which is really meduyak in the Medrash, it's not that the mesiras simanim was a greater act and a greater tzidkus than the akeidah, but it fits the tikkun that was needed. The tikkun was the tzara b'toch habayis and the kinah that she wasn't mekaneh. So that fixes the avodah zarah in the Beis HaMikdash with the lo...

Kanosh Hashem. Hashem shouldn't take revenge. But eina chanami, maybe the akeidah is greater. And that's on Rosh Hashanah, we talk about the akeidah and not necessarily the mesiras simanim, that's chus. But we could come and say possibly that the mesiras simanim, in a certain angle, from a certain tzad, is greater than the akeidah. The akeidah is an act of hisorerus at a moment. The person is moved. The person is moved to do an akeidah, selfless, to give up his life. But how about living day with sacrifice, with the difficulty of your decision of the middah or the maaseh tzidkus that you do? That's very different than just being nisoyer. A lot of times people are moved to make a moment's decision to be moser nefesh. Mesiras simanim means that possibly she would marry Esav and her life was over, and she would have to live with this decision her whole life, not being married to Yaakov, giving it up to Leah. That possibly is a greater zechus. Mefarshim talk: what is the bigger zechus, Avraham's zechus in the akeidah or Yitzchok's zechus in the akeidah? In the lashon of the tefillah Rosh Hashanah we say that, Ribbono Shel Olam, we ask You should remember, l'Zaro shel Avraham b'rachamav tizkor, b'Akeidas Yitzchok l'Zaro. And there's two girsaos. Either l'Zaro is going back on Yitzchok, or l'Zaro is l'Zaro shel Avraham. Who's the bigger zechus Akedah? We know the nisayon is Avraham's, but the zechus might be Yitzchak's. He gave up his life. Or maybe it's actually the zechus of Avraham, because Yitzchak was at a moment to give up for the Ribono Shel Olam, while Avraham had to live his whole life. He would have to live his whole life with the decision that he gave up his son. It's harder, rabosai, to live daily with mesiras nefesh than once to make up an act of mesiras nefesh. Rachel's mesiras nefesh was something she would have to live with the rest of her life. The problem with this is, then you have Avraham. Avraham had to live with the zechus. Why, when Avraham asks for the zechus of the Akedah to protect Klal Yisrael, is it not enough? Avraham would have to live with this his whole life. So bishlema Yitzchak, we have a teretz why his zechus Akedah was not enough. But Avraham? Avraham would have to live his whole life that way. So maybe, mekantrachn tzu zogn, the Beis Halevi once said something, an interesting observation. You come to the rav, and the rav says that the beheima is a safek treifah. It could be thousands of dollars, a beheima. The person has no question, he has no issue, he'll throw the beheima out. Treif, ever tesn treif? Who's going to eat something which is a safek, questionable if it's kosher? Yet a person could fight with another person over a hundred dollars, and fight till the bitter end. And if the rav says he's wrong and he owes the money, he gets angry at the rav. The same person was ready to throw out because the rov told him that it's safek treif, he's ready to throw out a thousand dollars. While the person could, two days later, come and fight and get angry and become a tumult against the rov because of a hundred dollars. Says the Beis Halevi, the answer is very simple. It's easier to throw out the thousand dollars than to give up to the other person a hundred dollars. So falirn, dos iz midah he's ready for. So falirn tzi yenem, to give up to the other person, that takes a lot. Most people can't handle that. So we could come and say that it's true that Avraham was ready to be moser nefesh. The akeidah, the zechus ha'akeidah is an unbelievable zechus. But the Rachel was not only moser nefesh, giving up hers, but giving up hers to Yenem, her sister. That's an unbelievable mesiras nefesh. It's one thing to give up, to sacrifice, but az yenem, that someone else should get what you think is really coming to you, that's an unbelievable mesiras nefesh. And I want to tell the oilem, rabboisai,

