Rav Yosef said: It is derived from here, "I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 35:11), where it is written "be fruitful and multiply" [in the singular, addressed to Jacob alone] and not "be fruitful and multiply" [in the plural]. Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka says: Concerning both of them it says, "and God blessed them" (Genesis 1:28). And the law does not follow Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka. For a certain woman came before Rabbi [Yehudah HaNasi]; he said to her, "You are not commanded." She said to him, "Does this woman not want a staff for her hand and a hoe for burial [a child to support her old age and bury her]?" He said, "In such a case we certainly compel." Yehudit, the wife of Rabbi Chiyya, suffered the pains of childbirth. She changed her garment and came before him [in disguise] and said to him, "Is a woman commanded concerning being fruitful and multiplying?" He said to her, "No." She went and drank a sterilizing potion. In the end the matter was revealed to him. He said to her, "Would that you had borne me one more belly!" For the master said: Yehudah and Hizkiah were brothers, Pazi and Tavi were sisters.
Rabbi Rules That Women Are Exempt From the Duty to Bear Children
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 16:7
רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר, מֵהָכָא "אֲנִי אֵל שַׁדַּי פְּרֵה וּרְבֵה", וְלֹא כְּתִיב פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרֹקָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁנֵיהֶם הוּא אוֹמֵר וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים. וְאֵין הֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֶּן בְּרֹקָה. דְּהַהִיא דְאֲתָאי לְקַמֵּהּ דְרַבִּי אָמַר לָהּ, לֹא מִפְקַדְתְּ אָמְרָה לֵיהּ, לֹא בָּעְיָא הַךְ אִתְּתָא חוּטְרָא לְיָדָהּ וּמָרָא לִקְבוּרָה אָמַר, כִּי הַאי וַדַּאי כַּיְפִינָן יְהוּדִית דְּבִיתְהוּ דְּרַבִּי חִיָּא הֲוֵי לָהּ צַעַר לֵידָה, שַׁנָּאי מָנָּא וְאָתְיָא לְקָמֵהּ אָמְרָה לֵיהּ, אִתְּתָא מִפְקְדָא אַפְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה, אָמַר לָהּ, לֹא אַזְלָא אִשְׁתְּיָא סַמָּא דְּעֲקָרְתָּא לְסוֹף גָּלְיָא לֵיהּ מִלְתָּא אָמַר לָהּ, אִיכּוּ יַלְדֵת לִי חֲדָא כְּרֵסָא אַחֲרִיתָא דְּאָמַר מַר, יְהוּדָא וְחִזְקִיָּה אָחֵי פָּזִי וְטָוִי אַחְוָתָא.