Zohar Tazria Section 3 - If a Woman Conceives First She Bears a Male Child

Zohar Tazria Section 3 - If a Woman Conceives First She Bears a Male Child

It is recommended to read the Synopsis after studying the section.

Zohar Commentary on Parasha TAZRIA

SYNOPSIS:

Rabbi Yosi resolves some confusion over "If a woman have conceived seed" by saying that God distinguishes between a male and a female seed, and once He has seen it, He decides whether it will be male or female.

Pasook 9. of Zohar Commentary on Parasha Tazria

אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ. תָּנֵינָן, אִשָּׁה מַזְרַעַת תְּחִלָּה יוֹלֶדֶת זָכָר. ר' אֲחָא אָמַר, הָא תָּנֵינָן, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גָּזַר עַל הַהִיא טִפָּה, אִי אִיהוּ דְּכַר אִי אִיהִי נוּקְבָּא, וְאַתְּ אַמְרַת אִשָׁה מַזְרַעַת תְּחִלָּה יוֹלֶדֶת זָכָר. א"ר יוֹסֵי, וַדַּאי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַבְחִין בֵּין טִפָּה דִּדְכוּרָא וּבֵין טִפָּה דְּנוּקְבָּא, וּבְגִין דְּאַבְחִין לֵיהּ, גָּזַר עָלֵיהּ, אִי לִהֱוֵי דְּכַר אוֹ נוּקְבָּא.

"If a woman have conceived seed" (Vayikra 12:2). We learned that if a woman conceives first, she bears a male child. Rabbi Acha said that we learned that the Holy One, blessed be He, determines whether that drop will be male or female, yet you say that if a woman conceives first, she gives birth to a male child. IN THAT CASE, THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE DECISION OF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE. Rabbi Yosi said, Surely the Holy One, blessed be He, distinguishes between a male drop and a female drop. Once He observed it, He decided whether it would be male or female.

Pasook 10. of Zohar Commentary on Parasha Tazria

א"ר אֲחָא, וְיָלְדָה זָכָר, וְכִי כֵּיוָן דְּמַזְרַעַת יוֹלֶדֶת, דִּכְתִּיב, וְיָלְדָה, הַאי קְרָא הָכִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, אִשָׁה כִּי תַּהַר וְיָלְדָה זָכָר. מַהוּ, כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, אִתְּתָא, מִן יוֹמָא דְּאִתְעַבְּרַת עַד יוֹמָא דְּיוֹלִדַת לֵית לָהּ בְּפוּמָא, אֶלָּא יְלִידוּ דִּילָהּ אִי לִהֱוֵי דְּכַר, וְעַ"ד, אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר.

Rabbi Acha said, "and born a man child" (Ibid.). Does she give birth once she conceives, that the verse says, "If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child"? BUT IT DEPENDS UPON PREGNANCY, and the verse should have read, 'If a woman have been pregnant, and born a man child'. Why then, "have conceived seed, and born"? Rabbi Yosi said, From the day THEY HAVE CONCEIVED, women talk of nothing except whether their baby will be male. Hence SCRIPTURE SAYS "If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child."

chanoch's Commentary

These two Pasukim are strage. The questions being asked relate significant information from 20th Century Science. These Pasukim also use a phrase from the Verse in Tazria and not the whole verse. The questions being asked do not follow from the whole verse, so let us look at these questions.

What does the phrase "if a women gets pregnant mean"? The shoresh of the word Tazria is Zerah which means seed. Another way of reading the phrase is "if a women conceives seed". What does this mean? Many people think it means that if a woman is the first to orgasm the baby will be male. Perhaps that is true, perhaps not.

20th Century Science has learned that there is a difference in the DNA of males and females in one chromosome. This is what the Zohar is revealing over 2000 years earlier. The second verse - Pasook 10 with Rabbi Ashlag's Comments is indicating that the decision of whether a baby is male or female depends on aspects of the pregnancy itself and does not always follow the DNA aspect. This has also been proven by modern science in that some babies have an XXY chromosome sequence. Elsewhere the Zohar explains that the soul can be switched within the body of the fetus up to birth. This means a body that is to be a boy may receive a female soul and vice versa. These are amazing revelations.