There's a medrash Tanchuma, which is eye-opening and surprising. I don't know how many people know this medrash, but it's often a medrash Tanchuma and a Yalkut. Vayera, kuf aleph. The Yalkut says, Vayelchu shneihem yachdav. I quote you the loshon because I'm almost afraid to say over the loshon of the Chazal, misquoting even one syllable. So I'll read it exactly the way the Chazal stated. Yalkut: Vayelchu shneihem yachdav. Vayelchu shneihem yachdav. But they both went, says the Yalkut, the medrash, ze l'Akeidah v'ze l'akeid. Avraham went ready to sacrifice, and Yitzchok went ready to get sacrificed, l'akeid. Bo haSatan etzel Yitzchak. The Satan came to talk to Yitzchak. The Satan came to put in his mind doubt. V'amar lei, and he tells him, Shekol prugiyos she'asi imech liYishmael, sani d'beisa yarusa? Whatever your mother made for you, the jackets, the coats, all the things she knitted, those beautiful mother knits and does and makes for her child, are you ready that Yishmael should get? You get—if you get killed by the Akeidah, who's going to get it? Yishmael is going to get it. Shteit in Medrash, hado hu d'chsiv, vayomer avi, avi. Why is he saying twice, Avi, avi? Shnei pe'amim k'dei sheyismaleh. All of Rachamim. He was trying to awaken rachamim in Avraham Avinu. He shouldn't be makriv him. He shouldn't do the akeidah. Even Yitzchak had second doubts of the akeidah. He was ready to sacrifice himself. He was ready to go al kiddush Hashem. But if it meant that Yishmael would get his belongings, he had second doubts. It's an open Medrash, rabosai. Even in the zechus ha'akeidah, yes, it's sacrifice, avada, but sacrifice for Yishmael? Even Yitzchak had a hard time with that. A Rachel Imeinu was jumped in to do that, to sacrifice, to give up her husband and to give up possibly her whole life, being married to an Eisav. And not only just to sacrifice it, but to give it to Leah, to give him Yenim. Dos is a mesiras nefesh, hafla of a fellow. The kasha: akeidah, meiridig, akeidah is unbelievable. Why is the akeidah not enough, the zechus? Why is the mesiras simanim the zechus of Klal Yisrael, the havtachah and the shmirah of Klal Yisrael? And the answer is, because could be the mesiras simanim is possibly a greater sacrifice, a greater mesiras nefesh. It's giving of oneself even more than the akeidah. Both Avraham's part of the akeidah and Yitzchak's. Yitzchak, maybe it was a one-second decision. He was nisnaseh, he was nisoyer, and Avraham truly had to live his whole life that way. And still, the mesiras simanim is more, because mesiras simanim is to give to the other person. A veg geben, a veg geben, to give away to the other person. Ad das is half of a fellow mesiras nefesh. It's an unbelievable mesiras nefesh. Rabosai, I want to add to the understanding of the mesiras simanim another peledike medrash. It's a medrash Tanchuma. Actually, Rachel, she gave the simanim with personal cheshbones. There was a personal cheshbon there too. Even when Rachel selflessly gave the simanim, there was some alternative reason, personal, that went into it. What was the cheshbon? Zogt the Tanchuma, she made a cheshbon that if Leah does not end up marrying Yaakov this night, she doesn't give the simanim, the whole thing falls apart, Lavan is going to throw Yaakov out of the house. He's going to be roidef him away. He's going to push him.

