Before I set this seemingly meager morsel upon the table, I would first like to set the stage. Today in Jewish religious traditions there are four great matriarchs in Israel. They are understandably Sarah the wife of Abraham, Rabekah the wife of Isaac, and Rachel and Leah the two wives of Jacob. With all of the Jewish emphasis upon Father Abraham and being the seed of Abraham, one would think that the promenant matriarchal mother of the Jews would be considered as being Sarah, Abraham's wife. She is not. Then of course the Jews are of Judah the son of Leah, so next one would consider that the Jew's own more immediate progenitor Leah would be their Matriarch of choice. She is not. For whatever number of various reasons, some of truth, some of contrivance, and some lost to thier understanding, the Jews have selected 'Mamma Rachel', the mother of Joseph of Egypt, to be the Matriarch of choice, the mother of all Jews everywhere. Of the four, matriarchs, Rachel is considered the greatest of them all.

Perhaps it is because of the accessibility of the Tomb of Rachel. Perhaps it is because it is prophesied that it was Rachel who did weep for the exiled of her children in Jeremiah chapter 31, which the Jews erroneously apply only to themselves which we will review shortly. Perhaps it is because Jacob understood, as it was set forth as his perception, that Rachel would be the chosen and selected mother figure of his people. Or perhpas it is because Rachel was the mother of Joseph, Jacob's chosen son of the covenant to carry on the covenant blessings. Perhaps it was any number of things and a combinations of many of them, that Rachel was considered the embodiment of the whole of the Twelve Tribes. Or perhaps it was because of whom Rachel was considered to be the future mother of. Let us review for now that great is the scope of honor which mother Rachel is given. Is it not so detectible that in Jeremiah 31, the Lord reaches far beyond merely the Jews whom 'Mother Rachel' has been established to represent? Let's read and review most of that chapter which applies to this perspective of Rachel and all of Israel.

"AT the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel [not just the Jews], and they shall be my people. Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel [It is clearly Israel which is being spoken of, not merely the Jews yet to be taken to Babylon], when I went to cause him to rest. The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love [of the everlasting covenant]: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria [Samaria is the land of Ephraim]: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim [this is Ephraim] shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." ~ Jeremiah 31:1-9
[This to the LDS Church is very clear in meaning and it does refer to the gathering of Israel in conjunction with the covenant promises of the fathers from Adam to and through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Ephraim; that by their fruits, which includes Jesus Christ, the nations of the earth will be blessed and gathered. The Jews, who seem to consider by themselves the only ones left of Israel, do but myoptically apply this chapter only to themselves and their scattering yet to come at the juncture of this prophecy delivered via Jeremiah. This is not its sole limited application, though it may be applied to the Jews as they too are a part of Israel. This greater application is the covenant of the 'firstborn' whom Ephraim is as so stated by Jeremiah, and, as we've presented, do present and will present, the 'firstborn' of God the Father is Christ Jesus-Jehovah as through Rachel, Joseph and Ephraim, even Messiah ben Joseph as well as Messiah ben David.]

"¶ Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.

"¶ Thus saith the LORD; A voice was [past tense] heard in Ramah [Mt. Ephraim], lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel [Rachel the mother of Joseph, Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh and all Israel, not just Judah] weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. [This the Jews have confined to themselves and their scatterings, their captivities, and their gatherings alone, not extending it beyond themselves to all of Israel through Ephraim as it is so stated in the context of the full chapter 31 of Jaremiah, which we are reading.] Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end [Rachel was from thence the shepherd, the stone of Israel was to come via Rachel's seed even Joseph and Ephraim], saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

"¶ I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. [It is clearly in association with Ephraim that this is to be performed.] Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities." ~ Jeremiah 31:10-21

Now the Jews do but consider that they only are the remnant weeped for by Rachel, being unwelling or unable to identify any others as Israel other than themselves. And they have long since considered that the term Jew and Israel are synonomous, excluding all others from among their ranks, considering themselves as being the only remaining true house of Israel. But clearly, as set out by Jeremiah in full context, it is all of Israel associated with Ephraim the Lord's firstborn, which is the Israel being referenced here which includes the Jews but also continues far beyond being only the Jews. And Judah is not Ephraim. Yet the Jews/Judah but applies it unto themself in Israel today. not realizing what is occuring in God's greater arena and perfromance of taking his gospel to all the world, and thus redeeming he people of the covenant from all nations. Israel of Ephraim and the associated 10 tribes were sacttered to the north country were Israel was to return from.

At the chronological point of Jeremiah chapter 31, Judah was yet to be fully scattered. It is significant and clear that in the midst of this reference to Ephraim and his fellows, Israel, that it is they who Rachel is crying for, 'her childern' of Ephraim and of Israel. Judah may be included, but the emphasis is upon the house of Rachel, Israel and his companions not Judah singled out and alone.

