They often hold a world of meaning, a glimpse into the hopes and fears of the parents. Take Rachel, for example, and the birth of her son.
The Torah tells us, in Genesis 35:18, "It was with the departure of her soul, as she was dying, that she called his name Ben Oni, and his father called him Benjamin." A simple statement, perhaps, but bursting with sorrow and a father's love.
Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations, digs a little deeper into this moment. "It was with the departure of her soul…that she called his name Ben-oni" – the son of my travail, or my suffering, in Aramaic. A heartbreaking name for a newborn, a testament to the pain of childbirth that ultimately led to Rachel's death. "And his father called him Benjamin" – in the sacred tongue, Hebrew.
The Bereshit Rabbah explains the contrast: the word on in Aramaic signifies suffering, while in Hebrew, yamin, the right hand, which is part of the name Benjamin, symbolizes strength. Jacob, in renaming his son, replaced the pain with a sense of power and hope for the future. He redeemed the name, you might say.
Then there's the question of Rachel's burial place, a point of contention that has puzzled commentators for centuries. Genesis 35:19 states, "Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Efrat, which is Bethlehem." The Bereshit Rabbah emphasizes the immediacy: "Rachel died and was buried – immediately after death, burial."
But where exactly is Rachel's tomb? Is it in the territory of Benjamin or Judah? The text continues: "On the way to Efrat, which is Bethlehem" – Rabbi Yanai and Rabbi Yonatan were sitting, and a certain heretic came and asked them a very pointed question. The question refers to the verse in Samuel 1 10:2 "Upon your departure from me today, [you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb, at the border of Benjamin at Tzeltzaḥ]?" The heretic argued: Isn't Tzeltzaḥ on the border of Benjamin, while Rachel's tomb is on the border of Judah, as indicated by the verse linking Bethlehem of Efrat (Micah 5:2) to Judah?
Rabbi Yanai, apparently stumped, turns to Rabbi Yonatan to answer. One version of the response, as presented in Bereshit Rabbah, suggests that the verse from Samuel should be understood as "Upon your departure from me today by Rachel’s tomb, you will find two men at the border of Benjamin in Tzeltzaḥ." In other words, the men are found in Benjamin, near Rachel's Tomb. Another version flips the order, placing the men in Benjamin first, then Rachel's Tomb. Either way, the point is to reconcile the apparent geographical discrepancy.
The text further supports this argument by referencing Saul's search for his father's donkeys in 1 Samuel 9:4-6. Saul travels through the land of Benjamin, eventually arriving in the land of Tzuf, where the prophet Samuel resided. Bereshit Rabbah notes: "The city was called Tzuf because the prophet [hatzofeh] resided there." These verses, according to the Bereshit Rabbah, demonstrate that Saul and Samuel were indeed in the territory of Benjamin.
So, what do we take away from this intricate discussion? It's a reminder that the biblical text is not always straightforward. It is a layered tapestry of narratives, legal pronouncements, and geographical details that invite us to wrestle with its meaning. The story of Rachel's death and the naming of Benjamin, along with the location of her tomb, becomes a focal point for exploring themes of grief, hope, and the complexities of interpreting sacred texts. It's a story that reminds us that even in moments of profound loss, there's always the potential for new beginnings and the enduring power of a father's love.