Eliezer Meir Saidel: A Matriarch's Death – Vayishlach

 

וַתָּמָת דְּבֹרָה מֵינֶקֶת רִבְקָה וַתִּקָּבֵר מִתַּחַת לְבֵית אֵל תַּחַת הָאַלּוֹן וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ אַלּוֹן בָּכוּת  (בראשית לה, ח).

 

The Torah is very "ceremonious" when it describes the deaths of the Avot.

 

When Avraham dies, the Torah says –

 

וְאֵלֶּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר חָי מְאַת שָׁנָה וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים. וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמָת אַבְרָהָם בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה זָקֵן וְשָׂבֵעַ וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל עַמָּיו. וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בָּנָיו אֶל מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה אֶל שְׂדֵה עֶפְרֹן בֶּן צֹחַר הַחִתִּי אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי מַמְרֵא. (בראשית כה, ז-ט)

 

With Yitzchak –

 

וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי יִצְחָק מְאַת שָׁנָה וּשְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה. וַיִּגְוַע יִצְחָק וַיָּמָת וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל עַמָּיו זָקֵן וּשְׂבַע יָמִים וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עֵשָׂו וְיַעֲקֹב בָּנָיו. (בראשית לה, כח-כט)

 

Finally, with Yaakov –

 

וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וַיְהִי יְמֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵי חַיָּיו שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וְאַרְבָּעִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה. (בראשית מז, כח)... וַיְכַל יַעֲקֹב לְצַוֹּת אֶת בָּנָיו וַיֶּאֱסֹף רַגְלָיו אֶל הַמִּטָּה וַיִּגְוַע וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל עַמָּיו. (בראשית מט, לג)

 

Of all the three Avot, the passing of Yaakov was undoubtedly the most ceremonious. It was preceded by Yaakov blessing each of his 12 sons in turn and was followed by the elaborate description of Yaakov's funeral, the "embalming", the "state funeral", the order in which his sons surrounded and carried his coffin. According to one opinion in the Gemara (Ta'anit 5b), Yaakov did not physically die.

 

This is not the case with the Imahot.

 

The only Imahot who died "ceremoniously" were Sarah and Rachel.

 

With Sarah –

 

וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה. וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד לְשָׂרָה וְלִבְכֹּתָהּ. (בראשית כג, א-ב).

 

The Torah says how old Sarah was when she died (127), where she died and goes on to describe the whole episode surrounding her burial in Me'arat HaMachpeila.

 

With Rachel –

 

וַתָּמָת רָחֵל וַתִּקָּבֵר בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְרָתָה הִוא בֵּית לָחֶם. וַיַּצֵּב יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה עַל קְבֻרָתָהּ הִוא מַצֶּבֶת קְבֻרַת רָחֵל עַד הַיּוֹם. (בראשית לה, יט-כ)

 

The Torah does not even say how old Rachel was when she died (36), only where she is buried.

 

With Rivka and Leah, the Torah does not even mention their deaths, when they died, or at what age (Rivka 122, Leah 45). The Torah only tells us in a "by the way" reference, that they are buried in Me'arat HaMachpeila. When Yaakov asks his sons to bury him in Me'arat HaMachpeila, he says –

 

שָׁמָּה קָבְרוּ אֶת אַבְרָהָם וְאֵת שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ שָׁמָּה קָבְרוּ אֶת יִצְחָק וְאֵת רִבְקָה אִשְׁתּוֹ וְשָׁמָּה קָבַרְתִּי אֶת לֵאָה. (בראשית מט, לא)

 

With Bilha and Zilpa nothing is said at all in the Torah about their deaths and where they were buried. According to one opinion (ספר המסע של יעקב בן נתנאל הכהן) they are buried in the Kever Imahot in Teveria.

 

The glaring question is – "Why is there different treatment in the Torah for the Imahot and the Avot, in relation to their deaths? Surely all the Imahot deserve the same honorable obituaries in the Torah when they died, as did the Avot?

