Parashat Tazria follows Parashat Shemini to teach us that we must first be holy before we can merit the blessings of birth. We must separate between pure and impure, women must purify in the Mikva prior to having marital relationship (after her MP). As we see in the end of Parashat Shemini, the Torah writes, in verse 11:45 “You should be Holy because I, HaShem, am Holy” (“וִהְיִיתֶם קְדשִֹׁים, כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי”). We notice that in the word “and you shall be” (“והייתם”) the word “Tam” (”תם“) is hidden, meaning to be humble. Just as the Torah describes Yaakov, “A humble man who sat and study in his tent” (“איש תם יושב אוהלים”) to teach us that we must always strive to be humble, learn Torah and as results we will become holy. The word “Ohalim” (“אוהלים”), meaning tents, has the same letters of “Elohim” (“אלוהים”), meaning HaShem, and when we sit and learn we are sheltered by the tents of HaShem. Our Sages say that the words “A woman who will become seeded” (“אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ”) elude to our Sanhedrin as they (and Bnei-Yisrael) will merit the building of Beit-HaMikdash. We also learn from the words “If a woman bear a child” (“אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר”), a profound and scientific fact. We learn that the sex of the newborn male is genetically assigned and decided by the female genetic system and not by the male.
Our Sages teach us that the word “Ki” (“כִּי” – if) in verse 2 “אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ” is an acronym of two words in Hebrew: “Kemo” (like a) and Yare’ach” (moon) “כמו ירח”. This word came to remind women and men about their true mission in life, of Torah and Mitzvot. We learn about this from the Midrash about the Moon and the Sun. The Gemara teaches us that the Moon complained on the forth day of creation, as HaShem created “two kings” (same size originally) to rule the skies, the Sun and the Moon. The moon complained and said that there should only be one king (hoping that it will be her), HaShem agreed with her statement, but since she was “proud” he reduced her size every day. Only after she (the Moon) made Teshuvah HaShem allowed her to get full once a month (crest at the beginning go the Jewish month and full on the 15th of the month). The moon is compared to a woman and the Sun to a man. The Moon is and always will be illuminated by the Sun (a husband who is filled with Torah), and the Moon (a humbled wife who keeps all the Mitzvot) will always grow and become full. The Moon cycle also points out the profound situation, we the people of Israel, represent. There are times that we are “small” and times that we are “full”, speaking of holiness and closeness to HaShem.
HaShem teaches Moshe and commands him to teach Bnei-Yisrael about the laws of birth and impurity as well as purity. The Torah writes “If a woman shall conceive” (“אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר”), even if she miscarries, she shall be impure for seven days just as during her time of “Nida” (menstrual cycle). We see here that the Torah first speak of a birth of a boy, just as in Beresheet as Adam was created first. The numerical value of the word “Zachar” (“זכר” – male/boy) is 227, same as the numerical value of the word “Bracha” (“ברכה” – blessing), meaning when a boy is born the women is blessed. Needless to say that when a girl is born a woman is twice as blessed. The reason the Torah writes about the male first is due to the name continuations (last name) as it goes by the male.
We notice here that the pregnancy was not mentioned, why? To teach us that when the outcome is great, the process is secondary, as we learn from the birth of Moshe, whose mother Yocheved was 130 years old when she gave birth to him (according to Midrash and Aggadah). The Zohar Chadash teaches us that we should always pray (and even cry and beg) before a child is even conceived in order to have him/her blessed with HaShem’s ways and Torah. There is a teaching by Rabbi Shimon Ben Pazi about a couple who was crying prior to making the Mitzvah of having a child, crying and begging HaShem for a righteous child.
The Zohar teaches us that when HaShem speaks of “a woman who will conceived”, He is speaking of Bnei-Yisrael who will be in exile among the Goyim (gentile), and will be redeemed out of it into freedom, just as a new child comes to the world. Just as a woman receives a “seed” while barren, and a newborn eventually comes out, so too Bnei-Yisrael will come out of exile into the days of Mashiach. A woman of the congregation of Israel is valued more then any other treasures, since she will be “seeded” with the children of Israel. We learn that HaShem left certain “creations” to the women after he finished most of creation in Beresheet.