And she'll never get to marry Yaakov. Like this, tonight she'll marry Leah, he'll marry Leah, and later on Yaakov will marry her. So with her wisdom, and the truth is, you see clearly that she was right. Shetakah chachmah, a peldike chachmah on Rachel. It's going to klug a mah. She made the cheshbon that if Leah does not marry Yaakov tonight and it falls apart, Yaakov is gone, and she'll never get a chance to marry Yaakov. Like this, there's a chance which ended up happening. So then again, the mesiras simanim was with a personal calculated cheshbon. So what's the gadlus of the mesiras simanim? Medachtzach, rabosai, that the Teretz answers this kasha as well. Afilu zogt min hasida, a personal cheshbon within the whole story, within the entire mesiras simanim there was a personal negiah there, but it's still a tremendous mesiras nefesh to give to the other person. It's a peldike thing. Most of her intent was not to embarrass her sister. And with this, to not embarrass her sister, she went as far as giving away everything to her sister, even if deep down somewhere she calculated a cheshbon for herself, a personal... but it takes a tremendous mesiras nefesh, rabosai. Even if chachma, even if wisdom dictates to give to the other person, still giving to the other person is a mesiras nefesh. And if it was done with mostly the cheshbon not to embarrass her, it's a tzedkus. It's a zchus, a selflessness, which is something that needs to be recorded, l'dorei doros, to protect Klal Yisrael. We're learning a meiredike zach, abeisai. We're delving into uncovering the tzedkus and the kedusha of the mesiras simanim. And as we see from Chazal, this is Klal Yisrael's ticket, so to speak, to kiyum, to exist, regardless of what Klal Yisrael is chayiv to go through. They must go through. They have the zchus of the mesiras simanim. And this is what Yaakov sees in Rochel, the mama Rochel. She is so selfless that this is Rochel, and this is her kedusha, and this is what he loves about her. And if you unravel it, and if you take off the layers of it, Chazal are telling us that it's even a greater act of mesiras nefesh than the Akeidah. Akeidah person, a father, is giving up a child. A child is letting himself be sacrificed like a beheima, like an animal. And willingly they go to do this. The mesiras simanim is even more. And even as we explained from the Chazal that it was with the wisdom that she gave it to Leah. She had a self-interest. There was a self... yeah, but with all the self-interest and with all the chachmah, to be moser nefesh that night not to wear the wedding dress and have Leah wear that wedding dress, and to see Leah wearing that wedding dress, and to think, I'm doing it so my sister shouldn't get embarrassed. Yeah, I'm avades with a cheshbon, otherwise Yaakov is gone. Understood, medrash. But still, it's a sacrifice. It's a geben tza shvester. It's a geben tza yenem, to give what's yours to somebody else. You know, rabosai, I saw a sefer Me'eilitz Yosher. It's a beautiful sefer from Reb Ruvein Melamed, zecher tzaddik livrachah, the mashgiach of Yeshivas Ponovezh l'zeirim. He says three pshatim in why the mesiras simanim was greater than the Akedah. The first pshat he says is that the midah keneged midah is that she's...

To the Rabbeinu Shloilam, iz kumt mir. Yaakov is mine, rightfully so. And I overlooked what was rightfully so. I overlooked, and I said that I'm going lifnei mishuras hadin. The din is, is that, it's my husband and not. And if you look at the Medrash, it's meduyik in the Medrash. Medrash says, he loved me, he worked for me. That's what Rochel keeps on bringing up. Why? She's taining, it's mine, it's my husband. He loved me. He worked for me. So al pi din. Yeah, but I went lifnim mishuras hadin. So Rabbeinu Shloilam, even if tzedek, even if din, iz kumt klal Yisroel that they should have churban because banecha chatu, I ask that you should go lifnim mishuras hadin. That's the first pshat that he says. And like I say, it's very much meduyik, his pshat in the lashon of the Medrash. He doesn't bring this dikduk in the lashon of the Medrash, but it's very meduyik that Rochel's taining in din kumt mir. Un oi, in din kumt mir, so I went lifnim mishuras hadin. You go lifnim mishuras hadin too with Klal Yisroel. Rabbeinu Shloilam, too lifnim mishuras hadin. Pshat one. Pshat two, he says is that she's taining, Rabbeinu Shloilam, the busha of Klal Yisroel. I went to protect the busha of my sister, so you protect the busha of Klal Yisroel and not go through with the churban and all the embarrassment and all the degradation that Klal Yisroel is going to have to go through in the churban and the galus. This, l'choira, is also meduyik, because Avraham Avinu, remember when we read the Medrash, Avraham Avinu is taining, why is my nation, why are my children busha? Why are they getting, the lashon of the Medrash, Vayemahalech b'veis hamikdash v'tzo'ek, v'tzo'ek, amar lifnei HaKadosh Baruch Hu, b'shmei nishtanisi miKol umah v'lashon. Shebasi lidei busha uchlima hazos. So you see that part of the request is not only the