Rochel Imeinu’s silent core of modesty was the source of her greatness
We first met Rochel Imeinu in our first grade Chumash glass. Her story was exciting, enchanting, exalted.
As the years rolled by, our connection with Rochel Imeinu deepened; perhaps embellished through the impassioned strains of Yaakov Shwekey’s poignant notes, she emerged as someone personal in our lives. We draw comfort from the description of Rochel Imeinu crying for her children, and we try to wrap our minds around the incredible sacrifice she made for her sister.
But when Chazal talk about the defining attributes of Rochel Imeinu, the focus isn’t on her tefillah or her mesirus nefesh. What Chazal identify as Rochel’s primary middah, so dominant that it was passed on to her progeny, is tzniyus.
As a reward for the tzniyus that was exhibited by Rochel, she merited that [the tzanu’a] Shaul descended from her. And as a reward for the tzniyus that was exhibited by Shaul, he merited that [the tzanu’ah] Esther descended from him. (Megillah 13b)
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