Midrash su Genesi 30:21

You find that this happened to Leah. After she had given birth to six sons, she foresaw in a dream that Jacob would ultimately have twelve sons. Since she had already given birth to six sons, and was pregnant with her seventh child, and the two handmaidens had each borne two sons, making ten sons in all, Leah arose and pleaded with the Holy One, saying: Master of the Universe, twelve tribes are to descend from Jacob, and since I have already given birth to six sons, and am pregnant with a seventh child, and each of the handmaidens has born two sons, which accounts for ten sons, if the child within me is a male, my sister will not bear even as many sons as the handmaidens. The Holy One, blessed be He, hearkened to her prayer and converted the fetus in her womb into a female, as it is said: And afterwards she bore a daughter and called her Dinah (Gen. 30:21). The masculine form of afterwards is written in this verse, and not the feminine form (thus signifying that the fetus was originally that of a male child).

[Another interpretation (of Gen. 30:22): THEN GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL.] What is written above on the matter (in vs. 1)? WHEN RACHEL SAW THAT SHE HAD BORNE JACOB NO CHILDREN…. < AND SHE SAID TO JACOB: GIVE ME CHILDREN >, OR ELSE I SHALL DIE. Our masters have said: From here you learn that all who are childless are regarded as dead. Thus it is written of Hannah (in I Sam. 2:6): THE LORD BRINGS DEATH AND GIVES LIFE. Hannah simply said this: Before he gave me a son, I was one of the dead. Now that he has given me a son, I have been reckoned with the living. Rachel said to Jacob (in Gen. 30:1-2): GIVE ME CHILDREN, OR ELSE I SHALL DIE. THEN JACOB'S ANGER WAS KINDLED AGAINST RACHEL. The Holy Spirit says (in Job 15:2): DOES A ONE WHO IS WISE ANSWER WITH WINDY KNOWLEDGE?⁵²Gen. R. 71:7. Jacob said to Rachel: Am I the viceroy⁵³Gk.: antikaisar. of the Holy One? (Gen. 30:2, cont.:) AM I TAKING GOD'S PLACE? The Holy One said to him: By your life, in the words you have uttered, AM I TAKING GOD'S PLACE? In these very words her son is < going to > rise up and say to your children (in Gen. 50:19): AM I TAKING GOD'S PLACE? She said to him: Did your father, Isaac, do this to your mother, Rebekah? Did not the two of them stand and pray for each other? It is so stated (in Gen. 25:21): THEN ISAAC ENTREATED THE LORD ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE. You also should pray unto the LORD for me! And did not your grandfather Abraham do so for Sarah? He said to her: Sarah brought a rival wife into her house. She said to him (in Gen. 30:3): If so, HERE IS MY MAID BILHAH; GO IN TO HER. He did not do so; but, when she had < actually > given him her bondmaid, she immediately (in vs. 5) conceived and gave birth. (Gen. 30:6:) THEN RACHEL SAID: GOD HAS JUDGED ME. He has judged me and found me guilty; he has judged me and found me innocent. He has judged me and found me guilty by not giving me a son; he has judged me and found me innocent by giving my bondmaid a son. (Ibid., cont.:) SO SHE CALLED HIS NAME DAN (i.e., he has judged). Then she conceived and gave birth to Naphtali, AND (according to vs. 8) RACHEL SAID: WITH SUPERNATURAL WRESTLINGS (naphtule) I HAVE WRESTLED (niphtalti) < WITH MY SISTER >. {< Naphtali > should be interpreted as < the Greek word > nymphe, since in the Mediterranean cities they call a bride a nymphe.} Naphtulai < means in translation > that the wedding canopy was mine. Now on each Wednesday⁵⁴Wednesdays were generally considered unlucky, especially for sick children. See yTa‘an. 4:4 (68b) (bar.); Ta‘an. 27b (bar.); Soferim 17:5. See also Pes. 112b. she was adorned to enter it, but < it was > Leah < who > entered.⁵⁵Cf. Gen. R. 71:8. Therefore, < it was > "my wedding canopy" (naphtulay), but her sister entered. (Gen. 30:8:) < AND RACHEL SAID: WITH SUPERNATURAL WRESTLINGS (naphtule) I HAVE WRESTLED (niphtalti) > WITH MY SISTER; {AND} I HAVE ALSO PREVAILED. SO SHE CALLED HIS NAME NAPHTALI. Why Naphtali (NPTLY)? Because from their border they put a crown on the Torah,⁵⁶The allusion is to the fact that the borders of Naphtali contain Tiberias, a city which for hundreds of years represented the center of Jewish learning in Israel. about which it is written (in Ps. 19:11 [10]): SWEETER ALSO THAN HONEY AND THE DRIPPINGS (NPT) OF THE COMB. When Leah saw that she had borne six, she said: The Holy One has made this agreement with Jacob, to raise up twelve tribes. Now here I have borne six sons; and the two bondmaids, four. That makes ten. Then Leah conceived < again >. Our masters have said: She conceived a male.⁵⁷Ber. 60a; Gen. R. 72:6; cf. Ber. 9:3; yBer. 9:5 (14a). Leah said: Here I have conceived, but my sister Rachel has not given birth.⁵⁸Thus, Rachel would not even equal the bondmaids. What did Leah do? She began to pray for mercy upon her sister Rachel. She said to let whatever should be within her⁵⁹Probably a misreading for “my” in accordance with the direct discourse of the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “She said: Let whatever is within her belly….” belly become female, and let not my sister Rachel be prevented from giving birth to a son. The Holy One said to her: By your life, you have had mercy upon you sister. See, I am making that which is within your belly female, and < I > am remembering her in this regard. (Gen. 30:21:) THEN AFTERWARDS SHE BORE A DAUGHTER AND CALLED HER NAME DINAH. What is the meaning of DINAH (DYNH)? That she argued (DYNH) against giving birth to a son on condition that Rachel bear a son; for thus it is written below (in Gen. 30:22-23): THEN GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL…. SO SHE CONCEIVED AND BORE A SON. What is the meaning of SO SHE CONCEIVED AND BORE < A SON >? < The verse > likens her giving birth to her conception. Just as her conception was painless, so was her giving birth painless. (Gen. 30:23, cont.:) THEN SHE SAID: GOD HAS TAKEN AWAY MY SHAME. What is the meaning of HAS TAKEN AWAY?⁶⁰Gen. R. 73:5. Simply that before a wife gives birth there is shame found within her house. How? When she breaks a vessel in her house, whom does she have to blame? When she gives birth, she blames her child. She therefore said: GOD HAS TAKEN AWAY MY SHAME.

Rabbi Eliezer said: Leah bare her sons after seven months, and in seven years there were born unto Jacob eleven sons and one daughter. And all of them were born, each with his partner with him, except Joseph, whose partner was not born with him, for Asenath, the daughter of Dinah, was destined to be his wife, and (also) except Dinah, whose partner was not born with her. She said: This child is (according to) justice and judgment, therefore she called her name Dinah.