בראשית רבה ס״חBereshit Rabbah 68

Section 4ד׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר סִימוֹן פָּתַח (תהלים סח, ז): אֱלֹהִים מוֹשִׁיב יְחִידִים בַּיְתָה, מַטְרוֹנָה שָׁאֲלָה אֶת רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא אָמְרָה לוֹ לְכַמָּה יָמִים בָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ, אָמַר לָהּ לְשֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, כְּדִכְתִיב (שמות כ, יא): כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ. אָמְרָה לוֹ מַה הוּא עוֹשֶׂה מֵאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה וְעַד עַכְשָׁו, אָמַר לָהּ, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹשֵׁב וּמְזַוֵּג זִוּוּגִים, בִּתּוֹ שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי, אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי, מָמוֹנוֹ שֶׁל פְּלוֹנִי לִפְלוֹנִי. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ, וְדָא הוּא אֻמָּנוּתֵיהּ, אַף אֲנִי יְכוֹלָה לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן, כַּמָּה עֲבָדִים כַּמָּה שְׁפָחוֹת יֵשׁ לִי, לְשָׁעָה קַלָּה אֲנִי יְכוֹלָה לְזַוְּגָן. אָמַר לָהּ, אִם קַלָּה הִיא בְּעֵינַיִךְ, קָשָׁה הִיא לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף. הָלַךְ לוֹ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא, מֶה עָשְׂתָה נָטְלָה אֶלֶף עֲבָדִים וְאֶלֶף שְׁפָחוֹת וְהֶעֱמִידָה אוֹתָן שׁוּרוֹת שׁוּרוֹת, אָמְרָה פְּלַן יִסַּב לִפְלוֹנִית וּפְלוֹנִית תִּסַּב לִפְלוֹנִי, וְזִוְּגָה אוֹתָן בְּלַיְלָה אַחַת. לְמָחָר אֲתוֹן לְגַבָּהּ דֵּין מוֹחֵיהּ פְּצִיעָא, דֵּין עֵינוֹ שְׁמִיטָא, דֵּין רַגְלֵיהּ תְּבִירָא. אָמְרָה לְהוֹן מַה לְּכוֹן, דָּא אֲמָרָה לֵית אֲנָא בָּעֵי לְדֵין, וְדֵין אֲמַר לֵית אֲנָא בָּעֵי לְדָא. מִיָּד שָׁלְחָה וְהֵבִיאָה אֶת רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא, אָמְרָה לוֹ לֵית אֱלוֹהַּ כֶּאֱלָהֲכוֹן, אֱמֶת הִיא תּוֹרַתְכוֹן נָאָה וּמְשֻׁבַּחַת יָפֶה אָמַרְתָּ. אָמַר לֹא כָךְ אָמַרְתִּי לָךְ, אִם קַלָּה הִיא בְּעֵינַיִךְ קָשָׁה הִיא לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מָה עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶן מְזַוְּגָן בְּעַל כָּרְחָן שֶׁלֹא בְּטוֹבָתָן, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: אֱלֹהִים מוֹשִׁיב יְחִידִים בַּיְתָה מוֹצִיא אֲסִירִים בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת, מַהוּ בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת, בְּכִי וְשִׁירוֹת, מַאן דִּבְעֵי אוֹמֵר שִׁירָה וּמַאן דְּלָא בְעֵי בָּכֵי. אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה כַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה הֱשִׁיבָהּ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹשֶׂה סֻלָּמוֹת מַשְׁפִּיל לָזֶה וּמֵרִים לָזֶה, וּמוֹרִיד לָזֶה וּמַעֲלֶה לָזֶה. הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר (תהלים עה, ח): אֱלֹהִים שֹׁפֵט זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים, יֵשׁ שֶׁהוּא הוֹלֵךְ אֵצֶל זִוּוגוֹ וְיֵשׁ שֶׁזִּוּוּגוֹ בָּא אֶצְלוֹ, יִצְחָק בָּא זִוּוּגוֹ אֶצְלוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כד, סג): וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה, יַעֲקֹב הָלַךְ אֵצֶל זִוּוּגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע.

Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon began: “God settles the individuals in a home” (Psalms 68:7) – a noblewoman asked Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta, she said to him: ‘In how many days did the Holy One blessed be He create His world?’' He said to her: ‘In six days, as it is written: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth”’ (Exodus 20:11). She said to him: ‘From that time until now, what has He been doing?’ He said to her: ‘He is sitting and matchmaking; the daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so, the wife of so-and-so to so-and-so, the property of so-and-so to so-and-so.' She said to him: ‘That is his vocation. I, too, can do so. I have several slaves and I have several maidservants and I can make matches between them in a single moment.’ He said to her: ‘If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He, it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea.’ Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta went on his way. What did she do? She took one thousand slaves and one thousand maidservants and stood them in several lines. She said: ‘So-and so-man shall marry so-and-so woman, and so-and-so woman shall marry so-and-so man.’ She made matches between them in one night. The next day, they came to her. This one, his head was wounded, this one, his eye was gouged, this one, his leg was broken. She asked them ‘What do you want?’ This one said: ‘I do not want that one.’ That one said: ‘I do not want this one.’ Immediately, she sent and brought Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta. She said to him: ‘There is no God like your God. Your Torah is True, [it is] fine and praiseworthy, You spoke well.’ He said to her: ‘Is that not what I said to you? If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea.’ What does the Holy One blessed be He do for them? He matches them against their will, not to their liking, as it is stated: “God settles the individuals in a home; He liberates prisoners in chains [bakosharot]” (Psalms 68:7). What is “bakosharot”? It is with weeping [bekhi] and with song [veshirot]. One who is willing, with song, and one who is unwilling, weeps. Rabbi Berekhya said: In this language, Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta answered her: ‘The Holy One blessed be He sits and crafts ladders, and humbles this one and raise that one, lowers this one and elevates that one.’ As it says: “But it is God who is the Judge; He humbles this one and raises that one” (Psalms 75:8). There are instances where one goes to his match and there are instances where one’s match comes to him. Isaac, his match came to him, as it is stated: “Isaac went out walking in the field…[Behold, he saw camels coming]” (Genesis 24:63). Jacob went to his match, as it is written: “Jacob departed from Beersheba.”

Section 5ה׳

חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים וְשָׁלשׁ שָׁנִים הָיָה אָבִינוּ יַעֲקֹב בְּעֵת שֶׁנָּטַל אֶת הַבְּרָכוֹת, עָשָׂה עוֹד אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה שֶׁנִּטְמַן בְּבֵית עֵבֶר, עָשָׂה עוֹד שִׁבְעָה שָׁנִים שֶׁעָבַד בְּרָחֵל, וְנִמְצָא נוֹשֵׂא אִשָּׁה בֶּן שְׁמוֹנִים וְאַרְבַּע שָׁנִים, וְעֵשָׂו בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, הָא לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַשְׁהֶה לַצַּדִּיקִים וּמַקְדִּים לָרְשָׁעִים. אָמַר רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא כְּבָר כְּתִיב (בראשית כח, ז): וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶל אָבִיו וְאֶל אִמּוֹ, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (בראשית כח, י): וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע, אֶלָּא אָמַר, אַבָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לָצֵאת לְחוּץ לָאָרֶץ מֵהֵיכָן הוּרְשָׁה, לֹא מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע, אַף אֲנִי הֲרֵינִי הוֹלֵךְ לִבְאֵר שָׁבַע, אִם נוֹתֵן לִי רְשׁוּת הֲרֵי אֲנִי יוֹצֵא וְאִם לָאו אֵינִי יוֹצֵא, לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר: וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע.

Ḥizkiya said: Our patriarch Jacob was sixty-three years old when he took the blessings, [and] spent another fourteen years [during which] he was hidden in the house of Ever. He spent another seven years that he worked for Rachel. The result is that he married a wife at the age of eighty-four years. Esau was at the age of forty years. We learned that the Holy One blessed be He delays for the righteous and moves forward for the wicked. Rabbi Hoshaya said: It is already written: “Jacob heeded his father and his mother” (Genesis 28:7), why does the verse state: “Jacob departed from Beersheba.” It is, rather, that he said [to himself]: [My] father, when he sought to depart outside the Land of Israel, from where did he seek permission? Was it not from Beersheba? I, too, will go to Beersheba. If He gives me permission, I will depart, but if not, I will not depart. That is why it was necessary for the verse to say: “Jacob departed from Beersheba.”