death and tzaaris of the Churban, but the bushah of the Churban, the chlimah of the Churban, to which Rachel's tefillah is midah k'neged midah. Now I cared and I tried to protect, and I was zoiche here in the bushah and chlimah of my sister, and I gave up the simanim, so, Ribono Shel Olam, protect Klal Yisrael from the bushah and the chlimah. That second pshat of the Meilitz Yosher, Reb Reuven Lemel Zechatzal, is meduyak in the medrash from the beginning of that medrash. He says a third pshat, Reb Reuven Melamed in Meilitz Yosher, a third pshat. He says there's an interesting Gra, the goyen on the pasuk in Mishlei, Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah or, v'derech chayim tochachas musar. It's a pasuk. So he says that the goyen learns pshat, ner mitzvah — a mitzvah, it's tremendous, it's light, Torah or. But where is the trick? Where is the shevira? Where is it that it takes a tremendous mesiras nefesh and an effort? Tochachas musar, derech chayim. That's the way of life. Baalei mussar, in the name of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, it's easier to learn. Ganz shas, than to break a beis midah, to overpower a taiva that you want. Avodah, Torah. And he says, Givaldig, Avraham was chesed mitzvahs, and Yitzchok was tefillah davening, and Avraham Avinu is, and Yaakov Avinu is Torah. Yet this is not enough. This is not enough that the Ribono Shel Olam should say, I'm going to overlook, and I'm going to be not pay attention to what's Klal Yisroel. What is it that will make me overlook? That Rochel. Rochel's teichachas Chaim is derech Chaim, teichachas mussar. Sheviras hamidos. Rochel is the shvirah.

Middos. And that is maybe greater than learning, davening, and chesed. It's a brechen, to break yourself, to break oneself. Middos, shviras hamiddos. And I believe that that's the pshat, Kol hamavir al middosav, ma'avirin lo kol peshav. The chet, eigel, the Ribono Shel Olam needs a zechus of ma'avir al hamiddos, because when a person is ma'avir on the middos, the Ribono Shel Olam is ma'avir on the chet, and that was Rochel. Rochel was ma'avir al hamiddos. Avadah, Avraham is saying Akeidah, and Avraham is taining all the chesadim, and Yitzchok is taining Akeidah and all the davening, and Yaakov is taining all the Torah and emes. But who's the ma'avir al hamiddos that will give the children, that will give Klal Yisroel the ma'avirin lo kol peshav? That's Rochel. Rochel is the symbol of ma'avir al hamiddos. And if you look at the lashon of the Medrash, the Medrash actually says that Rochel Imeinu said, V'ikachti, the lashon of the Medrash that we mentioned, the Medrash says that Rochel Imeinu said, Rochel Imeinu says, U'masarti la'achosi. I gave to my sister. What was that? The lashon of the Medrash is, V'savalti, nichamti b'atzmi, v'savalti es tza'arosi. So again, in the Medrash you see this lashon: I was sovel, which means I was ma'avir. I stopped what I wanted. I gave up something that I want. The hardest thing is to give up what you want, and not only to give it up, but to give it up to the other person. That's the greatest mesiras nefesh. Sovalti is a Yiddish loshon in the Medrash, Sovalti es tavosi. It's a chainhalten. It's a chainhalten. It's a pashut Yiddish loshon. Rachel Imeinu is saying, Sovalti es tavosi. I want it so much, and I stopped. And I was able to hold myself back, to mevater on my dosai, and to give it to my sister, not my tzeitel, my shvester. It's a peldige thing. This is the mavir al middosav, which the Ribono Shel Olam says is going to be the mavirin lo kol peshaav of Klal Yisrael. The Gemara seems to say that the ma'alah of the mesiras simanim is actually not rachmanus, even though the loshon of the Medrash is that Rachel's tinya, chat rachmanus, you have rachmanus, Ribono Shel Olam, on Klal Yisrael. The Gemara in Megillah, daf yud-gimmel amud beis, is mashma that it was a tznius. It was a certain modesty that Rachel had, and in this zechus, that's the zechus of the mesiras simanim. The Gemara says clearly that because Rachel had its tznius, yatza mimena. This tznius, that she didn't speak out, she didn't say that she gave over the simanim, it was a private thing, and she didn't say anything. She let it go. That itself is the ma'alah of the mesiras simanim, that because of that, she had a Shaul HaMelech. That Shaul also, when he became the king, didn't say anything, lehigid his dvar hamalchus. He didn't say that he was the melech. Binyamin, yesh peh. He knew about Yosef. He didn't speak. All her children are people who have tznius, and they don't reveal secrets. Binyamin knew with Yosef, and he didn't say anything. He never told his father because he had a tznius. Frek the Rashash, wait a minute, is it because of rachmanus, mesiras simanim, or is it tznius, mesiras simanim? What is the underlying tzidkus of the mesiras simanim, frek the Rashash? It's a stirah in the Gemara. רבותי, ... הפשט is ... What is tznius? Tznius is that a person is selfless. You know, in a room where a person is loud, why is he loud? He's loud because he's all about himself. When a person...

