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A fascinating gemara (Berachot 60a) builds on the story behind Dina’s birth. The Torah says, "And afterward, she gave birth to a daughter, and she called her name Dina" (Bereishit 30:21). Rav explains that "afterward" hints at Leah’s calculation (din) during her pregnancy that if she would have a seventh son, Rachel would have only one of the twelve prophesied sons of Yaakov, and therefore the baby was turned into a girl, called Dina.
The gemara does not explain how the fetus turned into a girl, whether it was through a change in genes or in some other way. Targum Yonatan explains the miracle as follows. Leah was pregnant with Yosef, and Rachel was pregnant with Dina, and Hashem switched the babies from womb to womb. Rabbi Elazar Hakalir also takes this approach in a yotzer for Mussaf of Rosh Hashana.
Following the logical conclusion of this midrashic approach, in the case that a baby is born from the egg of Woman A that was implanted in the womb of Woman B, it is considered the child of Woman B. Only in that way can we (and, more importantly, the Torah) call Yosef the son of Rachel and Dina the daughter of Leah. There are those who wanted to reach halachic conclusions regarding the modern miraculous (in its own way) phenomenon of surrogate motherhood, that the birth mother is the halachic mother, not the genetic mother (the egg provider). There are many halachic ramifications to the claim that the surrogate is the halachic mother.
However, many argue cogently that midrashim are intended to teach matters of ethics, not halacha, for which Chazal employed a different system. So what do we learn ethically? From the story of Rachel, Leah, and Yaakov we see the importance of people being willing to sacrifice for the sake of their relative, which is also true regarding others in society. We also are reminded about the extreme personal yearning for children and the extent to which we should help such people bring children into the world.
Today there are many more avenues to explore in fulfilling these natural yearnings, and we are proud that Israel and significant parts of the rabbinic community are in the forefront of these efforts. Feel free to contact us at: [email protected] for a copy of our responsum on surrogacy. In the meantime, we wish all a life full of happiness and the laughter of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Rabbis in Midrash
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