 

The reason I am discussing this topic here, is because, according to Chazal, Rivka's death is mentioned (indirectly) in this week's parsha.

 

On our above passuk וַתָּמָת דְּבֹרָה מֵינֶקֶת רִבְקָה, the Mefarshim ask why it was necessary to mention the death of Devorah, Rivka's wet nurse, one passuk before HKB"H appears to Yaakov and blesses him (בראשית לה, ט)?

 

Firstly, who was Devorah? According to one opinion (חזקוני), she was Rivka's wet nurse and when Eliezer returned with Rivka, Yitzchak's future wife, Devorah also accompanied them. According to another opinion (Targum Yonatan) she was Rivka's teacher, who raised her. It is possible that she was both.

 

Rashi and the Ramban, quoting the Midrash (ב"ר פא,ה; תנחומא כי תצא ד), tell us that Devorah was not the main focus of this passuk. Yes, Devorah died, but more importantly the death that the Torah is hinting at was Rivka's, that Rivka and Devorah died at the same time.

 

It was a very tough year for Yaakov. As they were returning to Eretz Yisrael, Rachel died giving birth to Binyamin. Shortly after, before he was able to reunite with his parents, Yaakov received word that Rivka his mother had also died. The Ramban proves this from the passuk וַיָּבֹא יַעֲקֹב אֶל יִצְחָק אָבִיו מַמְרֵא (בראשית לה, כז), that if Rivka was still alive, the passuk would have said אֶל אָבִיו וְאֶל אִמּוֹ.

 

According to Rashi, quoting the Tanchuma (above), the reason that the passuk omits any mention of Rivka's death was to not embarrass her, to prevent people cursing her because she gave birth to Eisav. However, the Ramban does not agree with this. The Ramban says that if this was the case, then why does the passuk (בראשית לה, כט), referring to Yitzchak's death, mention that he was buried by both Eisav and Yaakov? If mention of Eisav at all causes people to curse those who gave birth to him, then why is he mentioned as burying Yitzchak?

 

The Ramban goes on to explain the difference between the burial of Rivka and Yitzchak. Yitzchak could not attend Rivka's funeral because he was blind and housebound. Yaakov had not yet returned home. Rivka did not want Eisav to bury her, since Eisav hated her. Therefore, before she died, she instructed בְּנֵי חֵת to bury her in Me'arat HaMachpeila during the night, before Eisav would have a chance to commandeer the funeral the following day. According to the Ramban, this is why the Torah only hints to Rivka's death and does not mention it explicitly, to save her the embarrassment of the circumstances surrounding her funeral.

 

Later, when Yitzchak died, both Eisav and Yaakov were there, and since Yaakov was present, it was not an embarrassment to mention Eisav.  

 

The Midrash says that the reason that this passuk precedes the passuk of HKB"H appearing to and blessing Yaakov, is because HKB"H appeared to Yaakov and blessed him with בִּרְכַּת אֲבֵלִים.

 

The Ramban continues that after Rivka married Yitzchak, Devorah returned to the house of Betuel and Lavan. When Yaakov was living with Lavan for 20 years, it was Devorah who helped raise and teach Yaakov's children, in Rivka's honor.

 

The Malbim gives a different perush, that Devorah remained with Rivka as long as she was alive, but after Rivka died, Devorah could no longer tolerate the evil of Eisav and his wives and left to meet Yaakov and died soon after.

 

Rivka and Devorah's souls were connected and when Rivka died, so too did Devorah. Yaakov buried her under an oak tree which he named אַלּוֹן בָּכוּת. Tosfot says that this is the same tree under which the prophetess Devorah later sat (שופטים ד, ה).

 

All of this explains why Rivka's death is not elaborated directly in the Torah, to save her embarrassment. However, what about Leah?

