Happy Mothers Day to the scattered

Today is Mothers Day, not in Israel, but in many countries. I send blessings to daughter Naomi in Australia and to daughter-in-law Georgina in California, the wonderful mothers of my beloved grandsons.
Today I was thinking of Rachel Imenu. Yes, in Hebrew we call the biblical patriarch Jacob's wife "Rachel our mother." She prayed with tears for the physical and spiritual return of her children (and all the Jewish People) from exile.
The prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 31:14-15) wrote

"Thus saith the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not. 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 back from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; and thy children shall return to their own border."

.

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְּכִי תַמְרוּרִים--רָחֵל, מְבַכָּה עַל-בָּנֶיהָ; מֵאֲנָה לְהִנָּחֵם עַל-בָּנֶיהָ, כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ. טו כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, מִנְעִי קוֹלֵךְ מִבֶּכִי, וְעֵינַיִךְ, מִדִּמְעָה: כִּי יֵשׁ שָׂכָר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ נְאֻם-יְהוָה, וְשָׁבוּ מֵאֶרֶץ אוֹיֵב. טז וְיֵשׁ-תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ, נְאֻם-יְהוָה; וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים, לִגְבוּלָם.

.

A statue of the matriarch (by David Polus, 1954) stands at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem.

We visited around Pesach when many Orthodox Jews were staying (and praying) at the kibbutz guest house. Apparently some think that people statues are not to be looked upon if they are close to a place being used for prayer services. So poor Rachel had been covered up with cloth and plastic binding. Our guide tugged on the cover-up so that we could see at least part of her and the children.

.