There must have been huge cultural, religious and emotional differences between Ya'akov and Rachel when they first met. He, the ultimate ben Torah, having dedicated his life to the bet midrash, including 14 years in the yeshiva of the two righteous men - Shem and Ever; while Rachel was brought up in an environment led by her less then scrupulous father Lavan. But love conquers all.
They were married for approximately 14 years, when on the way to Eretz Yisrael Rachel died in childbirth. During those years, Ya'akov had a great moral and religious influence on his beloved Rachel that drew their outlooks on life and emotional responses closer. Indeed, Tanach records their similar reactions to devastating emotional situations.
When Ya'akov understood that he would never again see his beloved son, Yosef, he descended into a state of profound mourning from which he could not escape; even after the time when reality usually overtakes the bitterness of the loss, as the pasuk relates (Bereishiet chapter 37) when Yosef’s bloodstained garment was brought to him:
34 Then Ya’akov tore his clothes, donned a sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.
35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.
Rachel shared a similar emotional response as related by the prophet Yirmiyahu (chapter 31) over a thousand years later:
Thus said Hashem:
15 A voice is heard in Ramah (Bet Lechem), mourning and great weeping, Rachel is weeping for her children refusing to be comforted, because he (they) are not here (in Eretz Yisrael but dispersed in galut).
16 This is what Hashem says: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your efforts will be rewarded, declares Hashem. They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your future descendants, declares Hashem, your children will return to their own land.
This prophecy was presented by Hashem to Yirmiyahu around the time of the Babylonian Exile and the destruction of the First Temple (late 7th to early 6th Century BCE). The prophet was delivering consolation to the Jewish people who were grieving when being led into captivity to Babylonia. Rachel was buried on the route the exiles took (Bet Lechem), and is depicted as weeping over their tragedy, refusing to be comforted even by Hashem's promise of the return of her children as reward for her actions and tears.
We find here the same emotional reaction and wording "refusal to be comforted" in Ya'akov's mourning over the death of Yosef and Rachel's reaction to the extended period of exile (galut) of Am Yisrael.
But here is the problem. Ya'akov's inability to be comforted over the loss of Yosef is understandable, because of the finality of death. But the Jews' exile has an end when we will all return, as promised by Hashem. Is there no room here for some emotional comfort?
For Rachel the answer is NO! There is no comfort for her. Because, like Ya'akov, she too is facing the finality of death which the exile, galut, would inflict on her children. While her husband was facing the death of one son, she saw what galut would do to Am Yisrael.
She saw millions of Jews over two millennia being torn away from Judaism by homicidal Christians and Moslems and even more through forced and voluntary assimilation.
How can she find comfort when the promise of redemption is far into the future?
World Jewish Population
At the outbreak of World War Two, on September 1, 1939, there were between 17 and 18 million Jews worldwide. Six years later one third of our nation was murdered; bringing our nation down to approximately 12 million people.
Today, 80 years later, we are still very far away from replacing the number of Jews of 1939. The high estimate is 14-15 million, but realistically the number is much less when taking into account that half of those in the United States claiming to be Jews are halakhically gentiles.
Although the Jewish population in Eretz Yisrael is growing through birth and aliya, the number of Jews in galut is steadily declining.
The current wave of international anti-Semitism might drive some Jews to strengthen their Jewish roots; however, historic precedent teaches that the big numbers take the escape route away from Judaism.
Mama Rochel (in Yiddish) still has much to cry for.
Conclusion
In conclusion, an interesting observation.
Verses 16-17 in Yirmiyahu's above prophesy are repetitious: that in its time all the galut Jews will return home:
16 This is what Hashem says: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your efforts will be rewarded, declares Hashem, They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your future descendants, declares Hashem, your children will return to their own land.
Verse 16 that speaks of the Jews' escaping to Eretz Yisrael from enemy lands lacks two words that appear in verse 17 that deals with Jews who consciously return home. The words are "your children”. Those who longingly return to the holy land are considered as the children of Rachel; whereas those who come in order to escape the “whip lash” of Judenhass are welcome, but the verse omits the words “your children (of Rachel)”.
Rabbi Nachman Kahana is a Torah scholar, author, teacher and lecturer, Founder and Director of the Center for Kohanim, Co-founder of the Temple Institute, Co-founder of Atara Leyoshna - Ateret Kohanim, was rabbi of Chazon Yechezkel Synagogue - Young Israel of the Old City of Jerusalem for 32 years, and is the author of the 15-volume “Mei Menuchot” series on Tosefot, and 3-volume “With All Your Might: The Torah of Eretz Yisrael in the Weekly Parashah” (2009-2011), and “Reflections from Yerushalayim: Thoughts on the Torah, the Land and the Nation of Israel” (2019) as well as weekly parasha commentary available where he blogs at https://NachmanKahana.com