The Secret of the Tears of Leah and Rachel: Why Was Rachel Buried on the Road?
Lesson No. 25 | Lesson 1 - Tuesday Morning, Parashas Pinchas, 13 Tammuz 5755 at the Yeshiva
Leah Imeinu (our Matriarch) merited tremendous spiritual heights in the merit of her tears at the crossroads, while Rachel, who was confident in her portion, was forced to complete her weeping in exile. The article explains the secret of Rachel's burial on the road, the connection to the supernal attainments of Yaakov Avinu (our Patriarch) in the secret of the Yovel (Jubilee year), and the secret of the Tefillin and the Eshel (tamarisk tree) that Avraham Avinu planted.
Leah Imeinu was willing to give up Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah son of Joseph) for the sake of her sister. When a person sees that another is suffering, he understands that it is not worthwhile to pursue greatness at the expense of someone else. Leah yielded, but in the merit of her yielding and in the merit of her tears, she merited both Mashiach ben David (Messiah son of David) and Mashiach ben Yosef. Furthermore, she merited to be buried in the Me'aras HaMachpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs) and to precede her sister in marriage to Yaakov.
In what merit did Leah achieve all this? Rabbi Yehuda says in the holy Zohar:
"Leah spent all her days standing at the crossroads."
All her days she would sit at the crossroads and cry over Yaakov. Even though she had a very high soul, she was destined for Esav. A person can have a very great soul, yet be surrounded by a multitude of kelipos (spiritual impurities) and dinim (strict judgments). Only through crying and tears can a person remove the *kelipos* and *dinim* that surround him. In this way, Leah removed the kelipos and merited all these spiritual heights.
In contrast, Rachel said, "I certainly belong to Yaakov, it is obvious." Out of this confidence, she did not cry. However, anything a person wants to attain must come through weeping and supplications. If not, the thing will slip from his hands. Because Rachel was confident that she deserved everything, the merit to marry Yaakov first, the merit of Mashiach ben David, and even the merit to be buried with him in the Me'aras HaMachpelah slipped from her hands.
Rachel Weeps for Her Children in Exile
When a person hears about a tragedy, that Jews are being killed, he must immediately shed tears. But Rachel did not go out to the crossroads to cry. Therefore, Hashem said to her, "You did not go out to the crossroads? Now you will be buried at the crossroads, and now you will cry."
Since Rachel did not cry in her time, she must now complete her weeping throughout thousands of years of exile. The souls that come from the side of Leah, which are the generation of the desert, are already completely rectified. But the souls that come from the side of Rachel reincarnate from generation to generation, and Rachel must now cry for them. Every single tear that Rachel sheds rectifies all the generations and souls that need to emerge from her. A person must learn from this never to stop crying for the souls that need to emerge from him, and to rise every night for Chatzos (midnight lamentation over the destruction of the Temple) in order to shed tears.
Yosef's Question and Faith in the Tzaddik
On the verse, "And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died upon me on the journey" (Genesis 48:7), the holy Zohar explains the word "upon me" (alai) as meaning "because of me." Yaakov is saying: She died because of me, because she did not cry for me. Since she thought she deserved everything and did not cry over Yaakov, she therefore died on the road and was buried there.
This matter aroused a tremendous question for Yosef HaTzaddik. Yaakov says to Yosef before his passing, "I know that you hold something in your heart against me." Yosef walked around for decades with a difficult question about his father: Why did father bury mother in the middle of the road, in a desolate place, and not bother to bring her at least to Beis Lechem or Chevron for a respectable burial?
These thoughts and questions about Yaakov Avinu are what caused Yosef all his downfalls and descents, until he was sold as a slave. When a person does not have complete faith in the tzaddik and has questions about him, in the end, he is sold as a slave. Therefore, Yaakov now reveals the secret to him:
"By Divine command I buried her."
Yaakov explains to Yosef: I did not bury her there out of disrespect, but rather out of prophecy and a command from Heaven, so that when the Jewish people go into exile, Rachel will cry for them and arouse Heavenly mercy.
