Horav Chaim Shmuelevitz, zl, once asked a close talmid, disciple, to drive him to Kever Rachel, the tomb of Rachel. As they traveled out of Yerushalayim, Rav Chaim began to think of all the people for whom he would pray. He had a list which included the sick, those who were grief-stricken, the childless, and the financially challenged. As he was going through the list, he began to cry. It was a soft weeping - at first - but then it became a loud sobbing that resounded throughout the car.
They arrived at Kever Rachel and Rav Chaim got out of the car, composed himself and entered the hallway leading to the kever. As he approached the kever, Rav Chaim once again began to sob bitterly, crying out, "Mamme! Chaimke is doh!" -- "Mother, Chaimke is here!"
Rav Chaim began to recite numerous kapitlach, chapters, of Tehillim, mentioning the names of those for whom he prayed. He wailed as he closed his eyes, visualizing each one. Then he called out, "De Ribbono Shel Olam hut gezocht Mamme, as du zolst nit veinan, ubber ich Chaimke zog, vein Mamme vein!" -- Hashem said to you, 'Mother, do not cry', but I, Chaimke, say to you, 'cry, Mother, cry!'"
He was referring to the famous pasuk in Yirmiyahu, 31:15, where Hashem tells Rachel to restrain herself from weeping. For the galus, exile, is only temporary. Klal Yisrael will one day return joyfully and reclaim their land.
On the return trip to Yerushalayim, someone queried Rav Chaim, "If Hashem instructed Rachel not to cry, why did the Rosh HaYeshiva supplicate her to cry?"
Rav Chaim's response was archetypical and defined his character. "A father can make demands of his daughter. He can tell her, 'Do not cry!' A son can tell his mother, 'Mamme, please cry!'
He felt their pain and anguish. He cared - and he cried. The brilliant Rosh HaYeshiva, rebbe to thousands, cared about every Jew, from his contemporary to the "little guy", from the brokenhearted widow, bereft of her husband and with a houseful of orphans to feed, to the girl who was having difficulty in finding her mate. That was Rav Chaim.
What should leave a powerful impact on us is the manner in which the Rosh HaYeshivah related to Rachel Imeinu. She was not an abstract figure, Matriarch of Klal Yisrael, who lived a few thousand years ago. She was his mother - here and now! He felt that way and communicated his feelings in that manner. What a lesson for us! He related to Rachel Imeinu as if to his very own mother. Is it a wonder that his prayers were heard?
