Birth, Both Spiritual and Physical
讜讬拽专讗 专讘讛 讬讚:讘
专讘讬 诇讜讬 讗诪专 转诇转 讘谞讜讛讙 砖讘注讜诇诐 诪驻拽讬讚 讗讚诐 讗爪诇 讞讘讬专讜 讗专谞拽讬 砖诇 讻住祝 讘讞砖讗讬 讜诪讞讝讬专 诇讜 诇讬讟专讗 砖诇 讝讛讘 讘驻专讛住讬讗 讗讬谞讜 诪讞讝讬拽 诇讜 讟讜讘讛 讻讱 讛拽讘状讛 诪驻拽讬讚讬谉 诇讜 讛讘专讬讜转 讟讬驻讛 砖诇 诇讻诇讜讻讬转 讘讞砖讗讬 讜讛拽讘状讛 诪讞讝讬专 诇讛诐 谞驻砖讜转 诪砖讜讘讞讜转 砖诇诪讜转 讘驻专讛住讬讗 讜讗讬谉 讝讛 砖讘讞 讛讜讬 (讗讬讜讘 诇讜) 讗砖讗 讚注讬 诇诪专讞讜拽 讜诇驻讜注诇讬 讗转谉 爪讚拽 专讘讬 诇讜讬 讗诪专 讗讜讞专讬 讘谞讜讛讙 砖讘注讜诇诐 讗讚诐 讞讘讜砖 讘讘讬转 讛讗住讜专讬谉 讗讬谉 讻诇 讘专讬讛 诪砖讙讞转 注诇讬讜 讘讗 讗讞讚 讜讛讚诇讬拽 诇讜 砖诐 谞专 讗讬谞讜 诪讞讝讬拽 诇讜 讟讜讘讛 讻讱 讛拽讘状讛 讛讜诇讚 砖专讜讬 讘诪注讬 讗诪讜 讜诪讗讬专 诇讜 砖诐 谞专 讛讜讗
讗讬谉 讝讛 砖讘讞 讛讜讬 讜诇驻讜注诇讬 讗转谉 爪讚拽 专状诇 讗讜诪专 讗讜讞专讬 讘谞讜讛讙 砖讘注讜诇诐 讗讚诐 讞讘讜砖 讘讘讬转 讛讗住讜专讬谉 讜讗讬谉 讻诇 讘专讬讛 诪砖讙讞转 注诇讬讜 讘讗 讗讞讚 讜讛转讬专讜 讜讛讜爪讬讗讜 诪砖诐 讗讬谞讜 诪讞讝讬拽 诇讜 讟讜讘讛 讻讱 讛讜诇讚 砖专讜讬 讘诪注讬 讗诪讜 讜讘讗 讛拽讘状讛 讜讛转讬专讜 讜讛讜爪讬讗讜 诪砖诐
Leviticus Rabbah 14:2
R. Levi said three things: Ordinarily, if a man entrusts his friend with an ounce of silver in private, and the latter returns to him a pound of gold in public, will he not be grateful to the latter? Thus it is with the Blessed Holy One: Creatures privately entrust to Him a drop of (seminal) fluid, and the Blessed Holy One openly returns to them completed and perfected souls. Is this not [worthy of] praise? This [illustrates how] “I will make my opinions widely known; I will justify my Maker.” (Job 36:3)
R. Levi said another thing: Ordinarily, if a man is confined in prison with no one giving him attention, and someone comes and kindles a light for him there, will he not be grateful to the latter? Thus it is with the Blessed Holy One: When the fetus is in its mother’s womb, He causes a light to shine for it there . . .
Is this not [worthy of] praise? This [also illustrates how]” . . . I will justify my Maker.” (Job 36:3)
R. Levi said yet another thing: Ordinarily, if a man is confined in prison with no one giving him attention, and someone comes and releases him and takes him from there, will he not be grateful to the latter? Similarly, when the fetus is in its mother’s womb, the Blessed Holy One comes and releases it and brings it forth [into the world].
How can men understand something like pregnancy, which is so fundamentally foreign to the male experience? As contemporary Jews, we often raise questions about how our classical sources, compiled by men, portray “the other,” in this case, child-bearing women. We find in the midrash above an ancient rabbi’s attempt to understand childbirth, the opening subject of this week’s Torah portion, and identify men’s role in it. This text demonstrates one way in which Jewish men have praised God (and might yet extol women) for bringing new life into the world.
Many centuries before the advent of modern biology, R. Levi expresses his pre-scientific imagination about human reproduction through three parables. Each one makes the processes of conception and gestation less mysterious in order to expound far greater praise for God’s hidden role therein. At the same time, the mother’s experience of pregnancy remains unspoken in this midrash, as though women are merely silent partners in a God-controlled venture. This deficiency, however, can become an opportunity for dialogue if we listen to women’s stories about pregnancy and childbirth to uncover new metaphors to illustrate how God manifests in our lives.
As Passover approaches, we can prepare to celebrate Israel’s spiritual birth as a nation by drawing upon new metaphors for God’s motherly role in creation and liberation from women’s lived experience of bearing children. May we thus express amazement for the wonders of new life.
