AND GOD (Elohim) REMEMBERED RACHEL, AND GOD (Elohim) HEARKENED UNTO HER AND OPENED HER WOMB. The name Elohim (God) is mentioned here twice, once to represent the male world and the other the female world, the two having been necessary, since the birth of children depends on fate (mazzal).
Now when Rachel was moved to name her son Joseph, saying, “The Lord add to me another son”, Jacob knew that it was she that was destined to complete the number of the tribes, whilst she herself would not survive; hence he desired immediately to leave, but he could not carry out his wish. When, however, Benjamin was about to be born, Jacob fled and departed thence, so that the House should not be made complete and the world of holiness become bound up with it in a strange land.
So Scripture says: “And the Lord said unto Jacob: Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee” (Gen. 31, 3). God, in effect, said to him: “Until now Rachel was with thee, being the basis of the House; henceforward I will be with thee and will carry on the House with thee in its complement of the twelve tribes”. The same idea is implied in the verse: “And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me (‘alai, lit. upon me”) (Gen. 48, 7). By the word ‘alai (on me) Jacob meant to say, “it was on account of me and through me that she was thrust out and another one came and took over the house so as to inhabit it with me”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, (בראשית ל׳:כ״ב-כ״ג) וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלהִים אֶת רָחֵל וַיִּשְׁמַע אֵלֶיהָ אֱלהִים וַיִפְתַּח אֶת רַחֲמָהּ. תְּרֵי זִמְנִין, אֱלֹהִים אֱלהִים, אַמַּאי. אֶלָּא, חַד מֵעַלְמָא דִּדְכוּרָא, וְחַד מֵעַלְמָא דְנוּקְבָא, בְּגִין דִּבְמַזָּלָא תַּלְיָיא מִלְּתָא.
AND GOD (Elohim) REMEMBERED RACHEL, AND GOD (Elohim) HEARKENED UNTO HER AND OPENED HER WOMB. The name Elohim (God) is mentioned here twice, once to represent the male world and the other the female world, the two having been necessary, since the birth of children depends on fate (mazzal).
וְכַד אִתְעָרַת רָחֵל בִּשְׁמָא דָא, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ל׳:כ״ד) יוֹסֵף ה' לִי בֵּן אַחֵר, יָדַע יַעֲקֹב דְּאִיהִי אִתְחַזְּיָיא לְאַשְׁלָמָא כֻּלְּהוּ שִׁבְטִין וְלָא תִתְקַיֵּים בְּעַלְמָא, בְּגִין כָּךְ בָּעָא לְמֵיזַל וְלָא יָכִיל. וְכַד מָטָא זִמְנָא דְּבִנְיָמִין, עָרַק וְאֲזַל לֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּבְאַרְעָא אָחֳרָא לָא יִשְׁתְּלַם בֵּיתָא, לְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא עַלְמָא קַדִּישָׁא בֵּיהּ.
Now when Rachel was moved to name her son Joseph, saying, “The Lord add to me another son”, Jacob knew that it was she that was destined to complete the number of the tribes, whilst she herself would not survive; hence he desired immediately to leave, but he could not carry out his wish. When, however, Benjamin was about to be born, Jacob fled and departed thence, so that the House should not be made complete and the world of holiness become bound up with it in a strange land.
וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ל״א:ג׳) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל יַעֲקֹב שׁוּב אֶל אֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֶיךָ וּלְמוֹלַדְתֶּךָ וְאֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ. מַאי וְאֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ. אֶלָּא אָמַר לֵיהּ, עַד הָכָא, רָחֵל הֲוַת עִמָּךְ עִקְּרָא דְבֵיתָא. מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה, אֲנָא אֱהֵא עִמָּךְ וֶאֱטוֹל בֵּיתָא בַּהֲדָךְ בִּתְרֵיסַר שִׁבְטִין. וְהַיְינוּ דִכְתִיב, וַאֲנִי בְּבֹאִי מִפַּדָּן מֵתָה עָלַי רָחֵל. עָלַי הֲוָה, וּבְגִינִי הֲוָה מִלָּה דְּאִתְדַּחְיָא אִיהִי וְאַתְיָא דִיּוּרָא אָחֳרָא, וְנָטְלָא בֵיתָא בְּגִינִי לְדָיְירָא עִמִּי.
So Scripture says: “And the Lord said unto Jacob: Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee” (Gen. 31, 3). God, in effect, said to him: “Until now Rachel was with thee, being the basis of the House; henceforward I will be with thee and will carry on the House with thee in its complement of the twelve tribes”. The same idea is implied in the verse: “And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me (‘alai, lit. upon me”) (Gen. 48, 7). By the word ‘alai (on me) Jacob meant to say, “it was on account of me and through me that she was thrust out and another one came and took over the house so as to inhabit it with me”.