Jewish sources speak of the centrality of birth and motherhood for a woman’s
identity in several contexts. Although they never systematically discussed wom-
en’s ability to give birth or the expectations of women, we do find pertinent in-
formation in discussions of sterility and barrenness. Descriptions of barren
women emphasize their profound sorrow and grief and put forth the belief that
the happy woman, the woman who has realized her true potential, is the
woman with children. This idea is clearly expressed in commentaries on piyu-
tim (liturgical poems) and on the Bible, especially with respect to Sarah, Re-
becca, and Rachel, who are all described as suffering from barrenness prior to
the births of their sons. In a thirteenth-century commentary on the piyut
Ta’alat zu keh·afez·for the New Year (Rosh haShana), Rebecca is described as
an asura, a prisoner, until she finally gives birth. The commentator explains
that barren women are like prisoners in their homes; only once God grants
them the long-awaited and coveted sons may they walk around proudly. The
text continues, discussing the stress on marital relations posed by barrenness in
the case of Rebecca and Isaac. It claims that Isaac was also an asur (prisoner)
because of Rebecca’s barrenness. Quoting the verse from Gen. 25:21, “Isaac
pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was barren,” the com-
mentator remarks: “‘And Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife’:
they argued with each other and Isaac said to her ‘you are barren’ and she
replied to him, ‘you are barren.’”^7 In the discussion that follows, although both
Isaac and Rebecca are described as suffering as a result of their childlessness,
Rebecca is seen as the more miserable of the two.
Many later sources repeat the anguished plea of another biblical matriarch,
Rachel, concerning her barrenness. Her cry: “Give me children or I shall die”
(Gen. 30:1) becomes the staple plea of barren women. A medieval commen-
tary on the Kalir’s piyut for Rosh haShanah “Even h·ug maz·ok neshiya” explains
the line: “Ke’akeret bayit bateh·al nukra” (As a housewife at the beginning she
was alienated), explaining:
At the beginning she was alienated from giving birth, from being a housewife;
“Rachel was barren”—she was alienated. But in the end, as in the days of the
ripening of her first fruits, like a fig at its beginning, “she gave birth to Joseph”—
which is the purpose (takhlit) of all mothers.^8A number of issues are expressed here. The commentator is playing with the
multiple etymologies of the verb akar: akara(barren) and akeret bayit (house-
wife), and the word ikar(the center or main part). Rachel was barren so she
could not be an akeret bayit. When she gave birth to Joseph, she was fulfilling
the purpose (ikar) of her womanhood by becoming a mother.
Another compelling example can be found in R. Judah the Pious’s (1150–
1217) commentary on Genesis. He explains the phrase “Sarah’s lifetimes”
(Gen. 23:1)^9 as meaning that Sarah had two lifetimes—one before she gave
birth and one afterward. He explains that her real life began only after she had