L'homme ne doit renoncer à engendrer des enfants que s'il en a déjà. Selon Shammaï, on pourra cesser lorsqu'on a au moins deux garçons; selon Hillel, lorsqu'on aura un garçon et une fille, comme il est écrit (Gn 1, 27): il les créa (un) mâle et (une) femelle. Celui qui a épousé une femme et est resté avec elle dix ans sans avoir d'enfants ne devra pas persister dans cette union (et il devra épouser une autre femme). S'il la répudie, elle pourra épouser un autre mari (malgré l'apparence de stérilité), et le second mari peut aussi rester dix ans avec elle, dans l'espoir des enfants. Si elle a accouché avant terme, on compte les dix ans à partir de là. A l'homme s'adresse le précepte " croissez et multipliez " (ibid.), non à la femme. Selon R. Yohanan b. Broqa, c'est à tous deux que s'adresse ce verset (ib. 28): Dieu les bénit et leur dit: Croissez et multipliez.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
Another matter, “let us exult and rejoice in you.” We learned there: If a man marries a woman and stays with her ten years and she has not given birth, he may not remain idle.177He must take another wife in addition to or instead of the first wife in order to fulfill the mitzva of procreation. Rabbi Idi said: There was an incident involving a certain woman in Sidon who stayed with her husband ten years and did not give birth. They came to Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai and sought to separate from one another. He said to them: ‘By your lives, just as you came together with food and drink,178At your wedding feast. so too, you shall separate only with food and drink.’ They followed his advice and made a celebration for themselves, made a great feast, and she got him to drink in excess.179She hoped that he would agree to keep her as his wife even when he married another. When he was in good spirits, he said to her: ‘My daughter, see any good item that I have in the house, take it, and go to your father’s house.’ What did she do? After he fell asleep, she motioned to her servants and maidservants and said to them: ‘Carry him in his bed and take him to my father’s house.’ At midnight he awakened from his slumber after his wine had abated. He said to her: ‘My daughter, where am I?’ She said to him: ‘In my father’s house.’ He said to her: ‘What am I doing in your father’s house?’ She said to him: ‘Is this not what you said to me in the evening: See any good item that I have in the house, take it, and go to your father’s house? There is no item in this world better for me than you.’ They went to Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai and he stood and prayed for them and they were remembered,180She conceived. to teach you that just as the Holy One blessed be He remembers the barren, so too, the righteous cause the barren to be remembered. And [additional] matters may be inferred a fortiori: If a flesh and blood [woman], because she said to another of flesh and blood ‘there is no item in this world better for me than you,’ was remembered, Israel, who are waiting for the salvation of the Holy One blessed be He every day, and say: ‘There is nothing good in the world other than You,’ all the more so. That is, “let us exult and rejoice in you.” [This is analogous] to a noblewoman whose husband the king, her sons, and her sons-in-law went to a country overseas. [Her servants] told her: ‘Your sons have come [home].’ She said: ‘What do I care? Let my daughters-in-law rejoice.’ They said to her: ‘Your sons-in-law have come.’ She said: ‘What do I care? Let my daughters rejoice.’ They said to her: ‘Your husband the king has come.’ She said: ‘This is complete joy, joy compounded by joy.’ So too, in the future, the prophets will come and say to Jerusalem: “Your sons will come from afar” (Isaiah 60:4), and it will say to them: What do I care? “Your daughters are carried on the side” (Isaiah 60:4), and it will say to them: What do I care? When they say to it: “Behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and victorious” (Zechariah 9:9), it says: This is complete joy, as it is written: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, [behold your king is coming to you]” (Zechariah 9:9), and it is written: “Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion [for behold I am coming]” (Zechariah 2:14). At that moment, it says: “I will be gladdened in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God” (Isaiah 61:10).
A man is not permitted to marry a barren or elderly woman, an aylonit, a minor, or one who is not fit to bear children, but a woman is permitted to marry even a eunuch. Rabbi Yehuda says, one who castrates a male is liable, but [one who sterilizes] a female is exempt. Rabbi Natan said: Beit Shammai say two boys [are required to fulfill the commandment of "be fruitful and multiply"], like Moshe’s sons, as it is written: “And Moshe’s sons were Gershom and Elazar" (1 Chr. 23:15). Beit Hillel say: a son and a daughter, as it is written: “Male and female God created them” (Genesis 5:2). Rabbi Natan says: Beit Shammai say: a son and a daughter, and Beit Hillel say: a son or a daughter.
One who marries a woman and remains with her for ten years, and she does not bear a child -- he [still] is not permitted to desist from [the commandment of "be fruitful and multiply"]. Rather, he goes out and gives her her ketubah lest he does not merit bearing children from her. And even though there is no proof of the matter, there is a hint of the matter, as it is said (Gen. 16:3), "at the end of ten years of Avram's settling in the land of Canaan."* The full verse reads, "And Sarai, the wife of Avram, took Hagar the Egyptian, her hand-maid at the end of ten years of Avram's settling in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Avram her husband as a wife for him." We learn from this that [the duration of] one's settling outside the Land [of Israel] is not included in the count.