Shabbat Parashat Miketz 5784

Parashat Hashavua: The Children of Rachel and of Leah – Unity of the Wise

The following was the blessing of the people of Beit Lechem for Boaz and Rut at their wedding: “May Hashem make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who built, the two of them, the House of Israel; may you be successful in Ephrata and give a name in Beit Lechem. And may your house be like the House of Peretz” (Rut 4:11-12).

Before we explain the bolded part of the beracha, we point out that Megillat Rut explains why Yaakov’s beracha to Yehuda of a dynasty from Peretz’s offspring, was delayed until the time of David. For the centuries until that time, most of the leaders came from Rachel and her children (her sons were Yosef (=Ephrayim and Menashe) and Binyamin; and Dan and Nafatli came from her maidservant). Yehoshua came from Ephrayim, Gidon from Binyamin. Yiftach from Menashe, Shimshon from Dan, and King Shaul from Binyamin. Megillat Rut confirms that the promise would soon be actualized.

The people of Beit Lechem stressed two things: A. Unity between the Sons of Rachel and the Sons of Leah is a condition for Bnei Yisrael’s success. B. We will not give up on the promise of a king from Peretz.

When David, a descendent of Leah, was first anointed by Shmuel to succeed Shaul, a descendant of Rachel, he understood that success depended on partnership between the families. For this reason, David made a pact with Shaul’s son Yonatan, by which the latter would be his second in command (Shmuel I, 23:17-18). Unfortunately, this arrangement never came to be because Yonatan was killed (we need another discussion for why Yonatan’s children did not take his place in that regard).

An example of a successful partnership is the pair of King Uziya, from Yehuda, and King Yerovam II from Menashe. Chazal described the relationship as “Uziya and Yerovam were kings as one” (Seder Olam Rabba 19). The navi tells of their great success – each was very successful in conquest and in protecting his kingdom from attack (Melachim II, 14:25; Divrei Hayamim II, 26:6-15).

Yechezkel prophesies about the unity between the sections of Bnei Yisrael, describing how the “tree of Yosef” and the “tree of Yehuda” will become one in the hands of the prophet. This, says the navi, represents that, in the future, they will again fully be one nation with one king for them (Yechezkel 37:19-22).

Why, then, was Shlomo not successful in keeping Bnei Yisrael under one kingdom, as soon after his death, Yerovam started a new kingdom rivaling that of Shlomo’s son Yerovam? The answer may be hinted at in our parasha. When Yosef impressed Paroh, prompting Paroh to appoint him as viceroy, Paroh said of Yosef: “There is none as clever and wise as you” (Bereishit 41:39). The same exact words are used to describe wisdom that Hashem promised Shlomo, except that for Shlomo he is described as the wisest who ever lived (Melachim I, 3:12). Therefore, Shlomo apparently thought that he did not need the help of a partnership with the descendants of Rachel, in this case, Yerovam. (Admittedly, the midrash blames Yerovam for refusing to be a second to Shlomo.)

The necessary lesson is to strive for unity and through it be successful. May we merit to see the building of the House of Israel as Rachel and Leah did.

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