402. If a Woman Inseminates – 1
April 24, 1971
“If a woman inseminates. We learned that ‘A woman who inseminates first, delivers a male child.’ Rabbi Aha said, ‘We learned that the Creator sentences whether a drop will be a male or a female, and you say, ‘A woman who inseminates first, delivers a male child.’ Rabbi Yosi said, ‘Of course the Creator discerns between a drop of a male and a drop of a female. And because He has discerned it, He sentences whether it will be a male or a female’” (The Zohar, Tazria, Item 9).
The question is, if a woman who inseminates first delivers a male child, then we no longer need the Creator’s sentence. But Rabbi Yosi explains that of course the Creator discerns it, and because He discerned it, He sentenced it. Yet, the explanation provides no clarification.
The Sulam [Ladder commentary on The Zohar] interprets that there are three partners in a person: the Creator, his father, and his mother. His father gives the white in him; his mother, the red in him, and the Creator gives the soul. This discernment, that the Creator discerns in the drop—that it is worthy of the soul of a male or a female, is regarded as sentencing, for had He not discerned it and did not send a soul of a male, the drop would not have been determined to be a male.
We should understand this in the work. “Sowing” means we take something and place it in the ground, where it strikes roots and then some being emerges from it. Hence, when a woman inseminates first, it means that a person places in the ground the will to receive, regarded as a female, and a male emerges from it, meaning that he is rewarded with the desire to bestow, which is called “a male.”
Hence, Rabbi Aha’s question was that if this depends on man’s work, meaning on an awakening from below, then what we learned—that the Creator discerns the drop and sentences—what is this sentencing if the matter is determined by man’s work below?
The Sulam interprets about this that there are three partners in a person. His father gives the white. That is, the discernment of father and mother is the thought, which is regarded as “parents” who engender the action. The father is his power of bestowal, which is the male, who gives the white, meaning whitens himself from being a receiver, removing from himself the will to receive. It follows that he is regarded as cleansed and that then he becomes truly as dust.
This is the meaning of “My soul will be as dust to all.” That is, with regard to everything that is in the world, he is regarded as dust, meaning he has no need or desire, but he is annulled truly as dust.
The mother gives the Odem [red], as in Adameh [I will be like] LaElyon [the upper one], meaning she wants to be a giver.
We can discern in this that the quality of whiteness means “Turn away from evil,” and the red of the mother is regarded as “and do good.” “Good” means the quality of giving, as it is written, “My heart overflows with a good thing; I say, ‘My work is for the King,’” meaning he wants to perform acts of bestowal upon the King.
But all this is only in potential, by coercion, since the body disagrees with all those things that are against the will to receive. Thus, all that he does has no spirit and vitality until the Creator sentences the drop and sends a soul of a male. Then he obtains the flavor of the desire to bestow, and all that he does contains spirit and vitality.
It follows that although from the perspective of the awakening from below, everything is as it should be, the soul is still missing. This is regarded as “He who comes to purify is aided.” The Zohar asks, “With what?” and it replies, “With a holy soul.” This is the meaning of the Creator discerning which drop has the quality of male or that of a female.
It is as Baal HaSulam interpreted what Maimonides says (Hilchot Teshuva), “Until He who knows the mysteries testifies to him,” he asked if it was possible for man to rise up and ask the Creator so his repentance will be worthy and acceptable, and he explained that when a person’s work is correct, he is rewarded with the revelation of the face, which is the attainment of the matter of reward and punishment.
In other words, he feels the wonderful delight while observing the Mitzva [commandment] and feels the affliction of a transgression. This is regarded that then His salvation, namely the revelation of the face, testifies to him that he will not sin. This is regarded as the one who knows the mysteries testifying that he will not sin, and by this we should interpret that the Creator sentences and gives him the soul of a male.
Accordingly, we can interpret that the Creator discerns whether the drop is a male, meaning that his repentance is worthy and good, and then the Creator testifies to him and sends him a soul. This is regarded as sentencing, from the word “decree” [in Hebrew], when he has no other choice but to walk on the straight path because of the revelation of the face with which he was rewarded.
Or He sends him a soul of a female, receiving and not giving. That is, it is intermittent, at times receiving an awakening from above, but then it departs. This is called “a lack,” from the word “female,” which is incomplete because it cannot be permanent.
Conversely, a soul of a male always extends a soul and vitality when he performs a Mitzva, since he has already been rewarded with the testimony of the Creator that “he will not return to folly.”
By this we can interpret the verse, “There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms innumerable, animals both small and great. How many are Your works, Lord, in wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.”
“How many are Your works, Lord” refers to the whole of creation. “In wisdom You have made them all” means that the intention of creation is to do good to His creations, called “wisdom.” “The earth is full of Your possessions” means that there are many discernments in the world. “This is the sea, great” refers to the sea of wisdom. “…and broad” refers to light of Hassadim, called “expansion.”
Remes [swarms] from the word Ramsa, which is “night” [in Aramaic]. “Innumerable” means that they do not shine. “Animals both small and great” means there are many kinds of animals, the quality of Katnut [smallness/infancy] and the quality of Gadlut [greatness/adulthood].