The Secret of the Yovel and the Attainment of Tefillin
Initially, Yaakov Avinu had no comprehension of Leah. He worked for seven years thinking he was working for Rachel, who represents the secret of Shemittah (the Sabbatical year). But in truth, every second of Yaakov's hard work ("By day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night") was equivalent to seven years.
The holy Zohar says that when Yaakov finished his work, a Heavenly voice (bas kol) emerged and said to him: You have reached the supernal attainment called Yovel (Jubilee) – the Fiftieth Gate, which is the root of Leah. Leah represents the aspect of "Alma d'Iskasya" (the Hidden World), and therefore Yaakov did not fully comprehend her until his name was changed to 'Yisrael'. Only then, as the holy Arizal explains, did Rachel pass away, and Yaakov remained with Leah and attained her secret in its entirety.
This secret of Leah and Rachel is reflected in the mitzvah of Tefillin. Leah represents the aspect of the 'knot of the head Tefillin'. Since she is a hidden and concealed world, there are no revealed parchment scrolls (parshiyos) in the knot, only light. Yaakov represents the head Tefillin themselves, which contain four parchment scrolls and the intellect (mochin) of Da'as (Knowledge).
Rachel, on the other hand, represents the aspect of the Tefillin of the arm. The holy Arizal explains that the Tefillin of the arm must contain five Torah portions, because Rachel's Da'as (spiritual intellect) fell between the shoulders, and the man must elevate her Da'as. Therefore, the letter Yud of the knot of the Tefillin of the arm, which represents Da'as (the fifth portion), must remain attached to the Tefillin at all times without interruption. It is strictly forbidden to separate the *Yud* from the *Tefillin* of the arm, because it is what elevates and connects Rachel's *Da'as* to the Supernal Intellect (*Mochin Elyonim*).
The Eshel of Avraham and the Judgment of the People of Shechem
The entire spiritual work of Avraham Avinu was to attain the secret of the "tent," which is the secret of Leah, the secret of tears and supplications. Regarding this, it is stated:
"And he planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva."
The Tanna'im (Mishnaic sages) debate the meaning of this eshel. The Rashbam explains that an eshel is an orchard that Avraham planted in order to practice Hisbodedus (secluded prayer) and pray within it. The word ESheL (אש"ל) is an acronym hinting at "Eshpoch lefanav sichi - I will pour out my speech before Him." Rabbi Yehuda explains that the orchard included figs (te'enim), grapes (anavim), and pomegranates (rimonim), whose Hebrew initials form the word ATaR (עתר) – related to the verse, "And Yitzchak entreated (vaye'etar) Hashem." Every fruit draws its spiritual nourishment from a different prayer and elevates a different prayer.
In contrast, Rabbi Nechemia says that the eshel was an inn for hosting guests. And Rabbi Yossi says that it was the first Sanhedrin (rabbinical court). Avraham Avinu taught his disciples to judge monetary cases with absolute integrity. Yaakov Avinu continued this path, and as the Midrash states, during his twenty years in Lavan's house, "he did not even find a needle" [that did not belong to him] – he maintained absolute clean hands in monetary matters.
This concept of laws and justice connects to the incident of Shechem the son of Chamor. The Rambam explains that the sons of Yaakov killed the people of Shechem because they transgressed the commandment to establish courts of justice (dinim), which is included in the Seven Noahide Laws – they saw the injustice done to Dinah and failed to judge the criminal.
However, the Ramban disagrees and asks: Is a private individual liable to the death penalty just because the mayor failed to establish a court? Rather, the Ramban explains, the people of Shechem committed such abominations and lowly acts that they lost their basic humanity. The moment people sink into such abominations, they are considered like animals, and it is no longer applicable to judge them in a regular court of law. Therefore, the sons of Yaakov acted as they did, understanding that absolute moral corruption requires a fundamental and deep response.
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