IF A WOMAN BE DELIVERED.¹ (literally, produces a seed). After Scripture concludes the law of clean and unclean food, it deals with human uncleanliness. The Torah starts² with the woman who gives birth, because human life begins at birth. Many say that if the woman produces the seed first,³ then she gives birth to a male.⁴ 60a; Niddah 28a. Scripture therefore states, and bear a man-child.⁵ The wise men of the Greeks similarly believed that the seed is of the woman. The seed of the male congeals.⁶ All of the child is created out of the blood of the woman.⁷ Note, the meaning of tazri’a (be delivered) means will give seed, for a woman⁸ (she) as in Vat. Ebr. 38 rather than hu (it) as in some printed editions. is like the ground.⁹ (zeru’ehah) to spring forth (Is. 62:11). Thus ishah ki tazri’a (if a woman be delivered) literally means if a woman gives forth her seed, i.e., the seed planted in her.

footnotes: ¹ Hebrew, tazri’a ² Its regulations of human uncleanliness. ³ Before the male. ⁴ However, when the male produces the seed first then the result is a female. See Berakhot ⁵ That is, Scripture therefore says, If a woman produce seed and bear a man-child. ⁶ The Greeks believed that the male seed gives form to the seed of the woman. ⁷ According to the Greek sages the woman provides the matter and the man the form of the embryo. See I.E. on Deut. 13:7 (Vol. 5, pp. 89,90). ⁸ Reading he ⁹ The point is that the field nurtures the seed planted in it. The same is the case with a woman. Compare, And as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it

The vav of ve-tame’ah (then shall be unclean) is like the unaspirated vav in Arabic.¹⁰ is not to be rendered: and she shall be unclean, but, then she shall be unclean. The reason that she is unclean for seven days is that she must wait until she completes¹¹ a quarter of days.¹² We find a similarity in the days of illness, for a change is seen at the end of the seven days.¹³

footnotes: ¹⁰ It does not always indicate the start of a new clause. See I.E. on Gen. 1:2 (Vol. 1, p. 30). In other words, ve-tame’ah ¹¹ Literally, returns to. ¹² The month is divided into quarters. According to the astrologers there is a change in nature and in fate at the end of each quarter. The same is true with each individual. ¹³ In other words, the quarters do not apply only to lunar months but also to events in life.

THE IMPURITY OF. The word niddat (impurity of) is a noun.¹⁴ It follows the paradigm of bizzat (spoil of).¹⁵ Both words come from a double root.¹⁶ comes from nun, dalet, dalet. Bizzat from bet, zayin, zayin.

footnotes: ¹⁴ In the construct. ¹⁵ The word is not found in the Bible. It is found in Rabbinic literature (see Rashi, Ex. 15:22). ¹⁶ Niddat

HER SICKNESS. Devotah (her sickness) is a noun in the plural.¹⁷ plus the feminine pronominal suffix. Compare, madveh (diseases) in the evil diseases of Egypt (Deut. 7:15).¹⁸ (her sickness) and madveh (diseases) come from the same root. Thus devotah means her illness. Some interpret devotah as her flow. See Rashi. The blood that comes out is an illness in the woman’s body.¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁷ It’s the plural of davah ¹⁸ Devotah ¹⁹ A woman feels sick when she experiences the loss of blood. See Rashi, “No woman sees a flow of blood…without first experiencing a heaviness in her head and limbs.”

AND IN THE EIGHTH DAY. Our wise men, of blessed memory, said during the day, not at night.²⁰ Now a child born a half hour before sunset is circumcised after six and half days,²¹ for the day of the Torah is not measured by twenty-four hours.²²

footnotes: ²⁰ Circumcision is to be performed during the day. ²¹ The end of the day that the child was born, the following six days, and the morning of the eighth day. ²² It does not consist of twenty-four hours, for part of the day is considered a whole day.

SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED. Yimmol (shall be circumcised) is a nifal.²³. Compare, yikkon²⁴. (be established) in shall not be established (Ps. 101:7). According to this opinion, yimmol is related to the word mullim²⁵. (circumcised) in were circumcised (Josh. 5:5). It is also possible that yimmol is missing a nun²⁶ comes from the root nun, mem. lamed. and is related to the word u-nemaltem²⁷. (and ye shall be circumcised) (Gen. 17:11). Yimmol is like the word yiddor (voweth)²⁸. in When a man voweth a vow unto the Lord (Num. 30:3). Scripture omits the one who performs the circumcision, such as the father or the Beth Din (court).²⁹ comes from the root nun, mem, lamed, then the meaning of yimmol (shall be circumcised) is, he shall circumcise. In this case the subject is missing, for Scripture omits who “he” is. Hence I.E. points out that “he” refers to the father of the child, the Beth Din, or any authorized person. For similar comments of I.E., see I.E. on Gen. 25:26; 48:1; 50:26 (Vol. 1, pp. 251, 412, 452).

footnotes: ²³ From the root mem, vav, lamed ²⁴ From the root kaf, vav, nun ²⁵ From the root mem, vav, lamed ²⁶ In this case yimmol ²⁷ From the root nun, mem, lamed ²⁸ From the root nun, dalet, resh ²⁹ If yimmol

