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Why wasn't Rochel buried in Me'aras HaMachpelah alongside Yaakov, yet Yaakov explains her roadside burial was divinely ordained? The Maharal's apparent contradiction reveals a fundamental principle: children must be the product of shalom bayis, not merely its goal. The highest merit is a unified marriage; Rochel's burial location serves the children precisely because she lost the first merit.
Rabbi Zweig presents a profound teaching from the Maharal that addresses an apparent contradiction regarding Rochel's burial. The shiur analyzes several Rashis to develop a fundamental understanding of marriage and children in Jewish thought. The core question emerges from two Rashis in Parshas Vayeitzei. When Rochel trades her night of intimacy with Yaakov for dudaim (jasmine), Rashi (רש"י) explains that because she belittled marital relations, she lost the merit of being buried with Yaakov in Me'aras HaMachpelah. However, later when Yaakov asks Yosef to bury him in Israel, Rashi records Yaakov's explanation for burying Rochel on the roadside: it was by divine command so that Rochel could cry for her children when they pass into exile, and God would respond to her prayers. This seems contradictory—if the roadside burial serves such an important purpose for the children, how is it a punishment?
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Parshas Vayeitzei - Bereishis 30:15-24, 48:7
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