Person is selfless. That means he's unidentifiable. You don't hear from him because he's selfless. The midah of rachmanus and the midah of tznius is two sides of the same coin. The shoresh of rachmanus is really to be selfless. It's to give of oneself and to care so much about the other person that tznius comes from the same thing. It's selfless. This is the yesod of the tznius, the mesiras simanim, the rachmanus. I want to tell you over something very interesting. There's a maiseh, and I always think about this maiseh. It's something very interesting. You know, in the Mir Yeshiva today, thousands of people are learning, and there's a piece between each of the magidei shiurim and the talmidei chachamim. Whoever comes to the yeshiva, they're happy for that person to one day become a magid shiur or to have a chaburah in Olam that's sitting and learning underneath the person, almost unheard of. Normally there's yeshivos, and each one has his position, and he's somewhat concerned that no one else should get. Here it's selfless. Where does that come from? I believe that the shoresh of it is the even hapinah of the Mir Yeshiva. It started by the groundbreaking. What do I mean by the groundbreaking? It's brought down that Reb Leizer Yudel Finkel, zecher tzaddik livrachah, Reb Leizer Yudel, Mir Yeshiva from Europe, he sent a letter to his father, the Alter, that the bachurim yeshiva want Reb Yerucham, the mashgiach, to become the mashgiach, Reb Yerucham, famous heilige mashgiach, Reb Yerucham. Should he take Reb Yerucham? Now, Reb Leizer Yudel was more of a serene, more tzanua, more quiet. Reb Yerucham was a tremendous personality. Bachurim like Rosh Yeshiva that will lead, a mashgiach that will lead. Reb Leizer Yudel was more nechpal hakeilim. He was more hidden. It's interesting, his father, the Alter, never signed his name. He would sign hatzafun. That's where the name of the sefer, Or Hatzafun, comes from, the light of—what's tzafun? Of course the name Finkel is in there, but tzafun means the hidden one. He never signed his name because he was hidden. Tzanua, there was a tznius, and Reb Leizer Yudel was yoirish this tznius. So he's asking his father in a letter, should he take Reb Yerucham, who is a dynamic personality? The bachurim want him. The Alter, zecher tzaddik, v'kadosh livrachah, wrote back, If you take Reb Yerucham for the bachurim, it's the best thing. For you, it's the worst thing. You're going to lose the yeshiva. For the bachurim, it's meyridik; for them, for their aliyah ruchni, it's unbelievable to have Reb Yerucham. Reb Yerucham. He could lead them in ruchniyus, but for you, not such a good thing, because you're going to lose the yeshiva. You're not Reb Yerucham's personality, his dynamic, his charisma. Tell me, rabosai, Reb Leizer Yudel take? Did he take the mashgiach, Reb Yerucham? And the answer is, of course. History records; we know what the history is. Selflessly, atzafun. He was hidden. There was a tznius. What was the tznius? It was selfless. And the selfless, he was able to give to somebody else. He was able to give the reins and the kavod and the honor and the position. This is the Chazal, the tznius of Rachel was the shoresh of the rachmanus of Rachel. She was selfless. There was no Rachel. That's the pshat in the Chazal. She was able to give Leah. How could she give Leah the position, so to speak? How could she give Leah? Chazal are telling us, avadeh it was rachmanus, but where is this rachmanus rooted in? It's rooted in a tremendous tznius.

