A Mother In Heaven

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses all stood before G-d when they were told about the destruction of the First Holy Temple.

"Why have I been singled out from among all the people, that I have come to this shame and humiliation? Why have You exiled my children, and why have You delivered them into the hands of evil robbers, who killed them with all manner of horrible deaths? You have laid waste to the place where I brought my sons as a sacrifice."

G-d replied: "They sinned, transgressing the entire Torah and the message of the entire alef-bet."

Abraham then said: "Master of the World, who shall bear testimony against the Jews, that they have transgressed?"

"Let the Torah come and testify," said G-d.

The Torah came and wanted to bear witness. Abraham said to her: "My beloved daughter, are you not ashamed before my children? Remember the day that you were given; how G-d carried you to all of the nations, and none wanted to accept you, until my children came to Mt. Sinai and heard you. And today you want to offer testimony against them, during their troubles?"

The Torah was too ashamed to bear witness.

G-d said, "Let the 22 letters of the alef-bet come forward."

The letters came forward, wishing to testify. The alef was first. But Abraham told her, "Remember the day when G-d gave the Torah and began with an alef - Anochi - I. None of the others nations wished to accept you except the Jews. And now you want to witness against them?"

The alef slinked back in shame. But the bet came forward. Abraham said to her, "My daughter, remember the Torah which begins with bet - b'reishit - In the beginning. No one but the Jews would accept her and you wish to bring testimony against them?"

When the other letters saw this, they all remained silent and none would come forward.

Then Abraham said to G-d, "In my hundredth year You gave me a son. When he was 37 years old You commanded me to bring him as a sacrifice and I bound him! Won't You remember this and have pity on my children?"

Then Isaac spoke to G-d, "When my father brought me, upon your command, as an offering, I willingly let myself be bound. I stretched out my neck to be slaughtered. Will you not have pity on my children for my sake?"

Jacob, too, spoke to G-d, saying, "For twenty years I worked for Laban so that I could leave him with my children and my wives. And when I left Laban I was met by my brother Esau who wished to kill my entire family. I risked my very life for them and bore much suffering because of them. Will You not have pity on them?"

Finally, Moses approached G-d. "Was I not a faithful shepherd over Israel for forty years, leading them in the desert? And when the time came for them to enter the Holy Land, You commanded that I die in the desert and not lead them there. Yet, I did not complain. You expect me to watch them go into exile?"

Then Moses called to Jeremiah the prophet, who stood together with him and the Patriarchs. "Come with me. I will take them out of exile."

When, by the rivers of Babylon, the people saw Moses together with Jeremiah, they rejoiced. "Look, Moses has risen from the grave to redeem us from our captors!"

But just then, a heavenly voice rang out, "It is a decree from Me and can be no other way."

Moses wept as he spoke to the people and said, "My beloved children, I cannot take you out for it has been decreed by the Master and only He can redeem you."

Then Rachel, our mother, came before G-d and said, "Your servant, Jacob, loved me dearly and worked for my father for seven years on my behalf. But my father wanted to trick him and give my older sister, Leah, to him instead. I heard of this and told Jacob. And I gave him a sign to that he would know which sister they were giving him.

"But I took pity on my sister and did not wish her to be humiliated. So I taught her the signs and even spoke for her so that Jacob would not recognize her voice. And I was not jealous.

"Master of the World! I am but flesh and blood and I was not jealous of my sister. You are merciful, G-d. Why are you 'jealous' that Israel served idols? And because of this, you have exiled my children and the enemy has killed all that they wanted."

Immediately G-d took pity on her and said, "Rachel, for your sake I will return your children to the land of Israel."

About this the Prophet Jeremiah says, "A voice is heard on high, lamentations and bitter weeping, Rachel weeps and it is said: 'Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears for there is reward for your labor... and there is hope for your end, and the sons shall return to their boundary.