GEN833 A surprising number of biblical figures had fertility problems. Abraham and Sarah, Rebekah and Isaac, Rachel and Jacob, and Elkanah and Hannah (who ultimately bore the prophet Samuel) all had difficulties. [this verse, Genesis 18:1-15; 25:21; 30:1-8, 22-24; 35;16-20; 1 Samuel 1:1-20). No other culture’s sacred scripture focuses so extensively on infertility. What can we learn from this? First, that children are precious. Indeed, the Jewish tradition sees them as a great blessing. In part this is so because of the psychological growth and joy they bring to their parents. In addition, of course, the future of Judaism and the Jewish people depends on procreation. But the very difficulty that so many couples have in conceiving and bearing children is itself a mark of how precious they are when they come. Second, the biblical stories amply indicate that infertility causes immense tensions in a marriage. Infertile couples begin to question who they are individually as a man or woman and what their future together holds. … Some couples break up over this issue, and those whose marriages survive must revise their hopes and dreams of their lives together. (By Elliot N. Dorff) OXFORD 321-2