GEN1307 The enemy of a happy marriage is the childless one. This may not always be due to the selfish indulgence of parents. When Abraham cried: “O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless?” Genesis 15:2 he echoed the yearning of every Jewish parent. Similarly, when Rachel pleased with Jacob [this verse], hers was the cri de coeur of every mother pining for the “fruit of her womb”. Father and other are the most tender words in the language; because of this, they describe God’s relationship to us. “As a father hath mercy on his children, so will I have mercy on you”, says God. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you” Isaiah 66:13 are the words used in a house of mourning.   It is the bearing of children that makes the home like a Temple of God and the table its altar. A family is the natural fulfillment of marriage. However devoted to each other husband and wife may be, there is a place in their natures which only children can fill. Children cement the structure of family life more solidly together.  LEHRMAN 248