זוהר, וישלח י״טZohar, Vayishlach 19

Segment 1א׳

וַיְהִי (קנהב) בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ כִּי מֵתָה. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא וְכִי כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ לָא יְדַעְנָא כִּי מֵתָה. אֶלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ בְּגִין דְּלָא אַהֲדָרַת לְגוּפָא יַתִּיר, וּמִיתַת רָחֵל מִיתַת גּוּפָא, בְּגִין דְּאִית בְּנִי נָשָׁא דְּנָפְקֵי נִשְׁמָתַיְיהוּ וְאַהַדְרָן לְאַתְרַיְיהוּ וּכְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמואל א ל) וַתָּשָׁב נַפְשׁוֹ (לפנינו בקרא רוחו. ובדפוס ירושלים איתא גם בזוה"ק ותשב רוחו אליו) אֵלָיו, (בראשית מ״ב:כ״ח) וַיֵּצֵא לִבָּם, (שיר השירים ה׳:ו׳) נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְּדַבְּרוֹ. (מלכים א י״ז:י״ז) לא נוֹתְרָה בּוֹ נְשָׁמָה. אֲבָל הַאי נָפְקַת נִשְׁמָתָהּ וְלָא אִתְהַדָּרַת לְאַתְרָהּ וּמִיתַת רָחֵל.

AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS HER SOUL DEPARTED-FOR SHE DIED. R. Abba said: ‘What need is there to state that she died, after it says that her soul departed? The object is to make it clear that her soul did not return again to her body, as sometimes happens with some people. Thus we read: “And his spirit returned unto him”; also: “And their heart departed” (Gen. 42, 28); or: “My soul departed” (S. S. 5, 6); again: “until there was no soul left in him” (I Kings 17, 17). But when Rachel’s soul passed out, it did not return, and so she died.’

Segment 2ב׳

וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֶּן אוֹנִי. דְּקַשְׁיוּ דְדִינָא דְּאִתְגְּזַר עֲלָהּ. וְיַעֲקֹב אַהֲדַר לֵיהּ וְקָשִׁיר לֵיהּ לְימִינָא, בְּגִין דְּמַעֲרָב אִצְטְרִיךְ לְקָשְׁרָא לֵיהּ לִימִינָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ בֶּן אוֹנִי סִטְרָא דְדִינָא קַשְׁיָא, בֶּן יָמִין אִיהוּ, דְּהָא בִּימִינָא אִתְקַשְּׁרַת.

AND SHE CALLED HIS NAME BEN-ONI (the son of my sorrow), in reference to the doom that was pronounced against her; but Jacob turned him round and attached him to the right (Benyamin=the son of the right hand), as the West (of which Benjamin was symbolic) needed to be bound up with the right. Thus, although he was Ben-oni (the son of sorrow), derived from the side of chastisement, yet was he also Benjamin (the son of the right), as the mother was bound up with the right

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִתְקְבָרַת בְּאָרְחָא כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר. הַאי אִתְגַּלְּיָא מִיתָתָהּ וּקְבוּרָתָהּ, אֲבָל לֵאָה לָא אִתְגַּלְּיָא מִיתָתָהּ וּקְבוּרָתָהּ. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּהַנֵּי אַרְבַּע אִמָּהָן רָזָא אִית לוֹן וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ:

and was buried by the road, as explained elsewhere. Rachel’s death and burial-place are recorded, but neither the death nor the burial-place of Leah is recorded; and this although the matriarchs have a joint symbolism, which has been explained elsewhere.