labor

"The Value of a Woman"

As one would expect, in parashat Bechukotai, there is much discussion and controversy regarding the concept of valuing human beings, especially concerning the lower level at which women are valued.

"The Conundrum of Childbirth"

The Torah in parashat Tazria declares that after the birth of a male child, a woman is in a state of ritual impurity for seven days followed by a state of ritual purity for 33 days. After the birth of a female child, the birth mother is in a state of ritual impurity for 14 days, followed by a state of ritual purity for 66 days. Our rabbis are perplexed by the law that a woman should be in a state of ritual impurity at all after giving birth to a child, and why the numbers of days of impurity and purity are doubled for a female child as opposed to the birth of a male child.