Niddah 31a (לא.) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi

Elazar said: What is the verse

that indicates that they administer an oath to him on the day of birth? As it is stated:

“From my mother’s womb—

you have sworn me!””

And the Gemara explains:

From where is it inferred that this “swearing” is an expression of administering an oath, as it is written:

“Cut off your crown and cast it away”?

That is, fulfill the oath that you swore at the time of birth, and cast away the evil deeds through which you violated it.

Rabbi Elazar said: To what is a fetus comparable in its mother’s womb—

To a nut placed in a bowl of water: when a person places his finger upon it, it sinks this way and that.

The Sages taught: During the first three months—

the fetus resides in the lower chamber

of the womb.

During the middle three months—

the fetus

rises upward and

resides in the middle chamber. During the final three months—

the fetus resides in the upper chamber.

Once the time for it to emerge arrives—

it turns over and emerges!

And this is the meaning of “the pangs of—

a woman,”

for it is difficult for her when it turns over from above to below.

And the Gemara adds:

And this is consistent with what was taught: The pangs

of childbirth

of a

woman who gives birth to a

female are greater than those of a

woman who gives birth to a

male!

The female’s turning over is more difficult than the male’s turning over, as will be explained shortly.

The Gemara cites a source for the first beraita:

And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the verse—

“What I fashioned in secret, woven in the lowest parts of the earth”?

“I resided

in the lowest parts of the earth”

was not stated; rather,

“I wove,”

because the weaving, which is the initial formation, took place in the lower chamber, whereas the “residence,” later on, was in the middle and upper chambers.

The Gemara explains the additional beraita:

Why are the pangs of a female greater than those of a male?

Because

this one emerges in the manner of its intercourse, and that one emerges in the manner of its intercourse.

During intercourse, the male’s face is directed downward, while the female’s is directed upward. When they are born, they emerge in the manner of their intercourse: the male with his face directed downward, and the female with her face directed upward. Since during gestation the fetus bends its head downward between its knees, there is a difference between a male and a female at birth:

this one,

the female,

turns her face

which had been directed toward her knees, below, upward.

But this one,

the male,

does not turn his face,

because his manner is to emerge with his face downward. This turning of the face is what causes the pangs of a female to be greater than those of a male.

The Sages taught:

During the first three months—

intercourse is difficult for the woman and also difficult for the fetus.

During the three

middle

months, intercourse is

difficult for the woman but beneficial for the fetus.

During the three

final

months, intercourse is

beneficial for the woman and beneficial for the fetus, for as a result the fetus is found to be whitened and invigorated!

A tanna taught: One who engages in intercourse on the ninetieth day—

it is as though he sheds blood.

Since, once a third of the fetus’s development has passed, its life-force begins to take shape, intercourse is dangerous for it at this time.

The Gemara raises the question:

From where does he know

when the ninetieth day is, so that he can be careful to avoid intercourse?

And they answer:

Rather, Abaye said—

he should continue to engage in intercourse,

without knowing when that day is,

and “the Lord preserves the simple”!

The Sages taught: There are three partners in a person—

the Holy One, blessed be He, his father, and his mother.

His father—

contributes the white substance, from which are formed the bones, sinews, nails, brain in his head, and the white of the eye.

His mother—

contributes the red substance, from which are formed the skin, flesh, hair, and the black of the eye.

And the Holy One, blessed be He—

gives him spirit and soul, the features of his face, sight of the eye, hearing of the ear, speech of the mouth, the ability to walk, knowledge, understanding, and intelligence.

And once the time arrives for him to depart from the world—

the Holy One, blessed be He, takes His portion.

And the portions of his father and mother—

He leaves before them!

Rav Pappa said: This is what people say—

“Cast away the salt and throw the meat to the dog!”

When the salt is removed from meat, it is no longer fit for human consumption, but only for dogs. Likewise, the human soul relates to the body in this manner: when the soul is removed, the body putrefies.

Rav Ḥinnana bar Pappa expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written,

“He performs great deeds beyond comprehension and wonders beyond number”?

