עִ֠ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֣א אֶת־אֱלֹהֶ֘יךָ֮ לֹ֣א יִֽחְיֶה֒ נֶ֣גֶד אַחֵ֧ינוּ הַֽכֶּר־לְךָ֛ מָ֥ה עִמָּדִ֖י וְקַֽח־לָ֑ךְ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֣ע יַעֲקֹ֔ב כִּ֥י רָחֵ֖ל גְּנָבָֽתַם׃
But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not remain alive! In the presence of our kin, point out what I have of yours and take it.” Jacob, of course, did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
Genesis 31:32 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)
There is a view among the Rabbis that Genesis 31:32 is the cause of Rachel’s death in chapter 35. Because she did possess the idols/teraphim in question, she fell under Jacob’s curse and was doomed to die.
I disagree.
I think we are meant to understand that Jacob believed this to be true, but the astute reader should recognize the careful wording.
Look at the condition of Jacob’s curse: “anyone WITH WHOM YOU FIND your gods…”
Was Rachel FOUND with the idols? Did Laben recover them? The answer is no, and therefore, the curse is not triggered.