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The Angel Of Conception
Niddah 16b, 30b
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Adapted from Talmud Bavli, Niddah (Niddah 16b, 30b)
Edition William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic Translation English translation by Maggid , since no free public English translation of this passage exists.
License Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC-BY-NC)
English Translation Original
And Reish Lakish, this verse of Rabbi Yochanan, what does he expound from it? He requires it for that which Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa expounded, for Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa expounded: That angel who is appointed over conception, "Night" (Laylah) is his name, and he takes a drop and stands it before the Holy One, blessed be He, and says before Him: Master of the Universe, this drop, what shall become of it? Mighty or weak? Wise or foolish? Rich or poor? But whether wicked or righteous he does not say, in accordance with Rabbi Chanina. For Rabbi Chanina said: Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven, as it is said: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you, but to fear, etc." (Deuteronomy 10:12).
וְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, הַאי קְרָא דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מַאי דָּרֵישׁ בֵּיהּ? מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְכִדְדָרֵישׁ רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא, דְּדָרֵישׁ רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר פָּפָּא: אוֹתוֹ מַלְאָךְ הַמְמוּנֶּה עַל הַהֵרָיוֹן ״לַיְלָה״ שְׁמוֹ, וְנוֹטֵל טִפָּה וּמַעֲמִידָהּ לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאוֹמֵר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, טִפָּה זוֹ מָה תְּהֵא עָלֶיהָ? גִּבּוֹר אוֹ חַלָּשׁ? חָכָם אוֹ טִיפֵּשׁ? עָשִׁיר אוֹ עָנִי? וְאִילּוּ רָשָׁע אוֹ צַדִּיק לָא קָאָמַר, כִּדְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ שׁוֹאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה וְגוֹ׳״.
Commentary While the infant grows in the womb, Lailah places a lighted candle at the head of the unborn infant, so he can see from one end of the world to the other, as it is said. His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness (Job 29:3). For nine months Lailah watches over the unborn infant, teaching him the entire Torah as well as the history of his soul. During this time, the evil inclination has no power over him. And before he is bom, he is given an oath to keep his soul pure, lest God take it back from him. Then Lailah leads the child into the Garden of Eden, and shows him the righteous ones with crowns on their heads. So too does Lailah lead the child to the netherworld and show him the punishments of Gehenna. But when the time has come to be bom, the angel extinguishes the lamp, and brings forth the child into the world. The instant the child emerges, Lailah lightly strikes the newborn above the lip, causing it to cry out. And at that instant the infant forgets all it has learned. That is the origin of the mark on the upper lip, which everyone bears. Indeed, Lailah is a guardian angel, who watches over that child all of his days. And when the time has come to take leave of this world, it is Lailah who comes to him and says, "Do you not recognize me? The time of your departure has come. I have come to take you from this world." Thereupon Lailah leads him to the World to Come, where he renders an accounting before God, and he is judged according to his merits. This myth describes the formation of a child. The soul is here revealed to have been drawn from on high and sent to this world reluctantly. Such a myth affirms the rabbinic belief in the essential purity of the human soul, which is subjected to the power of the Yetzer ha-Ra, the Evil Inclination. This myth of conception is also a reminder of God's powerful role in every stage of our lives. A famous passage in Pirke Avot 3:1 says: "Know where you came from, where you are going, and before whom you will in the future have to give account and reckoning. Where you came from — from a fetid drop; where you are going— to a place of dust, worms and maggots; and before whom you will in the future have to give account and reckoning — before God, the Supreme King of kings." According to Rabbi Meir ibn Gabbai in Avodat ha-Kodesh, "Before a soul descends to this world, it recognizes the Oneness of God and grasps the secrets of the Torah." He links this intrinsic knowledge of the soul with the verse Open my eyes that I may perceive the wonder of Your teachings (Psalms 119:18). These are the wonders that were apprehended before the child was born. Although angels are generally regarded as sexless, and some rabbinic sources say they do not procreate, almost all of them bear male names such as Michael or Gabriel and they have male characteristics. In addition, the noun, malakh (angel) is grammatically masculine. However, Yalkut Hadash (Mai. 63 and 93) says: "It is appropriate to distinguish between male and female angels." And there is one angel, the angel Lailah, who has distinctly feminine characteristics. This angel is responsible for the fetus, for assisting at birth, and for guiding the soul from this world to the next. In many ways Lailah is the polar opposite of Lilith, who wastes seed, is not maternal, and is bent on destruction, not creation. While the word Lailah, meaning "night," is masculine, the name Lailah is feminine, and the name of this angel does not end in the usual "el," representing God's Name. Thus, even though there is no direct evidence that Lailah is a feminine angel, the name Lailah and the role of the angel strongly indicate feminine characteristics. Lailah, the angel's name, likely derives from a rabbinic discussion in B. Niddah 16b, where conception is described as taking place at night. There the name of the angel in charge of conception is identified as "Night" (lailah). This angel takes a drop and places it before God. B. Niddah 30b adds important details about the formation of the embryo and the role of Lailah. It explains that a light shining above the unborn infant's head lets the child see from one end of the world to the other. At the same time, the angel teaches the unborn child the Torah. But as soon as the child is born, the angel strikes it on the upper lip, causing the infant to forget all he has learned. The full myth of Lailah and the formation of the embryo is found in Midrash Tanhuma Pekudei 3. For more on the tradition of guardian angels in Judaism, see "Guardian Angels," p. 202. According to Rabbi Menashe ben Israel in Nishmat Hayim 2:18, God breathes the soul into a person at conception, much as He did with Adam, when He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7). This appears to be an alternate explanation for the version portrayed in the myth of Lailah, where the angel orders the soul to enter the seed.
Original Sources B. Niddah 16b, 30b B. Sanhedrin 96a Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Pekudei 3 Zohar Hadash 68:3 Sefer ha-Zikhronot 10:19-23 Be'er ha-Hasidut 1:216 Aseret ha-Dibrot 79 Avodat ha-Kodeah, Introduction Nishmat Hayim 2:18 Anaf Yosef on B. Niddah 30b Amud ha-Avodash 103b Avkat Rahel in Beit ha-Midrash 1:153-1 55 Likutei ha-Pardes, 4d-5c IFA4722, 18976. Next → The Angel Teaches Torah Then Flicks Your Lip
