Short Study on Creation (Rechem)

(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

(ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

(ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

(ה) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ)

Genesis 1

(1) When God began to create heaven and earth—

(2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—

(3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

(4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

(5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

ברכות י׳ א:י״ג

דָּר בִּמְעֵי אִמּוֹ וְאָמַר שִׁירָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:

״בָּרְכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת ה׳ וְכָל קְרָבַי אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ״.

Berakhot 10a:13

He resided in his mother’s womb, his first world, and said a song of praise of the pregnancy, as it is stated:

“Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name” (Psalms 103:1), in which he thanks God for creating all that is within his mother, i.e., her womb.

ברכות ס׳ א:י״ב

וְלָא מַהֲנֵי רַחֲמֵי? מֵתִיב רַב יוֹסֵף: ״וְאַחַר יָלְדָה בַּת וַתִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמָהּ דִּינָה״:

מַאי ״וְאַחַר״?

אָמַר רַב: לְאַחַר שֶׁדָּנָה לֵאָה דִּין בְּעַצְמָהּ וְאָמְרָה:

שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים עֲתִידִין לָצֵאת מִיַּעֲקֹב, שִׁשָּׁה יָצְאוּ מִמֶּנִּי וְאַרְבָּעָה מִן הַשְּׁפָחוֹת, הֲרֵי עֲשָׂרָה.

אִם זֶה זָכָר, לֹא תְּהֵא אֲחוֹתִי רָחֵל כְּאַחַת הַשְּׁפָחוֹת, מִיָּד נֶהֶפְכָה לְבַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:

״וַתִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמָהּ דִּינָה״. אֵין מַזְכִּירִין מַעֲשֵׂה נִסִּים.

Berakhot 60a:12

Is a prayer in that case ineffective? Rav Yosef raises an objection based on a baraita: It is stated: “And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dina” (Genesis 30:21). The Gemara asks: What is meant by the addition of the word: Afterwards? What does the verse seek to convey by emphasizing that after the birth of Zebulun she gave birth to Dina? Rav said: After Leah passed judgment on herself and said: Twelve tribes are destined to descend from Jacob, six came from me and four from the maidservants, that is ten, and if this fetus is male, my sister Rachel will not even be the equivalent of one the maidservants; immediately the fetus was transformed into a daughter, as it is stated: And she called her name Dina; meaning she named her after her judgment [din]. The Gemara rejects this: One does not mention miraculous acts to teach general halakha.

נדה ל׳ ב:כ״א

ומלמדין אותו כל התורה כולה שנאמר (משלי ד ד) ויורני ויאמר לי יתמך דברי לבך שמור מצותי וחיה ואומר (איוב כט, ד) בסוד אלוה עלי אהלי

Niddah 30b:21

And a fetus is taught the entire Torah while in the womb, as it is stated:

“And He taught me and said to me: Let your heart hold fast My words; keep My commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:4).

And it also states: “As I was in the days of my youth, when the converse of God was upon my tent” (Job 29:4).

יומא פ״ב ב:ב׳

הָהִיא עוּבָּרָה דְּאָרַחָא אֲתוֹ לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֲמַר לְהוּ זִילוּ לְחוּשׁוּ לַהּ דְּיוֹמָא דְכִיפּוּרֵי הוּא לְחוּשׁוּ לָהּ וְאִילְּחִישָׁא קָרֵי עֲלֵיהּ בְּטֶרֶם אֶצָּרְךָ בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ וְגוֹ׳ נְפַק מִינַּהּ רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן

Yoma 82b:2

§ With respect to a pregnant woman who smells food, it is told: A certain pregnant woman smelled a food and craved it.

Those involved came before Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi to ask how to proceed.

He said to those who were inquiring: Go and whisper to her that today is Yom Kippur. They whispered to her, and this whispering helped; she stopped craving the food.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi read this verse about the baby she was carrying: “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you” (Jeremiah 1:5), and indeed, the baby who came out of that woman was Rabbi Yoḥanan.