VEYEITZEI

Yaakov Avinu wished to marry Rochel. His future father-in-law, Lovon, duped him into taking Leah first and the net result was that he ended up with both Rochel and Leah, as well as their handmaidens, Bilhah and Zilpah as wives.

He also had to agree to serve Lovon not just for seven years, as he had suggested for Rochel, but a further seven years as a sort of payment for dowry.

Not only that, there was a further six years that Yaakov worked very hard trying to build up his own flocks of sheep and capital.

As we find towards the end of the sedra, Yaakov himself declared that he hardly had any time to sleep as he was so busy looking after Lovon’s sheep etc.

Children born to Leah and Bilhah and Zilpah came very quickly indeed and in the space of only six or seven years, Yaakov had, in fact twelve children including one daughter, Dina, and Yosef was finally born to Rochel after much trial and tribulation.

One interesting fact that I have not seen discussed, is that the children’s names were give by the two main wives of Yaakov, namely Leah and Rochel. Why did not Yaakov give them names at all, at least of some of them?

The only time we find that Yaakov himself gave a name, was when the family finally returned to Eretz Yisroel and Rochel was expecting her second son, and she had great difficulties. Just before she died, she named him בן אוני, the son of my anguish. Yaakov then renamed him בנימין.

Why was it that the two אמהות named the children.

I believe that the answer lies in the whole set up of the family relationship and Lovon being the father-in-law. Yaakov had a major problem with regard to the chinuch of his children. He was preoccupied day and night and could not give them very much attention. It is true that Rochel and Leah were both צדקניות, very righteous people and also נביאות but even so, they were in the same town as Lovon and the whole atmosphere of Aram Naharaim was not conducive to bringing up children in the way that Yaakov had, himself, been brought up in the home of Yitzchok and Rivka, and Avrohom as well. It was going to have to be the ladies who were going to take the whole brunt of bringing up the children correctly. In order to give them even more incentive to care for each child, to ensure that they adhered to the correct path, Yaakov gave them the task and pleasure of naming the children one by one. This, no doubt, gave them even more reason to look after each child very carefully and deal with the responsibility in a very mature manner.

The one exception to the rule was in the case of Levi, where, although Leah had said, הפעם ילוה אישי אלי, “this time my husband will accompany me more”. The verse continues על כן קרא שמו לוי. It does not say that she called him לוי but that He called him לוי. Rashi quotes our Chazal that Hashem sent the Malach Gavriel to bring him before Hashem and He called him that name.

Why was it that just in this case, Leah did not give the actual name.

May I suggest that this was because after having named both ראובן and שמעון in each case mentioning the name of Hashem, in the case of לוי she did not mention Hashem at all. In order that לוי should have that extra spiritual level, Hashem himself gave the name and, therefore, as Rashi adds, Hashem gave him the 24 special מתנות כהונה, special presents which a Kohen receives.

In respect of the fourth son, born shortly afterwards, namely יהודה, Leah reverted to mentioning Hashem, הפעם אודה את יהו' , this time I will thank Hashem. Because she actually did this, rather than just mentioning Hashem having seen her affliction, in the case of ראובן and seen that she was “hated” in the case of שמעון. In the case of יהודה, she thanked Hashem. Because of this positive thanking, one can understand why the eventual Malchus, the kingship of all of Israel comes from the tribe of יהודה. It is particularly epitomised by Dovid Hamelech.

Turning to the youngest son, בנימין, whom I mentioned above, we know that prophecy only comes through simcha. Obviously, in the case of Rochel when she was in death throes and gave the name בן אוני, this was not with prophecy. Therefore, Yaakov named his son בנימין. Rashi explains that this means the son who was born in the south of Eretz Yisroel or alternatively, who was born in Yaakov’s old age. The Ramban suggests that “the son of my strength” is a sensible explanation of the name.

At that time, Yaakov had no further bad influences such as Lovon and Aram Naharaim to worry about as he was already in Eretz Yisroel and on the way back to his father’s house. He, therefore, himself named his youngest son with the name by which he is still known to this day.

When the Bais Hamikdosh was erected the greater portion of this was in the land of tribe of יהודה. This obviously went with the malchus.

However, the holiest part, the מזבח and קודש קדשים were built on the land of בנימין. I would suggest that this was not only because בנימין was the one child who was born in Eretz Yisroel, furthermore, he was the one son who had not bowed down to Eisav but in addition to this, his name was given by his father Yaakov. Yaakov had a famous dream mentioned at the beginning of the sedra and he laid down on the stones which appear to have been of that very place, namely the Holiest part of the Bais Hamikdosh the קודש קדשים or alternatively the מזבח. In any event, it is fitting that as he, himself, given the name to his youngest son, that son’s portion in Eretz Yisroel should be the one designated for the מזבח and the קודש קדשים.


PLEASE ALSO READ MY EARLIER POST ON THIS BLOG "YAAKOV'S SHEEP"

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