The Death of Rachel and the Birth of Benjamin

"Be fruitful and multiply," and so on - Reuben was already outside, Simeon was already outside, and Benjamin had already come from his loins yet was still in his mother's womb. Rather, "a nation" is Benjamin, and "a congregation of nations" is Ephraim and Manasseh, and "kings shall come from your loins" is Jeroboam and Jehu. The Rabbis say: is it possible that Abner, a righteous man, would dispute the kingdom of the house of David? Rather, he expounded a teaching and crowned Ish-bosheth; this is what is written, "and kings shall come from your loins," meaning Saul and Ish-bosheth. And what did they see to push away and to draw near? They read a verse and pushed away, they read a verse and drew near. They read a verse and pushed away: "Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon." They read a verse and drew near: "a nation and a congregation of nations shall come from you" - your sons are destined to act like a congregation of peoples; just as a congregation of peoples offers sacrifices at a time when high places are forbidden, so too your sons offer at a time when high places are forbidden. Rabbi Yochanan brings it from here: "And Elijah took twelve stones," and so on, "Israel shall be your name" (1 Kings 18:31) - for from the hour this name was given him it was said to him, "a nation and a congregation of nations shall come from you." And some bring it from here: "Peoples shall call to the mountain" (Deuteronomy 33:18) - when your sons become like peoples, they shall call to the mountain of Zebulun; "there they shall offer" - forbidden high places is not written here, but "sacrifices of righteousness" - He acts charitably with them and accepts their offering. "A nation and a congregation of nations" - to render liable for each and every tribe, the words of Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Yehuda says: to render liable for each and every congregation. (Genesis 35:13) "And God went up from him" - the patriarchs are themselves the chariot (written at sign 101). (Genesis 35:16) "And they journeyed from Bethel, and there was still some distance of land" - at a season when the earth is hollow like a sieve and grain is available. The Rabbis say: when grain is already available and the rainy season has passed and the heat has not yet come. "And Rachel gave birth, and she had hard labor." There are three women who had hard labor at the time of birth and died: Rachel, "and she had hard labor"; the wife of Phinehas, "and his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with child, near to be delivered" (1 Samuel 4:19); and Michal daughter of Saul, of whom it is written, "and Michal daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death" - until the day of her death she had none, but on the day of her death she had one. This is what is written, "and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah" (2 Samuel 3:5) - why was she called Eglah? Because she cried out like a calf and died. (Genesis 35:17) "And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor." Two disciples of Rabbi Yehoshua changed their cloaks at a time of religious persecution. A certain commander met them and said to them, if you are her children, give your lives for her; and if you are not her children, why are you being killed? They said to him, we are her children and for her we are killed, and so on. He said to them, three questions I ask you; if you answer me, well, and if not, I will convert you by force. He said to them, one verse says, "the LORD stands up to plead," and another verse says, "for there I will sit to judge all the nations" (Joel 4:12). They said to him, when the Holy One, blessed be He, judges Israel, He judges them standing and is brief in judgment; and when He judges the nations of the world, He judges them seated and lengthens the judgment, and afterward pronounces sentence. He said to them, that is not how your teacher Joshua expounded it; rather, both refer to the nations of the world: when He judges them He is exacting and lengthens the judgment, and afterward He rises and becomes a prosecutor against them. He said to them, what is written, "He who works his land will be satisfied with bread" (Proverbs 12:11)? They said to him, better is one who leases a single field and hoes it and manures it than one who leases many fields and lets them lie fallow. He said to them, that is not how your teacher Joshua expounded it; rather, "he who works his land" is Israel, "will be satisfied with bread" - he will be satisfied with his bread in the world to come, and so on. He said to them, what is written, "And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor"? They said to him, thus they revive the spirit of a woman in labor, saying to her at the time of birth, fear not, for you have borne a son. He said to them, that is not how your teacher Joshua expounded it; rather, with each and every tribe a twin was born, and so on; an extra twin was born with Benjamin. (Genesis 35:18) "And it came to pass, as her soul was departing, for she died," and so on, "Ben-oni" - son of my sorrow, in the Aramaic tongue. And his father called him Benjamin, in the holy tongue. (Genesis 35:19) "And Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath." What did Jacob our father see, to bury Rachel on the road to Ephrath? Rather, he foresaw that the exiles were destined to pass by there, and he buried her there so that she would beg mercy for them. This is what is written, "Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah," and so on, "Thus says the LORD: Restrain your voice from weeping," and so on, "and there is hope for your future, says the LORD, and your children shall return to their own border" (Jeremiah 31:14-16). (Genesis 35:22-23) "And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land." Rabbi Simon said: it is hard before the Holy One, blessed be He, to uproot a chain of lineage from its place. This is what is written, "And the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, and yet not so that he was to be reckoned in the genealogy as firstborn" (1 Chronicles 5:1) - say from now, the birthright of property was taken from him, but not the birthright of lineage. Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Simon: one said, Reuben is not to be reckoned in the genealogy; and one said, they reckon the genealogy not to Joseph but to Reuben, and even at the hour of the disgrace they reckon only to Reuben. This is what is written, "And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, and Reuben went," and so on, "and the sons of Jacob were twelve."