Anash.org presents a weekly Dvar Torah for children by Rabbi Yekusiel Goldstein, author of the book Divrei Torah for Children.
For a printable PDF of the Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayechi, click here.
וַיְחִי
A Mother’s Care
Before his passing, Yaakov requested his son Yosef to bury him in Eretz Kna’an, in the Me’oras Hamachpeila. After agreeing, Yosef asked his father why he had buried his mother Rochel on the side of the road, and not in Me’oras Hamachpeila.
Yaakov explained that Rochel was buried on the roadside in order to help the Yidden many years later. When the Yidden would be on their way to golus, they will pass by Rochel’s kever and daven there. Rochel would then daven for the Yidden to be freed from golus, and Hashem will accept her tefillos.
Question – Why was Rochel chosen to be buried on the road side to daven for the Yidden and not Yaakov?
Answer – Rochel Imeinu was chosen for this task because of the special quality of care that women have.
Women are not obligated to do mitzvos that are connected to a specific time (like shofar, sukka and lulav), since they are occupied with caring for their children at home. The women are ready to give up the zchus of doing these special mitzvos, for at that time they are raising children to grow up in the ways of Hashem.
It is because of this special quality that Rochel was chosen to be buried on the road side. Here too, Rochel was ready to give up the special zchus of being buried in the Me’oras Hamachpela, so that she should be able to daven and help her children in their time of need!
Our mother Rochel was ready to give up everything in order to help her children. So too, Hashem, the Father of Bnei Yisroel, listens to our tefillos and will finally take us out of golus, with the final geula now!
(Based on Likutei Sichos vol. 30 p. 239)
Divrei Torah for ChildrenVolume 2 can be purchased online or in Crown Heights bookstores.
