Issachar
(fl? 19th-16th cent BCE)
Son of
Jacob and
Leah. His birth was considered by
Leah to be a sign of divine favour after a long period of barrenness, as a reward for her having given her handmaid to
Jacob (Genesis 30:18). Issachar was the ancestor of the tribe bearing his name.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography.
Dan Cohn-Sherbok.