[Rachel] named him Joseph, which is to say, “May G-d add another son for me.” After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Give me leave to go back to my own homeland.”
Jacob decides he needs to go back to his homeland specifically after Rachel bore Joseph. What about that event made Jacob feel it was time to leave? What is the causal link between the two?
There are two clues: one just before – and one just after – the quote above.
The quote before is that Rachel’s response to the arrival of her first-born was “Yosef” – “Give me more.” She does not, as her sister Leah had done, thank G-d or praise Him or otherwise develop a positive reaction. “Give me more” is what she says.
What if Jacob realizes that Rachel needs a better environment, away from Lavan?
After all, the verse that immediately follows is, “Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may go.” Jacob wants to leave, at least partially, for the sake of his wives and children!
We are at least partially influenced by environment in which we live and interact with others. Very few people can grow in holiness while living in Lavan’s world. Sometimes, in order to grow, we need a change of scene.