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Why does Rashi (רש"י) explain Rochel naming her son Yosef as "gathering in her shame" — suggesting she can now blame mistakes on her child? The shiur reinterprets the Midrash: Rochel isn't saying she can lie and blame the child, but that the overwhelming stress of raising children prevents even a tzadekes from functioning at her optimal level. The most demanding job isn't a professional career—it's motherhood.
Rabbi Zweig examines a perplexing Rashi (רש"י) on Parshas Vayeitzei regarding Rochel's naming of her son Yosef. The pasuk states that Hashem (ה׳) gathered in (asaf) Rochel's shame, and Rashi quotes a Midrash explaining that before having children, when a woman breaks something or makes a mistake, she must take full responsibility. Once she has a child, however, she can blame it on the child—"Who broke this vessel? Your son. Who ate these figs? Your son." At first glance, this Midrash appears deeply problematic. Is the Torah (תורה) suggesting that Rochel Imeinu, a tzadekes, would name her son to commemorate her newfound ability to lie and deflect blame? That she would falsely accuse her innocent child of breaking dishes he didn't break? This interpretation makes no sense and seems to impugn the character of one of our matriarchs.
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Parshas Vayeitzei - Rochel naming Yosef
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