Come and see that the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the manner of flesh and blood. The manner of flesh and blood is that one places an object in a tied pouch, with its opening facing upward—

it is uncertain whether it will be preserved or not. But the Holy One, blessed be He, forms the fetus in an open woman’s womb, with its opening facing downward—

and it is preserved!

Alternatively: A person places his objects on a scale—

the heavier it becomes, the farther down it descends. But the Holy One, blessed be He: the heavier the fetus becomes—

the higher it rises,

as stated above, that at first it resides in the lower chamber and afterward rises to the upper one!

Rabbi Yosei HaGelili expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, “I thank You, for I am awesomely wondrous; wondrous are Your works, and my soul knows it very well,”

287. Come and see—

that the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the manner of flesh and blood.

The manner of flesh and blood is that a person plants seeds in a garden bed, and each one grows according to its kind,

without the seeds mixing with one another!

But the Holy One, blessed be He, forms the fetus in a woman’s womb, and all of them emerge as one kind,

for the father’s seed and the mother’s seed form a single creature.

Alternatively: A dyer places different agents

in a

cauldron—

they all become one color!

The colors mix, producing only one color in the cauldron; it is impossible to dye several colors from a single cauldron.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, forms the fetus in a woman’s womb—

each and every one

of the fetus’s components

emerges according to its kind!

The white comes from the man, and the black from the woman.

Rav Yosef expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, “I thank You, Lord, for You were angry with me; Your anger has subsided, and You have comforted me”? What does the verse speak of—

Two people went out to conduct business, and a thorn became lodged in the foot of one of them,

so that he could not leave.

He began to blaspheme and curse. After some time, he heard that his companion’s ship had sunk at sea, and he began to thank and praise. Therefore it is stated—

“Your anger has subsided, and You have comforted me!”

And this is what Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written, “He alone performs wonders; blessed is His glorious Name forever”?—

Even the recipient of the miracle—

does not recognize his miracle!

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, “You sift my going and my lying down, and are familiar with all my ways”? It teaches that a person is not formed from every drop

of semen,

but

only

from the choicest part of it.

The school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: This is comparable to a person

who sifts

in a granary: he takes the edible portion and leaves the refuse! This is in accordance with Rabbi Abbahu, for Rabbi Abbahu juxtaposed

contradictory verses: -

It is written, “You girded me with strength,”

an expression of sifting and diminution;

and it is written, “God, Who girds me with strength,”

an expression of girding with power.

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, You sifted me

and formed me from the good part of the drop,

and

afterward

You invigorated me,” 290.

Rabbi Abbahu expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written, “Who can count the dust of Jacob, and number the fourth part of Israel”?—

It teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and counts the intercourse of Israel, and awaits—

When will the drop from which the righteous person will be formed arrive?!

And because of this Balaam’s eye was blinded,

because

he said: “Would One Who is pure and holy, and Whose attendants are pure and holy, look upon such a thing?”

Immediately—

his eye was blinded! As it is written, “The utterance of the man whose eye is blinded,” 292.

And this is what Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written, “And he lay with her that night”?

And the wording “that

he”

teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, assisted in that act, as it is stated, “Issachar is a strong-boned donkey”—

the donkey

caused Issachar

to be born to Leah by turning Jacob’s donkey toward Leah’s tent through the intervention of the Holy One, blessed be He. There is no disrespect toward Heaven in discussing this matter.

Rabbi Yitzḥak said in the name of Rabbi Ami: When a woman emits seed first—

she gives birth to a male!

When a man emits seed first—

she gives birth to a female!

As it is stated: “When a woman emits seed—

and gives birth to a male”!

The Sages taught: At first they would say—

When a woman emits seed first, she gives birth to a male; when a man emits seed first, she gives birth to a female. But the Sages did not explain the matter,

how they knew this.

Until Rabbi Tzadok came—

and explained it: “These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, and Dinah

his

daughter.” He associated the males,

the sons of Leah,

with the females,

with their mother Leah,

and the female,

Dinah,

with the males

[her father].

“And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, wielders of the bow, and they increased sons and grandsons.”—

But is it in a person’s power to increase sons and grandsons?