VBM Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Relationship between Man and Beast By Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein

The Kindness of Pregnancy and Childbirth And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman conceives, and gives birth to a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean. (Vayikra 12:1-2) Most people read these verses without paying attention to the great wonder and kindness that they contain. "If a woman conceives." On the face of it, this is so clear and self-evident to every person, but what a great kindness do we find here! The fact that the union between a man and his wife brings a new person into the world is not so simple. We encounter the phenomenon of infertility already in the days of the Patriarchs – Sara, Rivka, and afterwards Rachel. It is true that most couples succeed in bringing children into the world after a year or two, but in a significant minority of cases, this is not the case.