After long years of barrenness, during which Rachel seemed entirely forgotten while the other wives gave birth, a turning point arrives. God sees her humiliation and steps in to change her fate [רד״ק]. Although the divine name associated with this event typically represents strict justice, the righteous possess the unique ability to transform harsh justice into pure mercy [חזקוני, רקנאטי]. God's act of remembering raises a conceptual question, as memory usually implies recalling something previously out of sight, whereas the righteous are always before His eyes [גור אריה].
Therefore, the primary approach among commentators is that God focused on a specific past merit. The central act He recalled was Rachel handing over her secret signs to her sister Leah, an act of self-sacrifice intended to save Leah from public shame [רש״י, גור אריה, צאינה וראינה]. Furthermore, God remembered Rachel's deep sorrow and anxiety. She lived in fear that Jacob would divorce her due to her inability to have children, leaving her to fall into the hands of the wicked Esau, who actively desired her when he saw she remained childless [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, יריעות שלמה]. Another perspective suggests that this divine intervention occurred precisely after Rachel had exhausted all human efforts, such as bringing her maidservant to Jacob and seeking out the mandrakes. God purposefully delayed her pregnancy to demonstrate that natural methods and human schemes are not the true source of life. Salvation comes exclusively from Him [צרור המור, ספורנו, אלשיך].
God's active listening reveals that Rachel continuously poured out her heart in prayer [העמק דבר, ביאור יש״ר]. Commentators note a duality in God's response, encompassing both memory and listening. Some explain that His memory focused on her past good deeds, while His listening responded directly to her present tears and prayers [יריעות שלמה, משכיל לדוד, מלבי״ם]. Others point out that while God remembers His devoted followers even before they cry out, active prayer remains an essential requirement to bring about salvation [אור החיים]. God deeply desires the prayers of the righteous and waited specifically for her to call out to Him [אלשיך]. Once she did, the exact moment arrived when all her accumulated prayers were finally answered [רד״ק].
The power to grant life and open a barren womb rests exclusively in God's hands, a key He never entrusts to any angel or messenger [תורה תמימה]. This event for Rachel took place on Rosh Hashanah, the day specifically designated for remembering barren women [תורה תמימה, צרור המור]. Ultimately, the dual response of memory and listening carries a hidden glimpse into the future, pointing toward the two tribes destined to come from Rachel. The act of remembering hints at Joseph, who would one day be forgotten in an Egyptian prison until God remembered him. The act of listening points toward Benjamin, whose eventual birth would complete the family of tribes, allowing the Divine Presence to rest upon Israel [שפתי כהן].