From here, I’d like to shift to an awesome and frightening idea. We will bridge to it through an idea from Maayan Ganim; an idea, that if correct, will change our entire lives, and if not addressed will result in us leaving the wounded in the field.
After years of childlessness and pleading with both Hakadosh Baruch Hu and her husband for a child, Rachel Imeinu named her first son Yosef, declaring: ל ֹ הִ י ם אֶ ת ־ חֶ רְ פּ ָ תִ י-אָ סַ ף אֱ – G-d has taken away my reproach, followed by יֹסֵ ף ה' לִ י בֵּ ן אַ חֵ ר – May Hashem add another son for me. Had she stuck to her initial expression, his name would have been Assaf, hence the additional explanation. Rashi interprets the first declaration as Rachel expressing relief from her disgrace of barrenness. She had become an object of reproach, with people saying about her that her husband would leave her, and she’d wind up with Eisav. Additionally, Rashi says referencing the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 73:5), a childless woman has no one to blame and always receives it herself, but with a child, fault could be shifted even for small things like breaking a glass.
Maayan Ganim questions her use of אָ סַ ף instead of בִּ טּ ֵ ל. The latter suggests complete elimination of shame, whereas the former implies the shame is merely hidden, hinting at a deeper, enduring hurt. He warns that harm caused by words and by public humiliation, as per Rachel Imeinu's words, is indelible, locked away but forever present. This echoes the sentiment that ִים בְּיַד ל ָ שׁ ו ֹ ן ּמָוֶת וְחַי – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, underscoring the lasting impact of words. Rachel Immeinu's experience reflects a profound truth: even as life moves forward, past shames linger as internal scars, visible only to those who bear them.
I don’t need to bring many examples. Just look at how much seriousness Hakadosh Baruch Hu places on the element of embarrassment. The Me'iri, discussing the episode of Korach and his entourage, notes that after Korach and his followers were swallowed by the ground, their staffs remained behind. Moshe instructed Elazar, not Aharon, to collect them. Why not Aharon? Wasn’t he already engaged and taking action that involved these staffs? Yes, and that is the exact reason! The decision to have Elazar collect the staffs was made because Aharon was one of their targets and his involvement at this stage would only have added to the shame felt by Korach's assembly, even though they were already deceased; indicating that shame even endures beyond death!
