Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Genesis 30:17/ספורנו על בראשית ל׳:י״ז
אוַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל לֵאָה. שֶׁהִקְדִּימָה הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּתָהּ בָּזֶה עִם תְּפִלָּתָהּ, בְּאָמְרָהּ נָתַן אֱלֹהִים שְׂכָרִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי לְאִישִׁי, וְזֶה הָיָה הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּת הָרִאשׁוֹן כְּשֶׁהִכְנִיסָה צָרָתָהּ לְבֵיתָהּ.
1וישמע אלוקים אל לאה, because she had used both natural means, and then, failing to succeed, relied on prayer. She herself is on record as confirming this when she said נתן אלוקים שכרי אשר נתתי שפחתי לאישי, “G’d has given me my reward for having offered my handmaid to my husband. Giving Zilpah to Yaakov was considered by her as a way of relying on natural means of having more children, seeing she had come to the conclusion that she could not have any more from her own womb.