פרשת ויצא – עוד אתמרמר כרחל האם

And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: ‘Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?’ And she said: ‘Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be builded up through her.’

Another answer: (op. cit. 145) "God supports all those who have fallen" - these are the barren, whose [status] have "fallen" within their households. And "straightens the bent" - when the Holy One, Blessed be He rewards them with children, they straighten up [in joy.] Similarly, Leah was hated by her household, and when the Holy One, Blessed be He visited her [and gave her pregnancy], she was straightened. That is the same concept by "And God saw that Leah was hated" - "that Leah was hated" - that she behaved in the manner of the "hated", since she was supposed to marry "the hater" [, Esav] (other mss. read "Assessed by the hater") since that was the custom, the firstborn [Esav] marry the firstborn [Esav] and the younger one [Ya'akov] marry the younger one [Rachel]. Therefore Leah cried and said: "May it be your will, God, that I do not become the possession of an evildoer." R' Huna said: Davening is a strong force, that it annulled the decree, and not only that, but that it made her come before her sister [for marriage. Because of this] everyone would mock her: The unemployed people mocked her, the travelers mocked her, and even the ladies behind their backs mocked her, saying, "This Leah, her inside is not like her outside; she appears righteous but is not really righteous. For if she were righteous she would not have cheated her sister [and would have let her marry first.] Rabbi Chanin in the name of Rabbi Shmuel son of Rabbi Yitzchak said: When Yaakov our Forefather saw matters, that Leah had "cheated" her sister, he made up his mind to divorce her, but when she was blessed with children, he said: "To the mother of these I am divorcing?" And in the end he admitted he was wrong, and that is the meaning of the verse: (Genesis 47) "And Yisrael [Yaakov] bowed low at the head of the bed," [and head of the bed is a euphemism for Leah, as she was the first one of his conjugal bed.] "And Rachel was barren," said Rabbi Yitzchak, Rachel was the main part of the household, as it says, "And Rachel was barren (akarah)" - It's main part (ikrah) was Rachel. Said Rabbi Abba son of Cahana, since most of the diners [at Ya'akov's table] were Leah's [progeny, as a courtesy] they named Rachel as the main part, as it says, "And Rachel was barren (akarah)" - It's main part (ikrah) was Rachel. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: Since all these matters [i.e. helping Leah cheat the system] were done by Rachel, therefore the Children of Israel were called by her name, (Jeremiah 31): "Rachel cries for her children," and there was no end to her name, as her children's names lived on, as it says in (Amos 5): "Perhaps the Lord of Hosts will have compassion on the remnant of Joseph [a son of Rachel]" - now her son's name was recalled. And her son's name did not die out either, as it says (Jeremiah 31) "How precious is my son Ephraim [, Joseph's son and Rachel's grandson." "

Yaakov became very angry. See Rashi. According to the Sages (Bereishis Rabbah 71) it was wrong of him to become angry. After all, many great people prayed on behalf of barren women. His punishment was that in the end his other children were obliged to bow before her son Yosef.