Vayeitzei: 5784 - Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld with a timely idea about the quality of bitachon: why didn't Yaakov accept Rachel's request for children, and instead of understanding her and showing empathy, he rebuked her…

00:00 Speaker 1 Please. This week’s parsha gives us a special lesson in bitachon, trust in Hashem. The parsha tells us, “And Rachel said to Yaakov.” Rachel says to Yaakov, “Give me children, and if not, I will die.” It says, “Yaakov became angry with Rachel.” Yaakov Avinu is angry with Rachel, and he tells her, “Am I in G-d’s place, Who has withheld children from you?” As if to say, I have children; it is from you that He has withheld them. This raises a very difficult question. Yaakov Avinu—a little empathy! This is his wife, for whom he worked seven years. He worked for Rachel, and when she is in pain because she has no children, she asks Yaakov for help. And his response is, “Yaakov became angry.” Nowhere else does it say that Yaakov Avinu got angry with anyone. But here, when Rachel asks him, “Give me children,” it says, “Yaakov became angry.” Say something kind to her. Give her a blessing. It’s a very difficult question. A few years ago, there was a farbrengen here, and the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Leibel Groner, was here. He raised this question and gave the answer in the Rebbe’s name. He explained that Yaakov Avinu was not angry with Rachel for saying, “Give me children.” Rachel was very wise. It says there are three keys that Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not entrust to any messenger. They remain with Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself. One of them is the key to having children. Rachel was wise. It says, “And he called him G-d, the G-d of Israel.” Rashi gives two interpretations there. According to one interpretation, whom did Hakadosh Boruch Hu call “G-d, the G-d of Israel”? Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov Avinu was called “G-d, the G-d of Israel.” If he was called that, then he could give a blessing. He had the key to children; he could give her children. So Rachel says to Yaakov, “Give me children!” What was Yaakov angry with Rachel about? She says, “And if not, if

02:26 Speaker 1 not, I will die.” What does “if not” mean? You don’t believe I can give you children? Then why are you asking me? The whole reason she asks him for children is that Yaakov Avinu is on such a level that he is called “G-d, the G-d of Israel,” and he can give her children. So why does she say, “And if not”? That means she has doubts. You have doubts—so why are you asking me? That is what he was angry about: “And if not,” not the fact that she asked for children. What does “and if not” mean? Why do you have doubts about it? In this connection, I’ll tell you a story. There was an elderly chossid who was something of a hypochondriac. For every little thing, he went to doctors. There wasn’t a doctor he hadn’t visited. Once, he had pain in his legs, so he went to all the doctors in New York, until he reached two who were the most famous, the greatest experts. Both said he needed surgery. So which one should he choose? He decided to ask the Rebbe. He went into yechidus and asked the Rebbe which of the two doctors to choose. They were both top professionals. Which one should perform the surgery? The Rebbe said to him, “You’re asking me which doctor to choose, but you’re not asking whether you need surgery at all?” Suddenly it dawned on him. So he said, “Yes, I’m asking the Rebbe for a blessing that I won’t need surgery.” The Rebbe told him, “Now it’s too late. When you enter this room with trust and faith that from here it’s possible to prevent you from needing the—then it’s possible to bring about that you won’t need surgery. But now you’re saying it because I said it to you. It’s too late.” In other words, we learn from this a lesson in bitachon. When a Jew trusts and has no doubts, when there is no “and if not” in him, he

04:11 Speaker 1 receives what he asks for. That is a lesson in bitachon.

04:16 Speaker 2 Yasher koach!