Now what is critical to understand is that Matthew uses the dualisity of scripture prophecy and does also correctly associate and apply this weeping figure Rachel in his record in conjunction with the Rachel weepng for the slain babes under Herod as 'her children' as will later be seen in item number 34 hereafter.

The Jews are correct that Rachel is the figure of the Mother of Israel. But she is the Mother of Israel as clearly associated with Ephraim the Lord's selected firstborn and Judah may be included in that. But Ephraim, the selected child under the hand of Jacob is the one to be emphasized, not Judah. And it is reserved to Rachel in association with Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim and the covenant blessings, who holds such a great position in Israel for one who died so young in child birth. Joseph was still a mere child when his brother Benjamin was born and his mother Rachel died of child birth. She like unto Sarah and Rabekah before her had been barren and was considered likely not able to bear children. All ten of the other sons of Jacob were already born before Rachel did bear first Joseph and then later Benjamin. And it would be Rachel's firstborn son of the promise that the other 10 sons of Jacob would sell into the considered death of oblivian and slavery.

So why does Rachel, Jacob's wife who died before everyone else, hold such a high and honored position in Israel to be considered the Mother of all Israel and of every Jew as well? Is it merely because she is Joseph's mother? Or is there more to this honor?

Rachel the Prophetess and Ancestor of Messiah

"The matriarch Rachel was one of the first prophetesses." ~ (Yersushalmi Berachot 9:3)

Now as explained previously, when reading from the rabbincal writings, one must sift through the writing to find any remaining 'Threads of Truth' which does reside therein. The following is such a quotation which has become somewhat corrupted because it is based upon the 2nd century dividing of the Messiah into two figures. But 'wading through' that understanding, the following passage is deemed too significant to otherwise discard, for it identifies a reference to a prophecy otherwise lost to the corrupted Jewish world, as it may well indicate more missing scripture, though the Samaritan world seems to have retained the jest of it.

"Hence [we know] that the Anointed of War [this was just one singled out asspect of the Messiah which the Rabbis did divided unto Messiah ben Joseph] will arise in the future from Joseph . . . [And Rachel said]: God hath taken away my reproach (Genesis 30:23)—because it was prophesied to her that the Messiah would arise from her." ~ BhM* Volume 6:81 (See also the Messiah Texts, page 165)

That the Messiah was the 'Anointed' of War against the forces of evil was just one singled out and then corrupted asspect of the various roles of the one true Messiah, which the Rabbis did divide out and prescribe to Messiah ben Joseph when they did image their division of the Messiah into two separate persons. And this alluded to prophesy to Rachel has been lost to us as part of our Old Testament scripture likely attributed to the fault which Joseph Smith would attribute to the 'Ignorant translators, careless transcribers and/or corrupt priests (see ToTPJS page 327)'. And to that list I would add the compilers of the Old Testament who did add their own prescribed clarifyng commentaries and selectively chose what would and would not be suitable to include from a very Jewish perspective.

But, what is clear, is that both the Samaritans and Jews do referernce, if not 'The Messiah', 'A Messiah' to come forth from Ephraim, Joseph and the line of Rachel. One of the 'divided' roles of the Messiah is this 'war figure rising against the enemies of Israel' and both many Jews and Samaritans did and do consider this redeeming of their people from its oppressors as one of the central asspects of this Messiah's purpose. And thus the more modern Rabbinical references to Rachel's Messiah, Messiah Ben Joseph.

Yet back in the days of Rachel, well before the 2nd century A.D. imagined spliting of the Messiah into two, there was but one Messiah and thus this traditional Rachels' prophecy would only have been in relationship to the one single Messiah. And of course the Rabbinic 'future' would be but to move both Messiah images to the latter-days, thus removing entirely the Messiah from the meridian of time when we know that Christ did fulfill his mortal ministry. And thus the Rabbinical corruption when so set into their contrivances concerning the Messiah. But it is significant that they still do have this reference that Rachel was to be consider the mother of the Messiah which correlates further with the item which discusses 'Rachel Weeping' for her children.

Now from another sources concerning this 'tradition' that Rachel, the mother of Joseph did speak concerning her son Joseph and the Messiah which would come from his seed. It is taken from both an LDS source which attempts to associate it with Joseph Smith and also from the original source which that LDS source so corrupts. I quote it here as follows:

"The traditions also include a prophecy by Joseph's mother Rachel "that Joseph would be the ancestor of the (Ephraimitic) Messiah, who would arise at the end of days," along with an interesting variation on the dreams of his youth. According to such accounts "Joseph dreamed a dream, and he could not refrain from telling it to his brethren." In this dream he and his brothers were gathering fruit. "Your fruit rotted, but mine remained sound," Joseph explained. "Your seed will set up dumb images of idols, but they will vanish at the appearance of my descendant, the Messiah of Joseph." ~ Isaiah and the Prophets, p. 28 & Ginzberg 5:299; 2:7 respectively.

