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Although each of the Matriarchs was barren for years until finally conceiving, the Torah emphasizes Rachel’s sorrow as a result of this void in her life more than it describes the pain of the other Matriarchs. Sarah laughs at the idea of having a child late in life, and Isaac’s name even refers to this laughter, but the Torah does not tell us about her praying for a child. Rivka indeed prays for a child along with Isaac (see Rashi 25:21), but she does not name either of her sons with a name that references G-d answering her prayers. However, Rachel not only pleads desperately for children, but even names each of her children and her maidservant Bilha’s children in a way that reminds us forever of her desperation.
First, in naming Dan, she says (30:6) “G-d has judged me and also listened to my voice and given me a son.” Then, in naming Naftoli, she says (see Rashi 30:8) that she persistently prayed to Hashem to give her children and her prayer has been accepted. When she merits her own child, she names him Yosef with a prayer for another son, “May Hashem add on for me another son.” When she gives birth to her second son (35:18), she calls him “the son of my affliction,” and suddenly dies immediately thereafter. In sum, all of the four sons associated with Rachel are born amidst emotional hardship and intense prayer. Not coincidentally, the parsha that introduces us to Rachel and her prayer starts with the famous prayer of Jacob. The Talmud (Berachos 26b) says Abraham instituted the morning prayer, Isaac the afternoon prayer, and Jacob the evening prayer. The source for Jacob praying the evening prayer is the very beginning of our parsha, where the Torah says he happened upon the Temple Mount on his way to Charan and stopped there to pray. Click here to continue... |
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