וירדף אחריו דרך שבעת ימים וגו’ וישג לבן את-יעקב וגו’
[Lavan] chased after [Yaakov] a seven-day journey...and Lavan caught up to Yaakov...
After Yaakov was scammed and abused by his uncle Lavan for over twenty years, he decided to flee with his family back to his homeland. Instead of informing his uncle of their departure, he decided to leave without notice. He was a six-day distance from Lavan before the latter realized what had happened. Lavan chased after Yaakov on the seventh day, and on that very day managed to catch up with him. This is seemingly miraculous. How did Lavan travel so far in one day, something which took Yaakov much longer? This tells us that a miracle happened, and the Earth contracted so that Lavan would catch up to Yaakov. Why didn’t this same miracle happen for Yaakov, so that he would arrive home before Lavan could catch up? Also, why would such a miracle be performed for Lavan, whose intention was to kill Yaakov?
What happened after Lavan caught up to Yaakov? Hashem kept his promise, and Lavan wasn’t able to harm Yaakov. However, a dispute ensued. Lavan’s precious idols were missing, and he suspected Yaakov of stealing them. Insulted at such an accusation, Yaakov cursed that whoever had the missing idols would die. Yaakov was unaware that his wife Rachel was actually the perpetrator. Unfortunately, Yaakov’s curse came true. As they continued their journey to the land of Israel, Rachel went into labor. She died while delivering her son Binyamin. Because of Yaakov’s curse, she died before her time just as they had entered the land of Israel. Yaakov buried her where she died. Why didn’t he bury her in his future burial plot, along with his forefathers and foremothers?
The answer is found in a Midrash, which describes the emotional scene which occurred in the Heavens and on Earth when the Jews were exiled by the Babylonians. Thousands were brutally slaughtered; many were sold as slaves. The rest were sent to wander aimlessly without a home. Yirmiyahu, the leading prophet at the time, was called upon by Hashem to summon, in Heaven, the Avos, the forefathers, as well as Moshe, to see if they could overturn this harsh decree. Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov all pleaded the case for the Jews, but to no avail. They wept bitterly at the hopeless situation of their descendants. Moshe, their great leader, also tried and wept in vain. Suddenly, the foremother Rachel made a case for the Jews. She too, wept greatly for their vindication. Hashem responded to her by saying that her tears were not in vain. There was great merit for her efforts, and Hashem declared that the Jews would one day return to their homeland.
This is why Yaakov buried Rachel where she died. He saw that one day his future descendants would be exiled, and they would walk by her grave. As they walked by, Rachel would pray and weep for their redemption, and be answered. What caused Rachel to die early in the first place? Yaakov’s unintentional curse that she should die. What was it that caused Yaakov to unintentionally curse his wife? Lavan catching up to Yaakov’s family. We see from here that Hashem’s miracle of the Earth contracting for Lavan was the catalyst for the future redemption. Although at the time it seemed hopeless, that Lavan’s agility would cause him to kill Yaakov and his whole family, they left unscathed. Lavan’s argument with Yaakov did however lead to Rachel’s untimely death. While this was a personal tragedy, it wasn’t a meaningless one. It was to pave the way for the future redemption of Yaakov’s children from their exile. It was to allow Rachel to cry for her children.
This is a lesson that we can take with us throughout our lives. Hashem is behind the scenes in everything that happens to us. He sometimes causes events which on the surface appear to be unfair. They may even be tragic. We see from Lavan that they can even sometimes occur through a miracle. However, they are not without purpose. There’s an end-goal in mind. Everything that Hashem does is for the good. We just may not see the big picture yet.
Based on a devar Torah heard from Rabbi Frand at Ner Yisroel.