Selflessness. Modesty of, I don't exist. This is why she's called Mama Rachel. Why is she called the mother Rachel? Chazal say that the Eibishter tells back to Rachel, Imeinu, veshavu banim ligvulam. Wait a minute. Rachel's not the mother of Klal Yisrael. She actually only had two out of the twelve shevatim. So Leah is actually more mother of Klal Yisrael. So what's the veshavu banim? It's veshavu bneihem, Leah's children. So the truth is it doesn't say veshavu bonecha. I hear that. It says veshavu banim. It doesn't say. So banim, it could mean all of Klal Yisrael. And Klal Yisrael, af al pi shechata, is banim heim, and maybe that's what it means. Veshavu banim, that Klal Yisrael, no matter what, that they were chayt, they're still banim, and they're going to come back. But efshar banim taka means your children, because Rachel was akeres habayis. Rachel was taka Mama Rachel even for who? For the other shevatim as well. She was selfless. It wasn't about her. It wasn't about her children. It was about Klal Yisrael. It was about the home. Rachel was the quintessential mother. She was the Mama Rachel, the selfless. A mother who was selfless. There is no Mama Rachel. Where is Mama Rachel buried? Not with the rest of the family in the Mearas Hamachpeilah. No. She's buried not with everybody. Mama Rochel's not there. Mama Rochel isn't with everyone. Mama Rochel doesn't exist. Obviously, mama Rochel is separate. What is Mama Rochel? Al eim haderech. Today we know Maras Machpelah, it's a big thing, but you see clearly that Yankev Avinu almost had to be misnatzel. He had to explain himself away, hayitachen he didn't take Rochel to the Maaras Hamachpelah, and Yosef, don't be angry at me that I didn't take her to the Maaras Hamachpelah, I buried her al haderech. Today we know Maaras Hamachpelah is a landmark, but in the lashon of the Chazal, it seems like it was al haderech. It was just a krah that we just buried her. Agav orcha, literally, agav, the orcha, the way, was just on the way, b'derech lavo, and he's explaining, Yosef, don't be angry at me for doing that. But that really goes to the essence of Rochel Imeinu. She's al haderech. She's not tofes makom. She's not tofes makom. There is no Rochel. Rochel is wherever her children need her. That's where Rochel is. If Rochel is needed for her children to be b'derech lavo, yefroso, so that's where Rochel is. Mama Rochel of Klal Yisrael, she was taka the mama of Klal Yisrael. She's the selfless. She gives up her husband and her life for the sake of the bayis, for the sake of Klal Yisrael. What does Ima, does is the mama, does is Mama Rochel. That's the mesiras simanim. And with this. With this greatness, this zechus, the zechus of this act is the kiyum of Klal Yisrael throughout the doros. With this, I think we could say a meyridike teretz to a very strong question. We all know the story of the dudaim. Reuven brings dudaim, right? The whole story with the dudaim. She gives Leah with the dudaim, right? So Rachel gives up Yaakov, lachein yishkav imach. You'll go sleep with... The dudaim is able to give children. Leah starts screaming at Rachel, Hame'at kachtech es אישי, v'lakaches gam es dudai bni? I don't understand. You want to take, Reuven? Reuven, my son brought these dudaim. You stole my husband, now you're going to steal my dudaim? You're going to steal these flowers? It's supposed to have some zechus, some segulah, there was something special about these flowers. Habeisai, it says later that Yissachar was born from that union with Yaakov and Leah that night. And then it says afterwards, Vayizkor Elokim es Rachel. The Ribono Shel Olam remembers Rachel. Chazal tell us, what did Hashem remember Rachel?

