We are taught that Rachel chose to be buried in Bethlehem, rather than in Hebron with the other patriarchs and matriarchs. She foresaw that the Jewish people would pass by Bethlehem many centuries later when they were driven out of the Land of Israel following the destruction of the first Temple. At that time, after the patriarchs tried but failed to appease G‑d, Rachel argued that just as she had not been jealous of her sister Leah when she became Jacob’s wife, G‑d should not be “jealous” of the idols the Jews had worshipped. G‑d accepted her argument, and proclaimed: “Because of you, Rachel, I will return the Jewish people to their homeland.”
It is Rachel’s self-sacrifice and devotion that evoke G‑d’s promise to redeem us, despite our misdeeds and shortcomings.1
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