Women are partners with HaShem in creating new human beings. Our Sages says that when the Neshamah is placed within a newborn, the mother is becoming a partner in HaShem’s creation and considered to be a holy vessel. A virtuous woman is like a crown to her husband and her family. We see here how important a Jewish woman is, by the fact that HaShem says: “Speak to the children of Israel” (so they all understand), referring to a “If woman conceives…”
We know from the book of Mishlei 31:10 the famous poem “Eshet Chail” (“אֵשֶׁת-חַיִל, מִי יִמְצָא” – a woman of valor). “Who can find a women of worth” to teach us of such greatness of a true Jewish woman. The word “Chail” (“חיל” – valor) in Gematria is 48 as the word “Moach” (“מח” – brain), to teach us that a true righteous woman possess the 48 attributes or qualities to fulfill the Torah. The crown of Torah is greater than the crown of Kehunah or the crown of kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, and Kehunah is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is acquired with 48 methods. It is important to mention here that this “poem” was written by Avraham as Eulogy to his wife Sarah passing at the age of 127.
However, some Sages say that King Solomon wrote this poem a “Woman of Valor” “Eshet Chayiel” (“אֵשֶׁת-חַיִל, מִי יִמְצָא”) to his mother Bat-Sheva, even though he had 1000 women combined of wives and “Pilageshim” (mistresses) who he used for spreading the Torah across the world. Before King David dies, he appointed his son Solomon, who was 12 years old at the time, as king. King Solomon was born in 848 BCE, and died at age 52 in 796 BCE, ruling as king for 40 years. He built the first Beit-HaMikdash that stood for 410 years.
The word “פילגש” “pilegesh” (mistress) as King Solomon and other had, has a secret understanding. The word has two words within it “יש” “Yesh” (there is) and “פלג” “Peleg” (separation) alluding to not having a holy connection between them and the man.
Prior to a Jewish woman wedding, we celebrate a special ceremony of the Chena (“חנה”) which includes the Mikvah purification. We learn that the acronym of the word “חנה” Chena stands for three very important Mitzvot a Jewish woman must fulfill:
- “חלה” – Hafrashat Challah (Separating a piece from the dough)
- “נידה” – Keeping Nidah (Family Purity)
- “הדלקת נרות” – Hadlakat Nerot (lighting Shabbat Candles)
The most important Mitzvah for a Jewish woman is first and foremost modesty. Only with such a trait a woman can be holy and humble. The Gemara (Masechet Sanhedrin) teaches that HaShem created Adam (human being) last (on Friday) after He finished creating everything else. This comes to teach us about modesty, and humility, as well as a profound appreciation and understanding that everything was created for us, Bnei-Yisrael. People must remain humble and not be “proud”. Our Sages say that if a person acts proudly, one can say to him/her “a mosquito was created before human”. This comes to teach us that we should always be humble and know HaShem’s ways, and act accordingly. Its worth mentioning here that after HaShem created Adam He wrote “והנה-טוב מאוד” in the Torah (Beresheet 1:31) that it was “טוב מאוד” “Tov Me’od” (very good) unlike any other of the creations. The word Me’od has the same letters as Adam in hebrew.
The Torah commands us to have the circumcision (מילה ברית – Brit Milah) on the eight day. The question is asked why we must perform the Brit-Milah on the eighth day. HaShem with his infinite wisdom and divine creation taught us a lesson in biology and human development. Every Jewish child must undergo a circumcision eight days after his birth (while healthy). The Midrash says that five new organs were added to the human body, to honor HaShem because of the circumcision. Just as the letter “H” (“ה”) that added to Avram after his circumcision, as a “Segula” (“סגולה” – treasure or ability that supersedes logic or nature). Why do we perform the Brit Milah on the eighth day and on no other day? (Unless in the case the baby has health issues the circumcision is delayed). With HaShem’s amazing creations, the body has a vitamin K (hemoglobin). This vitamin helps clog bleeding and cuts, coagulate. In the entire life of a person this vitamin reaches 70-100% of its capacity in the human body. On the 8th day only it reaches above its normal level and gets to 110%, all in order to heal the baby faster. How great are HaShem’s creations…!