 

Regarding Leah's death, again we have only hints, no direct references. One such hint is from parshat Vayeishev. The passuk says יוֹסֵף בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן וְהוּא נַעַר אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו (בראשית לז, ב). The Ramban on this passuk says, all the while that Rachel and Leah were alive, Bilha and Zilpa were referred to as שְׁפָחוֹת. The fact that that this passuk refers to them as נְשֵׁי אָבִיו means that Rachel and Leah were no longer alive.

 

Seder HaDorot brings in the name of sefer שַׁלְשֶׁלֶת הַקַּבָּלָה, that Leah died six months before the selling of Yosef.

 

I have not seen any source for this, but perhaps this is the reason that Leah's death is not elaborated in the Torah. For the same reason as Rivka, to save Leah the embarrassment-by-association with the cardinal sin of selling Yosef, that was instigated and perpetrated primarily by Leah's sons.

 

Finally, the last two Imahot Bilha and Zilpa. The Torah mentions nothing of their deaths at all, not even in a hint. However, by simple mathematics we can estimate when they died. We know that Bilha and Zilpa were alive after Leah died (see above), which according to Seder Olam was in year 2216 (מִבְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם). In the year 2238 Yaakov and his family went down to Egypt, כָּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב הַבָּאָה מִצְרַיְמָה שִׁבְעִים (בראשית מו, כז). Chazal do a calculation of who the 70 people were and they did not include Bilha and Zilpa. Therefore Bilha and Zilpa died in the 22 years after Leah died.

 

From this we see that none of Yaakov's wives lived older than age 67. Rachel died aged 36, Leah aged 45. Assuming that Bilha and Zilpa were the same age (or younger than Rachel and Leah), and died within 22 years of Leah's death, they could not have been more than 67. This is about half the lifespan of Sarah (127) and Rivka (122).

 

Perhaps the reason that the Torah does not relate at all to the deaths of Bilha and Zilpa, is because they are regarded as שְׁפָחוֹת in the Torah and not of the same status as Rachel and Leah (despite that combined they gave rise to a third of the Twelve Tribes).

 

Until now we have brought known sources and timelines as accurately as they are possible to determine. What I would like to do now is try to answer the questions we asked at the beginning of the shiur, namely, why there seems to be different treatment for the deaths of the Avot and the Imahot in the Torah? And amongst the Imahot, why there is different treatment for Sarah and Rachel as opposed to Rivka, Leah, Bilha and Zilpa? The answers to these questions are less logical and more philosophical in nature.

 

There is a noticeable difference in the purpose and destinies of the Avot and the Imahot. The Avot are more "universal" and the Imahot are more focused specifically on "giving birth" to the Twelve Tribes, to Am Yisrael. For this reason, the work of the Avot is the "macro", primarily "out of the tent" – digging wells, welcoming guests, converting converts, rescuing Lot to ensure the Mashiach lineage for all mankind, etc. The work of the Imahot is the "micro", primarily "in the tent" making sure the "correct" son becomes the heir.

 

Yitzchak is focused on more universal issues, ensuring that all the neshamot from Eisav in future generations will not be lost, like Rebi Akiva. Rivka is sharply focused on only one thing – ensuring the "correct" and primary heir, making sure that it is Yaakov and not Eisav.

 

Yaakov is focused on the macro, ensuring the integrity of his children, the Twelve Tribes, that they are not affected by outside influences from the idolatrous world of scoundrel Lavan. Rachel, Leah, Bilha and Zilpa are intensely focused on the micro, giving birth to the "correct" heirs of Keter Torah, Keter Malchut, Keter Kehuna and all the other building blocks of the Twelve Tribes, like commerce, judges, warriors, etc. and also preserving the harmonious balance between them (like Leah asking HKB"H to change her seventh child to a girl, Dina, to not upset the balance with Rachel).

