Daf 175a (דַּף קע״ה ע״א)

Come and see (וְתָּא חֲזֵי): Because Ya'akov delayed fulfilling the vow he made before Kudsha Berikh Hu (בְּגִין דְּיַעֲקֹב אַחַר נִדְרֵיהּ דְּנָדִיר קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), judgment was empowered through the accuser who accused Ya'akov (אִתְתַּקַּף דִּינָא עַל יְדָא דִּמְקַטְרְגָא דְּקַטְרִיג עֲלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב), and he demanded justice precisely at the dangerous moment when Rachel was in childbirth (וּבָעָא דִינָא בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְסַכָּנָה דְּהֲוַת רָחֵל בָּהּ). He said before Kudsha Berikh Hu (אָמַר קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא): "Did not Ya'akov vow and not fulfill it? (וְהָא יַעֲקֹב נָדַר נִדְרֵיהּ וְלָא שָׁלִים).

Behold, he is abundant in wealth, children, and everything he needs (וְהָא אִיהוּ תַּקִּיף מִכֹּלָּא בְּעוּתְרָא וּבִבְנִין בְּכָל מַה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ). Yet he did not fulfill the vow he made before You, and You have not punished him (וְלָא שָׁלִים נִדְרֵיהּ דְּנָדַר קַמָּךְ וְלָא נָסַבְתְּ עוֹנָשָׁא מִנֵּיהּ)." Immediately, "Rachel gave birth and had severe difficulty in childbirth" (מִיָּד וַתֵּלֶד רָחֵל וַתְּקַשׁ בְּלִדְתָּהּ). What does "severe difficulty" mean? (מַאי וַתְּקַשׁ). It means judgment was intensified above, before the Angel of Death (דְּאִתְקַשֵּׁי דִינָא לְעֵילָא גַּבֵּי מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת). Thus Ya'akov was punished by this event (וְאִתְעַנַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב בְּהַאי). What is the reason? (מַאי טַעְמָא). Because it is written (בְּגִין דִּכְתִיב), (Mishlei 22), "If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?" (וְאִם אֵין לְךָ לְשַׁלֵּם לָמָּה יִקַּח מִשְׁכָּבְךָ מִתַּחְתֶּיךָ). Therefore, Rachel died, and judgment was delivered through the Angel of Death (וְעַל דָּא מִיתַת רָחֵל וְאִתְמָסַר דִּינָא עַל יְדָא דְּמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת).

Come and see (וְתָּא חֲזֵי), when Esav approached, what did Ya'akov do? (בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאֲתָא עֵשָׂו, מָה עֲבַד). "He put the maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children afterward, and Rachel and Yosef last" (וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְאֶת יַלְדֵיהֶן רִאשׁוֹנָה וְאֶת לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ אַחֲרוֹנִים וְאֶת רָחֵל וְאֶת יוֹסֵף אַחֲרוֹנִים). Why? (מַאי טַעְמָא). Because he feared for Rachel, lest the wicked one gaze upon her beauty and accuse him because of her (בְּגִין דְּדָחִיל עֲלָה דְרָחֵל, דְּלָא יִסְתַּכַּל הַהוּא רָשָׁע בְּשַׁפִּירוּ דִילָהּ וְלָא יְקַטְרֵג לֵיהּ עֲלָהּ).

Moreover, what is written afterward? (תוּ מַה כְּתִיב): "The maidservants approached, they and their children, and bowed down; Leah also approached with her children, and they bowed down" (וַתִּגַּשְׁנָה הַשְׁפָחוֹת הֵנָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶן וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ וַתִּגַּשׁ גַּם לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ). Women before men. But regarding Rachel, what is written? (אֲבָל בְּרָחֵל מַה כְּתִיב): "Afterwards Yosef and Rachel approached" (וְאַחַר נִגַּשׁ יוֹסֵף וְרָחֵל), Yosef ahead of his mother to shield her (וְיוֹסֵף מִקַּמֵי אִמֵּיהּ וְאִיהוּ חָפָּא עֲלָהּ). Thus it is written (וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב), (Bereshit 49), "Yosef is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring" (בֶּן פּוֹרָת יוֹסֵף בֶּן פּוֹרָת עֲלֵי עָיִן), because he raised himself up and shielded his mother (דְּאַסְגֵי גוּפֵיהּ וְחָפָּא עַל אִמֵּיהּ). "By a spring" means against the eye of that wicked one (עֲלֵי עָיִן, עֲלֵי עֵינָא דְהַהוּא רָשָׁע). And here punishment came about through the Evil inclination, who accused at the moment of danger (וְהָכָא אִתְעֲנָשַׁת עַל יְדָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע דְּקִטְרֵג בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְסַכָּנָה).

Ya'akov was punished because of the vow he did not fulfill (וְאִתְעַנַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב עַל נִדְרָא דְּלָא שָׁלִים). This event was harder for Ya'akov than all the other troubles that befell him (וְדָא קַשְׁיָא לֵיהּ לְיַעֲקֹב מִכָּל עָקוּ דַּעֲבְרוּ עֲלֵיהּ). And from where do we know that it was because of Ya'akov? (וּמְנָלָן דִּבְגִינֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב הֲוָה) Because it is written (דִּכְתִיב), (Bereshit 48) "Rachel died upon me" (מֵתָה עָלַי רָחֵל). "Upon me"—certainly because I delayed my vow (עָלַי וַדַּאי, עַל דְּאֲחָרִית נִדְרִי).

