The night

Reuben Leah’s first son found some mandrakes in the field, a narcotic plant they meant could cure infertility. Rachel wanted children and asked Leah for some of the mandrakes, she said no, but then Rachel offered Leah to sleep with Jacob the coming night. Both the sisters wanted children and Leah gave Rachel the mandrakes and Jacob went into Leah that night.

Reward and elevated place

Moses writes that God answered Leah’s prayer, she conceived and gave birth to her fifth and Jacob’s ninth son and she called him Issachar (reward) reminding her Husband that God is blessing her with children. Then Leah conceived again and gave birth to her sixth son and Jacobs tenth. She named him Zebulun (elevated place) which gave Jacob the message of Leah’s position having given him six sons.

Boys not girls

Then Leah gave birth to a daughter she named her Dinah. Dinah is the only daughter mentioned among the children of Jacob, wither she was the only female child in the family we don’t know, but as we recon today it would normally have been as many girls as boys. However, then again Leah and Rachel prayed to God for boys not girls.  

Questions

1. Do we understand that God is the giver?
2. Why did Leah and Rachel desired children?