Reviewing the continuum of the birth of Yaakov's sons, we note that it is interrupted twice. First, after the birth of Leah's first four sons, a difficult and emotional dialogue is recorded between Rachel and Yaakov. In the wake of this dialogue, Rachel gives her maidservant Bilha to Yaakov, and the Torah then continues its listing of the birth of the sons. The second interruption in the narrative occurs after the two maidservants have each borne two sons. At that point, we find the story of the mandrakes.
The need for the conversation between Yaakov and Rachel (the first interruption) to be recorded is clear: it has a tangible effect on the building of Yaakov's household, for as a result Yaakov takes Bilha, and later also Zilpa, both of whom merit to take part in the establishment of the House of Israel. In contrast, the story of the mandrakes (the second interruption) is rather surprising. We may assume that during the seven years over the course of which Yaakov's children were born, several other incidents took place, but the Torah makes no mention of them because the text is focusing here on the birth of the sons. What is the relevance of the story of the mandrakes in this context? In what way did it influence the establishment of Yaakov's family and the birth of the sons?
In order to solve this question, let us first analyze this section itself, and then try to identify its significance in the overall context of the story of Yaakov's family.
