It occurs to me that people who resist consolation, and prefer to remain disconsolate, betray some element of guilt. Where people live together beautifully in a lovely manner, and without any excessive complications in their relationship, then consolation comes normally, even if slowly. The wounds heal clean, and the scars become covered up. But if there were difficulties in their relationships, and if the survivor nurses genuine guilt, then usually there is difficulty in submitting to the healing process of consolation.Consider Jacob. He refused to be consoled over the loss of Joseph --. Yet, we are not told the same about his feelings concerning Rachel. Did he not love Racheldearly even as he loved Joseph?Yes, he loved them both. But with Rachel, we know of no reason why Jacob should have felt guilty. He was good to her, in the best way possible, with no apparent slip-up. Hence, he mournedher, but he accepted consolation.However, with Joseph the relations were more complicated. Indeed, he loved him most dearly, but he probably always felt guilty about sending him to Shechem in the first place. He also probably felt guilty because he dismissed his dreams sooffhandedly. And that is why he refused to be consoled.In the same vein, that may be the meaning of the Prophet Jeremiah that Rachel herself refuses to be consoled because of the exile of her children. Remember that Rachel on her deathbedcalled her cBut this does not mean that a genuine feeling of guilt makes consolation permanently inaccessible. Eventually it may come if there is some attempt to rectify matters in future relationships.This may explain why the Torah goes out of its way to inform us that after mourning Rebecca, Isaac was consoled over his mother's death: .Why bother to tell us this? Rashi too was apparently bothered by this question, for which reason he offered the thesis that because a son is close to his mother he is disconsolate over her death until he marries. However, if this is so, why not …