HIS FORESKIN. It is known that the foreskin is on the private part.³⁰ This is not the case regarding the foreskin of the heart,³¹ the lip,³² and the ear,³³ for all of them are connected to another word.³⁴ (foreskin) stands by itself, it refers to the foreskin of the penis. When Scripture uses the term orlah metaphorically, it connects it to another word, as in aral sefatayim (of uncircumcised lips) (Ex. 6:12).

footnotes: ³⁰ The penis. ³¹ Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4. ³² Ex. 6:12,30. ³³ Jer. 6:10. ³⁴ Which explains them. When the word orlah

[PURIFICATION.] The heh of tohorah³⁵ should be rendered, her purification. (purification) is unsounded.³⁶ (dot) in it. According to I.E. the heh of tohorah (purification) is a pronominal suffix, and tohorah should be rendered as her purification. Such a heh usually has a dot in it. Hence I.E.’s comment. It should have been pronounced. It is like the heh³⁷ in it. in lah (it)³⁸ in and called it Nobah (Num. 32:43). The meaning of deme tohorah (the blood of purification) is clean blood.³⁹ as blood of cleanliness. This blood, in contrast to dam niddah (menstrual blood), is clean. It does not cause uncleanliness. The forty days that God decreed regarding a male child⁴⁰ corresponds to the time it takes for the form of the male to be completed in the womb.⁴¹ 3:7). It takes double that time for a female.⁴². This is clear and tested.

footnotes: ³⁵ According to I. E. tohorah ³⁶ It does not have a mappik ³⁷ It too is a pronominal suffix without a mappik ³⁸ Literally, to it. ³⁹ I.E. renders deme tohorah ⁴⁰ Our chapter decrees that a woman who has a baby boy has to wait forty days until she becomes “cleansed from the fountain of her blood.” ⁴¹ According to Rabbi Ishmael it takes forty-one days for a male child to be formed in the womb (Niddah ⁴² Ibid

SHE SHALL TOUCH NO HALLOWED THING. Such as the tithe, trumah,⁴³ and the flesh of peace offerings.

footnotes: ⁴³ The heave offering.

NOR COME INTO THE SANCTUARY. The courtyard of the tent of meeting or into the temple courtyard.⁴⁴

footnotes: ⁴⁴ Sanctuary does not refer to the sanctuary per se.

Be-deme tohorah (in the blood of purification) (v. 4) and al deme tohorah (in the blood of purification)⁴⁵ have one meaning.

footnotes: ⁴⁵ In our verse.

OF THE FIRST YEAR. If we did not have tradition, who would explain whether ben shenato (of the first year)⁴⁶ means of the first year. See Mekhilta 4. means exactly one year, or less than a year, or a year plus?⁴⁷ Some say that the reason a woman who gives birth brings a lamb for a burnt offering is that she may have had some unseemly thought because of her pain when giving birth.⁴⁸ She brings a sin offering because she might have uttered some unseemly thing with her lips.⁴⁹ 31b: “Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai’s student asked: Why did the Torah say that a woman who gives birth shall bring an offering? He said to them: when she crouches to give birth she swears that she will not have sexual relations with her husband.”

footnotes: ⁴⁶ According to Rabbinic interpretation, ben shenato ⁴⁷ Under two years. ⁴⁸ A burnt offering is brought for unseemly thoughts. See I.E. on Lev. 1:4. She might have blasphemed or wished evil upon her husband for causing her this pain. ⁴⁹ See Niddah

AND HE SHALL OFFER IT. This one and the other one,⁵⁰). Hence I.E.’s comment. the lamb and the turtle-dove or the young pigeon.⁵¹ Scripture employed an abridged style. It similarly does not mention the snipping of the head of the fowl brought for a sin offering,⁵² for⁵³ does not eat of the sin offering fowl (Meijler). the kohen does not eat of the sin offering fowl.⁵⁴) to refer to it and the burnt offering (the lamb).

footnotes: ⁵⁰ Scripture employs the singular (ve-hikrivo ⁵¹ Our verse does not list in detail what is to be offered. ⁵² See Lev. 1:15. ⁵³ The term “for” goes back to the first line of I.E.’s quote. Our text should be understood as follows: This one and the other one, the lamb and the turtledove or the young pigeon, for the kohen ⁵⁴ Hence it is like a burnt offering and Scripture can use one term (ve-hikrivo

AND MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HER. As I explained.⁵⁵

footnotes: ⁵⁵ To serve as a ransom for the punishment due her. See I.E. on Lev. 1:4.

AND SHE SHALL BE CLEANSED FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF HER BLOOD. This is a sign that she does not naturally became cleansed until the days that are enumerated arrive.

AND IF HER MEANS SUFFICE NOT.⁵⁶ This means the same as but if his means suffice not⁵⁷. (see Lev. 5:11).

footnotes: ⁵⁶ Literally, And if her hand does not find. ⁵⁷ Literally, And if his hand does not acquire. The point is that “And if her hand does not find” means And if her means suffice her not

AND THE PRIEST SHALL MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HER, AND SHE SHALL BE CLEAN. This teaches that if the kohen does not make atonement for her she shall not be clean. This applies only in the Land of Israel.⁵⁸ suffices.

footnotes: ⁵⁸ The cleaning rituals described in our chapter apply only in the Land of Israel. Outside of the Land of Israel, immersion in a mikveh