Five Mothers of the Bible: Stories of Faith and Patience

1. Sarah – Sarah, our first matriarch and one of the seven prophetesses, faced childlessness into her old age. Originally named Sarai, the sages say she was born without a womb. She gave birth to Isaac, her only son, at the age of ninety.

2. Rebekah – Like her mother-in-law Sarah, Rebekah also experienced childlessness. Variously said to have married Isaac at ages three, 11, or 14, she remained childless for at least 20 years. She and Isaac prayed earnestly until the birth of her twins, Jacob and Esau, around age 34.

3. Rachel – Unlike her sister Leah, who had children easily, Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, faced deep sorrow over her barrenness. Her plea to Jacob, "Give me children, or I will die," is recorded in the Torah. Eventually, she was blessed with two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, though she tragically passed during Benjamin's birth. The Torah explains that Hashem remembered Rachel's sacrifice for her sister Leah, granting her children as a reward.

4. Hannah – Hannah, the beloved wife of a prominent man of the tribe of Ephraim named Elkanah, remained childless despite her husband's reassurances that he was worth more than ten sons to her. After 19 years of childlessness, she prayed fervently at the Shiloh Tabernacle, vowing to dedicate her child to Hashem. Her prayers were answered with the birth of Samuel, the prophet, whose miraculous birth she celebrates in the "Hannah's Prayer" found in the Book of Samuel.

5. The Shunammite Woman – The story of the Shunammite, whose name is unknown, appears in the Book of Kings II. Living childless in the town of Shunem, she and her husband extended hospitality to the prophet Elisha, even setting aside a room for him. In return for their kindness, Elisha blessed her with a child. Later, when the child died, Elisha miraculously brought him back to life.