He remembered to give her a child because he remembered that she gave over the siman. Rashi. So after the entire birth of all the shvatim, all the children of Leah, all of a sudden we find the story, Vayizkor. The Ribono Shel Olam remembers Rachel. What does he remember about Rachel? He remembers that she gave the simanim, and he gives. So remember it right away. When she gave the simanim, she should have had a child right away. It's a gevaldige kasha. Why only after the story with the dudaim and Yissachar is born, after that, oh, Vayizkor, the Ribono Shel Olam remembers the simanim? The simanim was way before this. It should have been right away, Vayizkor, that night that Rachel marries Yaakov. The Ribono Shel Olam should have said, I remember that you gave the simanim to Leah. Habeis haefsher kemen zogen a taitch. Rachel hears the way Leah screams at her, Hame'at kachtechi es ishi? You stole my husband. It's not enough? Tell me, who stole whose? What's Leah talking about? Rachel selflessly gives up her husband with the simanim, and years later Leah screams to her, You stole my husband. Vos redt zi? Vos tut zich op do? What's she saying? Mefarshim say that Rachel behaved in such a way that Leah didn't even understand that it was originally supposed to Yaakov to Rachel, and Rachel gave it up. That was the way, the atmosphere. That was the— Gisha, the approach that Rachel took, that she didn't even do anything. It was actually Leah was your husband to begin with, to the point that Leah could even, for lack of a better term, audacity, and I don't mean it, chas v'shalom, I mean it with all the respect due, the audacity to scream, Hama'at kachtechi es ishi, anander volt geshrien, Vos redstu? What are you talking about? All the years, I don't say anything. Now you yell at me. I gave you the— I was the one who gave you Yaakov. I don't say a word, and all of a sudden you yell at me, Hama'at kachtechi es ishi. And what is Rachel's response to that? Nothing. Good, lachein yishkav imach halailah, take him again tonight. And the answer is that the mesiras simanim was— it came to a fruition, to its final conclusion at this point, where she gave it so selflessly. She gave it so selflessly that even Leah doesn't chap. And then when Leah yells at her, You stole my husband, she doesn't say anything, says Rebbi Yehoshua. And I want to tell you something interesting. The child that was born from that union was Yissachar. There's a פלאדיג חידא. The Chida brings down in Kisei David— it's a very interesting Chida— zogt the Chida that why Yissachar? Why was that the name that the Ribono Shel Olam planted in Leah's head to call this child that was born in this union after the back and forth, Hama'at kachtechi es ishi? So Yaakov lives with Leah, and then the child that's born is Yissachar. Says the Chida, brings from Reb Leizer Gamaiza, a Rishon, Yissachar is the gematria of Rachel, Masros, Simanim, Uleah. Yissachar is Rachel, Masros, Simanim, Uleah, and he brings from Reb Leizer Gamaiza that the Ribono Shel Olam was reminding her, You're saying, Amat kachtech es ishi? What are you talking about? It's all Rachel. You are here now, and all the shevatim that you have is because of Rachel. So every time she calls Yissachar by his name, it's a memory, it's a reminder of who was matkachtech es ishi, of who. I always say that could be that's the pshat: Ki yesh sachar li'pe'ulasech. The Ribono Shel Olam tells Rachel, Yesh sachar li'pe'ulasech, Yissachar. This is where you're going to get your children. This is the zechus hamesiras hasimanim, is in the word Yissachar: Rachel, Masros, Simanim, Uleah. And when does it come to its peak?

Conclusion? When does the mesiras ha-simanim and its selflessness and its mesiras nefesh for Yenim, when does it come to its final conclusion, the peak of its greatness? The moment Leah screams, Amat kachti es ishi, which means Leah has no idea that Rochel gave, and Rochel still keeps quiet, not to embarrass her sister. Thus is the gadlus of the mesiras simanim, ki yeish sachar l'peulasech, amar Hashem. Hashem is saying, Rochel, simanim, the sechar, that's your greatness, and no one can match Mama Rochel in that greatness, in the shviras hamidos, in the mavrah hamidos, in the selflessness, in order not to embarrass her sister, not to embarrass somebody else. And this is the zechus that the Ribono Shel Olam, His rachmanus, He's misgalgel rachamav, Ribono Shel Olam should take the mesiras simanim in front of Him and be misgalgel His rachamim aleinu to redeem us and take us out of this galus, and we'll be zocheh to veshavu banim ligvulam. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.