According to Dr. Armand J. Quick, one reason why there are so few complications involving bleeding may be that the major clotting agents, prothrombin and vitamin K, do not reach peak levels in the blood until the eighth day of life. Prothrombin levels are normal at birth, drop to very low levels in the next few days, and return to normal at the end of the first week. In the words of Dr. Armand J. Quick, author of several works on the control of bleeding, “It hardly seems accidental that the rite of circumcision was postponed until the eighth day by the Mosaic Law.” The circumcision is considered a Sacrifice and only after the newborn experiences the Shechinah of Shabbat he will be ready to have such a procedure. HaShem also commanded us to have the Brit Milah on the eight day, when the newborn is strong enough to handle it. Also a newborn would not object to such a procedure, as an older child might be. We also see that the Mishkan was ready on the eighth day, so too the newborn circumcision is as holy as the inauguration day.
The Kabbalah says that the foreskin symbolizes a barrier which prevents growth. As the Torah speaks about getting close to HaShem, it calls upon us to “remove the Orlah” (“ערלה”), the foreskin of your heart” (Devarim 10:16). Such removal of Orlah on the eighth day allows for true closeness to HaShem and the Shechinah. The word “Orlah” in Hebrew also spells the combination of two words: “Ra” (“רע” – bad) and “Lah” (“לה” – for it), meaning this portion of skin is bad for the body and must be removed. Interesting to point out that Arab/Muslim women cover their faces with (hijab) a clothe called “רעלה” “Ra’ala” just as the word Orlah” (“ערלה”).
The Midrash tells us that Avraham Avinu (“אברהם אבינו”) will be standing on the final days of Judgment at the gates of Hell, and check every person who is about to get in. If the person has a Brit Milah, Avraham takes him to Olam Haba, to the next world. In the book of Kohelet, King Solomon says “give portion to the seventh and eighth days” to teach us that the seventh is speaking of the woman’s Nida and the eighth of the boy’s Brit Milah. If we truly keep all the laws of Nida, we will merit the celebration of a Brit-Milah. It also says, “Remember your Creator HaShem in the days of your youth” (“וּזְכרֹ, אֶת-בּוֹרְאֶיךָ, בִּימֵי, בְּחוּרתֶֹיךָ”), meaning, we must always be thankful to HaShem and not only in times of need, such as old age.
We notice that we too (as women do) become partners in HaShem’s creation after he rested on the seventh day. The miracle of conceiving is by definition one of the highest miracles we witness in our lifetime, just as HaShem intended for us to witness. When HaShem stopped his work on the seventh day and rested, we learn from it that HaShem still had things to create, but he wanted us to be partners in his ongoing creations. In the book of Beresheet it is written, “And HaShem rested (not finished) from his creation on the seventh day”, to teach us that there was more to be done. HaShem left for us to create life and be partner in the creation with several Mitzvot. It is amazing to learn that from a microscopic drop, a human will be created with the most advanced “technologies” in an un-duplicable creation.
It is important to mention here that a full pregnancy can last up to one year, but in the most common cases, usual pregnancy last nine months. The word pregnancy in Hebrew is “Herayon” (“הריון”). Amazingly, the numerical value of this word is 271 (9 X 30.1, the average number of days in a month). This amount is equal to nine months.
The Gemara (Masechet Nida) teaches us that we shall try to conceive at night time, in order to sustain blessing in keeping modesty. According to Rabbi Chaninah Bar Papa… An Angel named “Lilah” (“לילה” -night) hold the drop of “Zerah” (“זרע” – sperm) in front of HaShem and ask for all that will be predetermined for such human. All that will be in this human life-time is determent by HaShem, except for being righteous or wicked and having “Yirat Shamaim” as it says “הכל בידי שמים חוץ מיראת שמים”). The fear and respect to HaShem and the Torah is up to the individual. The word “Zerah” (“זרע”) also reads “Ezer” (“עזר”) in Hebrew, meaning being helpful just as Eve was given to Adam in order to help him, and bring children to the world, just as the verse says: “אשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר”. We also must be holy prior to performing such a Mitzvah of conceiving a child. The Gemara teaches us that HaShem first intended for us to always be humble just as we learn from Adam and Eve. We learn that with the “Chochama” (“חוכמה” – knowledge/wisdom) they acquired after eating from the Tree of Knowledge, they felt ashamed, as the Torah writes: “and they become ashamed and humble” “Va’Yitbosheshu ויתבוששו”. One should always have humility and becomes humble and when he has knowledge and wisdom of the Torah, he will recognize the difference between good and bad.