Rabbi Yosei said (רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר): It is written (כְּתִיב), (Mishlei 27), "A curse without cause will not come" (קִלְּלַת חִנָּם לֹא תָבֹא). They established it with the vav (וְאוּקְמוּהָ לוֹ בְּוי''ו): If it is the curse of a righteous person, even if unintended, once it emerges from his mouth, the Evil inclination immediately seizes it and accuses with it at the moment of danger (דְּאִי קִלְּלַת צַדִּיקָא הִיא, אֲפִילּוּ דְּלָא אִתְכַּוַּן בָּהּ, כֵּיוָן דְּנָפְקָא מִפּוּמֵיהּ נָטַל לָהּ הַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע וְקִטְרֵג בָּהּ בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְסַכָּנָה).

Ya'akov said (יַעֲקֹב אָמַר), (Bereshit 31), "With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live" (עִם אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא אֶת אֱלֹהֶיךָ לא יִחְיֶה). Although Ya'akov himself did not know, the Satan seized upon those words, for he is always found among human beings (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ לָא הֲוָה יָדַע, נָטִיל לָהּ לְהַהִיא מִלָּה הַהוּא שָׂטָן דְּאִשְׁתַּכַּח גַּבַּיְיהוּ תָּדִיר בִּבְנִי נָשָׁא). Therefore, we learned (וְעַל דָּא תָּנִינָן): A person should never open his mouth to Satan, because he will seize that word and accuse with it above and below (לְעוֹלָם לֹא יִפְתַּח בַּר נָשׁ פּוּמֵיהּ לְשִׂטְנָא, בְּגִין דְּנָטִיל הַהִיא מִלָּה וְקִטְרֵג בָּהּ לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא). This is even more so if it is the word of a wise or righteous person (כָּל שֶׁכֵּן מִלָּה דְחָכָם אוֹ מִלָּה דְצַדִּיקָא). For these two things Rachel was punished (וְעַל תְּרֵין אִלֵּין אִתְעֲנָשַׁת רָחֵל). "And it was, as her soul was departing—for she was dying" (וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ כִּי מֵתָה).

Rabbi Abba said (אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא): Since it says, "as her soul was departing," do we not already know she was dying? (וְכִי כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ לָא יְדַעְנָא כִּי מֵתָה). Rather, it was necessary to clarify that her soul did not return to her body again (אֶלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ בְּגִין דְּלָא אַהֲדָרַת לְגוּפָא יַתִּיר), and Rachel's death was a bodily death (וּמִיתַת רָחֵל מִיתַת גּוּפָא). For there are people whose souls depart and then return to their places, as is said (בְּגִין דְּאִית בְּנִי נָשָׁא דְּנָפְקֵי נִשְׁמָתַיְיהוּ וְאַהַדְרָן לְאַתְרַיְיהוּ וּכְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר), (I Shmuel 30), "And his soul returned to him" p3-20(וַתָּשָׁב נַפְשׁוֹ אֵלָיו). Also it is written, (Bereshit 42), "Their hearts went out" (וַיֵּצֵא לִבָּם), and (Song of Songs 5), "My soul went forth when he spoke" (נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְּדַבְּרוֹ), and (I Kings 17), "No breath was left in him" (לא נוֹתְרָה בּוֹ נְשָׁמָה).

But here, her soul departed and did not return again to her place—this was Rachel's death (אֲבָל הַאי נָפְקַת נִשְׁמָתָהּ וְלָא אִתְהַדָּרַת לְאַתְרָהּ וּמִיתַת רָחֵל). "And she called his name Ben Oni" (וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֶּן אוֹנִי)—due to the harshness of judgment decreed upon her (דְּקַשְׁיוּ דְדִינָא דְּאִתְגְּזַר עֲלָהּ). But Ya'akov changed it, connecting him to the right side (וְיַעֲקֹב אַהֲדַר לֵיהּ וְקָשִׁיר לֵיהּ לְימִינָא), because the west must always be connected to the right side (בְּגִין דְּמַעֲרָב אִצְטְרִיךְ לְקָשְׁרָא לֵיהּ לִימִינָא). And though he was originally Ben Oni, from the side of harsh judgment (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ בֶּן אוֹנִי סִטְרָא דְדִינָא קַשְׁיָא), now he became Binyamin, bound to the right (בֶּן יָמִין אִיהוּ, דְּהָא בִּימִינָא אִתְקַשְּׁרַת). She was buried on the way, as previously explained (וְאִתְקְבָרַת בְּאָרְחָא כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר). Her death and burial place were revealed (הַאי אִתְגַּלְּיָא מִיתָתָהּ וּקְבוּרָתָהּ), but Leah's death and burial place were not revealed (אֲבָל לֵאָה לָא אִתְגַּלְּיָא מִיתָתָהּ וּקְבוּרָתָהּ). Even though these four mothers hold a hidden mystery, as has been established (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּהַנֵּי אַרְבַּע אִמָּהָן רָזָא אִית לוֹן וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ). "Ya'akov set up a pillar upon her grave" (וַיַּצֶּב יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה עַל קְבוּרָתָהּ). Rabbi Yosei said (אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי): Why? (מַאי טַעְמָא). So that her place would remain uncovered until the day Kudsha Berikh Hu will resurrect the dead (בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְכַּסְיָא אַתְרָהּ עַד יוֹמָא דְּזַמִּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לַאֲחָיָיא מֵתַיָיא). As is stated, "to this day"—literally until that future day (כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר עַד הַיּוֹם, עַד הַהוּא יוֹמָא מַמָּשׁ).