“One tzaddik does not die before another tzaddik has already been born: ‘The sun rises, the sun sets’ (Koheles 1:5). Rivkah was born before Sarah passed away,” says the Midrash on our Parshah. This seems to be more than just an interesting historical observation, but, rather, a spiritual principle (Also brought in Kiddushin 72b).
What is behind the principle of “One sun rises before the previous one has set”?
One Tzaddik Rises Before the Prior One Sets
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 58:2) opens with the obvious difficulty with the verse in Koheles: “The sun rises and the sun sets” (Koheles 1:5) – Said Rav Abba bar Kahana: Do we not know that the sun rises and sets? Rather, [the verse should be read as saying] before the Holy One, blessed be He, sets the sun of one tzaddik (righteous person), He causes another tzaddik’s sun to rise. On the day that Rabbi Akiva passed away Rabbeinu (Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi) was born, and they saw him as being referred to in the verse “The sun rises and the sun sets.” On the day that Rabbeinu passed away Rav Ada bar Ahavah was born, and they saw him as being referred to in the verse “The sun rises and the sun sets.” On the day that Rav Ada bar Ahavah passed away Rabbi Abun (called Ravin in the Bavli) was born, and they saw him as being referred to in the verse “The sun rises and the sun sets.” On the day that Rabbi Abun passed away Abba Hoshaya the man of Tarya was born. On the day that Abba Hoshaya the man of Tarya passed away, Rabbi Hoshaya was born, and they saw him as being referred to in the verse “The sun rises and the sun sets.”
The Medrash continues with examples where the “sunrise” of on the next righteous leader occurred during the lifetime of (and not on the day of his death) of the prior Tzadaik: Before He caused Moshe’s sun to set,h He caused Yehoshua’s to rise, as it says, “HaShem said to Moshe, ‘Take Yehoshua ben Nun’” (Bamidbar 27:18). Before Yehoshua’s sun set Otniel ben Knaz’s rose, as it says, “Otniel ben Knaz captured it (the city of Kiryat Sefer)” (Yehoshua 15:17). Before Eli’s sun set Shmuel’s rose, as it says, “G-d’s candle had not yet gone out and Shmuel was lying in HaShem’s Temple” (I Shmuel 3:3) ... Until the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Sarah’s sun to set He caused Rivkah’s sun to rises. First, “Behold Milkah had also given birth to children (including Rivkah)” (Bereishis 22:20), and afterwards [the Torah tells us] “The life of Sarah was a hundred years ...” (Bereishis 23:1).
Rav Abba bar Kahana raises a difficulty with the verse – doesn’t it just state an obvious fact? – and answers with his new reading: One tzaddik-sun rises before another tzaddik-sun sets. His reading is probably striving to solve an additional difficulty: isn’t the verse wordy? Couldn’t it have just said “The sun rises and sets”? Apparently, he answers, the verse refers to two different suns, different tzaddikim, one setting, the other rising.
A Constant Stream of Tzaddikim: What is the reason behind this spiritual principle?
The author of the Yefeh Toar commentary on Midrash Rabbah (an abridged version is printed in some editions of Midrash Rabbah), Harav Shmuel Yafeh Ashkenazi (Turkey, 1525-1595) writes: This comes from the Providence of HaShem, may He be blessed, that the generation should not be orphaned from a tzaddik that protects it and teaches it effectively ... And even though fear of G-d is not in Heaven’s hands, we have already answered that since HaShem, may He be blessed, knows the way of future tzaddikim, He divides them up among the generations so some of them will be found in each generation.
Netivos Olam – Netiv Hatzedakah Chapter 1: For the tzaddik, since he has צדק righteousness – which exists eternally, and for that reason the verse says, “The tzaddik [has an] eternal foundation” (Mishlei 10:25) and has an intense level of lasting existence – therefore only leaves the world when a similar tzaddik is born. For then that righteousness, which has lasting existence, remains without interruption.
Rabbi Yonasan Eibeshutz -Yaaros Dvash Derush 7: We still mourn the loss of a Torah Sage, despite the faith that a “new sun” will rise to take his place. There is a natural generational decline as we are further away from Har Sinai and the clarity of thought from such a decline and this is a true reason to mourn the loss of a Torah Sage.