 

Both Avraham and Sarah had the letter ה added to their names. The Torah gives the reason for the addition of the ה to Avraham's name, because he will become אַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם. The Torah describes the addition of the letter ה to Sarah's name, but does not state a reason why it was added. To understand the reason, we have to rely on Chazal and the Mefarshim - that the letter ה is a bracha for fertility, enabling Sarah, who was barren, to bear a child - the "correct" heir.

 

With the Avot, the "universal" nature of their destiny requires the Torah to visibly specify certain details, like the dates and circumstances of their deaths, to echo the message for ever after זֶה תּוֹרָה וְזֶה שְׂכָרָהּ. HKB"H promised certain promises to the Avot and these promises must be seen to have been kept, universally - to all the world. HKB"H promised Avraham that he would be blessed in many things, wealth, fame, offspring, etc. and at the end of his life, the Torah says – "Here you go! The promise has been kept וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמָת אַבְרָהָם בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה זָקֵן וְשָׂבֵעַ". Similarly with Yitzchak and Yaakov.

 

With the Imahot, it is not the same thing. HKB"H's promises to the Imahot revolve around their children "I promised you a child Yitzchak… Yaakov. Here you go, I kept the promise". This is not a universal message to the entire world, this is an internal, "in the tent" message for the Imahot. Excepting for Sarah and Rachel, the deaths of the other Imahot had no universal significance, they were an internal matter.  The deaths of Sarah and Rachel did have universal significance and for this reason they are the only Imahot for whom we know their yahrzeit (Sarah-1 Tishrei, Rachel-11 Tevet) . 

The death of Sarah is a universal matter involving the entire world – establishing the ownership of Me'arat HaMachpeila by Sarah's descendants, so that the rest of the world can never dispute it. The death of Rachel similarly has a universal ramification – to comfort Am Yisrael exiled to Bavel and decree their future redemption. It is a universal message to the entire world "It does not matter how you try to persecute Am Yisrael, in the end they will triumph and inherit the earth!" The other Imahot had no universal message to the entire world, only an internal message to Am Yisrael, therefore their deaths are not elaborated.

 

This does not mean, chas vechalila, that the midot of the Avot surpassed those of the Imahot, or that the midot of some of the Imahot surpassed those of the other Imahot. Quite the opposite, the midot of the Imahot sometimes surpassed those of the Avot. When HKB"H was looking for a defense counsel for Am Yisrael who had sinned with idol worship, Avraham said "I was willing to sacrifice my son", Yitzchak said "I offered myself as a sacrifice", Yaakov said "I suffered my whole life", HKB"H rejected each in turn. Only when Rachel said "I gave the simanim to my sister Leah and sacrificed my future", did HKB"H accept the defense and forgave Am Yisrael. The midot of one Matriarch did not surpass those of another, they each simply had a different destiny and role to play - and each of them achieved their destiny.

 

It is such an important lesson to us, that HKB"H created the world just for Am Yisrael who are called Reishit. HKB"H turns the entire world around just so that Am Yisrael will have their happy end that HKB"H promised. Just as it came to pass with the Avot, as publicized in the psukkim of the Torah, it will come to pass with us as publicized in the psukkim of the Nevi'im.

 

We need but look around us and observe how HKB"H is turning the entire world upside down, just to make the situation better for Am Yisrael. The things that are happening in the world right now are literally Biblical! Look at Syria this last week, look at the continuing domino-effect downfall of the "axis of evil" – with the Woke government in the USA, with Iran and Russia.

 

The important thing is that Am Yisrael remain focused and not become confused where all this is leading to – the prophecies of our prophets are visibly materializing before our eyes. We must embrace it, not waste our time bickering amongst ourselves for power. The power belongs to all of us, equally, not to one part of Am Yisrael over the other. HKB"H loves all of us and His promises are for all of us.

 

Like the Imahot we need to sharply focus on preserving the harmonious internal balance and leave the more "universal" stuff up to HKB"H. He is and will do a much better job with that than we ever can.

 

 

Shabbat Shalom

 

Eliezer Meir Saidel

Machon Lechem Hapanim

www.machonlechemhapanim.org