According to our Sages, an Angel teaches the entire Torah to the soul (“Neshama”) of the unborn baby for forty days in the womb. At the end of the forty days, when it is time to form the newborn’s sexual identity, the Angel then “slaps” his/her mouth and he/she forgets the whole Torah. Some say that the clef above the lips (between the upper lip and nose) is where the Angel places his finger and the baby forget all that he was taught in his mother’s womb. Our mission in life is to learn back all that we were taught and be as close to HaShem as possible. It is interesting to notice that the forty days in the womb, are equal to the forty days Moshe went up to receive the Torah in Mount Sinai. It also took forty years for Bnei-Yisrael to learn the entire Torah in the Sinai desert. Interesting to pint out that the word “clef” is the same as “קלף” clef (parchment) that the Torah is written on. Our Torah has 304,805 letters in 5845 verses in 248 columns. The parchment can come from the skin of any kosher species, mammals are used, usually hide of sheep, goat or calf.
I’d like to point out a beautiful divine code within the process of pregnancy and the word “Shel’Yah” שליה” (the placenta). The placenta consists of vascular tissue in which oxygen and nutrients can pass from the mother’s blood into that of the fetus, and waste products can pass in the reverse direction. The placenta is expelled from the uterus at the birth of the fetus, when it is often called the afterbirth. The word “Shel’Yah” שליה” (the placenta), is actually two words “Shel” and “Yah” של-יה”. The word “Shel” in hebrew means of (belonging to” and the word “Yah”, referring to HaShem. When a women gives birth the “Shechina” (holiness) leaves her along with the miracle of birth. The word “Shel” in hebrew also means remove. We see the same use of the word “Shel” ”של” in the burning-bush prophecy on Mount Sinai, as HaShem instructs Moshe to “remove his shoes” before approaching. As the Torah writes in Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 3 verse 5: “וַיֹּאמֶר, אַל-תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם; שַׁל-נְעָלֶיךָ, מֵעַל רַגְלֶיךָ–כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עוֹמֵד עָלָיו, אַדְמַת-קֹדֶשׁ הוּא”.
In the first verse we learn about HaShem’s involvement in the birth process, as it is written “And HaShem spoke to Moshe and said” (“וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה, אֶל-משֶֹׁה לֵּאמרֹ”). By saying “Leamor” (“לאמור” -“and I said”), we learn that while speaking of a women conceiving and having a child, HaShem teaches us that he is always part of such creation. We know that HaShem is a partner in all creations as we learn from numerical equivalency from several words related to all partners involved in conceiving a child. Mother in Hebrew is called “EM” (“אם”) which in Gematria the numerical value is 41, and Father is “AV” (“אב”) which in Gematria the numerical value is 3, together it is 44. The result of such procreation process is a child. In Hebrew the word child (“Yeled” – “ילד”) is also equals to 44 in Gematria, which means that mother and father together are equal to a child. We also know that HaShem places the blood (“Dam” -” דם “) in the newborn. The word “Dam” also equals 44 in Gematria. Since the blood is compared to the soul, the Neshamah, we see that HaShem is an equal partner with the parents and the child. It is important to mention here that this is why we are forbidden to eat blood as it will destroy our soul. We learn this in Beresheet 9:4 “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood”.
We see here that it is above nature, and all things that are “above nature” point to HaShem’s direct involvement. In Hebrew the words “above nature” (“Me’Al HaTeva” – “הטבע”) have the numerical value of 86, same as the words “ELOHIM” and “MOHEL”. This comes to teach us that when HaShem is involved in such an action, this event is blessed.
An amazing fact about DNA (stands for deoxyribonucleic acid), sometimes called “the molecule of life,” the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms, constructed of two nucleotide strands coiled around each other in a ladder-like arrangement (ongoing number 8) . Most all organisms have their genetic material codified as DNA. The word DNA = ADONAI is ד.נ.א – א.ד.נ (HaShem). All creation came from Him and has the same DNA foundation, the only difference is the amount of chromosome and acid in each creation. The DNA is built of two intertwining columns that connects with sequins of bridges. Amazingly enough the sequencing is as follows in all DNA , in every DNA there is a connecting the bridge that flows the same sequence of 10-5-6-5. In other words HaShem name in numerical value “י.ה.ו.ה”. Just like any artist, HaShem put His “signature” on all of His creation. In science they use the word Gnome… when speaking of DNA… is really means “God’s Name”!