The LDS corruption of the quote comes as the inserted (Ephraimitic) they apply from the imagined Jewish spliting of the Messiah into two separate Messiah figures, which allows certain LDS Scholars to assert that this Rachel sourced Messiah is Joseph Smith. But the pure scriptural doctrine from the Book of Mormon is that there is but one messiah and none other. Thus the imagined Jewish spliting of messigh into two has mis-lead some LDS Scholars down the path of accepting two messiah's and making of the Ephraim/Rachel messiah Joseph Smith. Which this text presents that there is but one Messiah, Jesus Christ, and that he is both Messiah ben David and Messiah ben Joseph as supported by the many evidences of this text. [Note: This is not to be taken that Joseph Smith is not that promised latter-day prophet descended from Joseph of Egypt, but just that Joseph Smith ought not to be attributed as being 'Messiah' for there is in truth but one Messiah, anointed by God the Father, and that is Jesus Christ Jehovah.]

Now, if these 'wittled and formed' traditions have correctly survived with such truth of the Messiah being of Rachel and thence through Joseph/Ephraim, it would seem that both Rachel and Joseph knew that Joseph was to be the child of the covenant and the 'covenant birthright' ancestor of the Messiah which Jacob's latter patriarchal blessing of Joseph (Genesis 49:24) but confirms. And in addition to Joseph's surviving dreams in the Jewish compiled Old Testament, Joseph had at least one additional dream which did fully clarify the Messiah to be thense from Joseph, Messiah ben Joseph. This would mean that young Joseph, like Nephi, Samuel and others, already had a relationship with revelationary and prophetic relationship to the Lord God Jehovah and he knew that he was to be the ancestor of the Messiah, the shepherd, the stone of Israel as Messiah ben Joseph.

This would be consistent with the relationship which Lehi and Nephi shared when Nephi was but a youth and similar to the relationship between Joseph Smith Sr. and Joseph Smith Jr. And it would give an additional perspective of weight of understanding from whence Joseph spoke in his later prophecies recorded in the inspired version of the Bible and as referenced by Lehi spoken of in item number 23 above. That is, when Joseph stated that Moses was 'not the Messiah', it did not mean that the the Messiah would not come from Joseph, just that Moses was not to be considered as being that Messiah from Joseph. Thus it was just to insure that his brothers understood that Moses would not and should not be considered the Messiah which would come from his descendants even though some have and do consider Moses such a Messiah figure.

In summary, Rachel was prophesied to and did in turn prophesy that she was to be the ancestral 'Mother' of the Messiah, just as Rebekah and Sarah before her were to be. This accounts for the fact that even the Jews do consider Rachel, the ancestor of Joseph not Judah, as the mother of every Jew everywhere. Rachel is the personification of the mother of Israel. And she has been and still is to Jewish women the vary hope that through one of these later women of Israel will the Messiah eventually be born. Thus Mary, who is already that woman, and Rachel who was to be her and the Messiah's ancestor by right of the covenant, did share this commonality, that they were both the 'suffering mother' of Israel, Israel's children through their parentage of Jesus Christ, their mutual descendant. And yes, Rachel is Mary's ancestor just as Joseph is the ancestory of David, through Mahlon's legal seed of the Law of Moses, namely Obed the father of Jesse the father of David the ancestor of Jesus Christ.

In correlation to Rachel's prophecy and Joseph's birth, there is more. The name which Rachel gives her son is 'Joseph', which means 'Jehovah has added' and with Rachels further statement it is generally taken to mean 'May the Lord add to be another son'. This seems odd that Rachel, immediately upon the birth of her first son, should name him with such a name which does but look forward to 'another son'. Tsvi Sadan, a Messianic Jew, who holds a doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is a much published author, sheds additional light upon this naming of Joseph and Rachel's stated intend in it.

". . . The Bible is not quick to name a son after the mother, unless the son has some kind of unique significance. In the case of Joseph, it is Rachel who names him: "She called his name Joseph, saying, 'May the Lord add to me another son!" (Genesis 30:25). The sages wondered about this since, in their opinion Rachel should have said "May the Lord add to me other sons". In the translation, the significance of "another son" is lost. Instead of "another" one should read "a different kind of" which then links Rachel with Eve, and Joseph with Seth. Both women asked for a different kind of seed/son, which was seen by the sages as referring to the Messiah." ~ 'The 100 Names of the Messiah' by Tsvi Sadan, under the name '~l'Ws' or 'Ladder' and '[r:Z<:' or 'Seed'.

The full significance of this ought not be passed over lightly, for it is the 'seed of the woman' which is in reference to Jesus Christ the Messiah's triumph over Satan relative to Satan's power to bruise his heal but the Lord's power to crush Satan's head. Certainly the 'seed' of Eve in Genesis 3:15 is speaking concerning Jesus Christ the Messiah as the 'seed of Eve' and almost as certainly when Rachel named Joseph and stated that the Lord bless her with this same 'other kind of seed or son' she was meaning that 'seed of woman' which was to come, even the Messiah of whom it was also prophecied to so come of Rachel.