“Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son to Jacob” (Genesis 30:19). “Leah said: God has granted me a fine gift; now my husband will reside with me, because I bore him six sons. She called his name Zebulun” (Genesis 30:20). “Leah said: God has granted me a fine gift” – this field, as long as you fertilize it and hoe it, it produces produce.
“Then she bore a daughter, and she called her name Dina” (Genesis 30:21). “Then she bore a daughter” – it is taught:12This is a baraita. How so? One whose wife was pregnant, and he says: ‘May it be God’s will that my wife will give birth to a male,’ it is a vain prayer.
The school of Rabbi Yanai said: This baraita is when she is sitting on the travailing chair. Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi said: Even for one sitting on the travailing chair, it can change. That is what is written: “House of Israel, can I not do to you like this potter? [The utterance of the Lord]. Behold, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so you are in My hand, house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).
Just as this potter, who formed the jug, breaks it and crafts another, I, too, can do so, even on the travailing chair. He13Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi. raised an objection: But is it not written: “Then she bore a daughter”?14Only at the birth it was a daughter, but not before. He said to him: Its primary creation was male, but due to Rachel’s prayer: “May the Lord add another son for me” (Genesis 30:24) – it became a female.15At an early stage in the pregnancy.
Rabbi Ḥanina ben Pazi said: The matriarchs were prophets, and Rachel was one of the matriarchs. “May the Lord add other sons for me” is not written here, but rather, “another son.” She said: ‘He is destined to produce one more; if only it will be from me.’ Rabbi Ḥanina said: All the matriarchs gathered and said: ‘We have enough [dayenu]16This is expounded from the name Dina.
The letters of Dina are: dalet, yod, nun, heh. The letter of dayenu are dalet, yod, nun, vav. males. Remember this one again.’