Jewish tradition has a fascinating answer, a story whispered through generations about an angel named Lailah.

Lailah, the Angel of Conception, is like the midwife of souls. According to the tradition, when the time is right for a couple to conceive, God instructs Lailah to find a soul nestled away in the Garden of Eden. Imagine that: souls waiting in paradise!

But here's the twist. When Lailah calls upon a soul to enter a drop of semen, the soul initially refuses. Why? Because it remembers the pain of being born, the trauma of entering this world. It prefers the purity and peace of its existence. Yet, Lailah compels the soul to obey. It’s a powerful image: the soul, reluctant but ultimately obedient, embarking on its earthly journey. It reminds us, perhaps, of our own hesitations and fears when facing the unknown.

And that's when God decrees the fate of that potential life, determining whether it will be male or female, strong or weak, rich or poor. This moment, fraught with divine significance, highlights the profound responsibility and mystery surrounding the creation of life.

Then, the angel places the soul in the mother's womb. While the infant grows, Lailah watches over it, placing a lit candle near the baby's head. This isn't just any candle; it allows the unborn child to see from one end of the world to the other! As it says in Job 29:3, "His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through darkness." For nine months, Lailah acts as a guide, teaching the child the entire Torah and the history of its soul. Imagine the wisdom imparted in those silent, pre-natal months! During this time, the evil inclination, the Yetzer ha-Ra, has no power over the child.

According to Rabbi Meir ibn Gabbai in Avodat ha-Kodesh, before a soul descends, it recognizes the Oneness of God and grasps the secrets of the Torah. He connects this with Psalms 119:18, "Open my eyes that I may perceive the wonder of Your teachings," the wonders apprehended before birth.

Before the child is born, it makes an oath to keep its soul pure, lest God take it back. Lailah then leads the child on a tour, showing them the righteous ones in the Garden of Eden, crowned and radiant. But Lailah also shows them the punishments of Gehenna, the netherworld, a glimpse of the consequences of wrongdoing.

But then comes the moment of birth. The angel extinguishes the lamp, and the child is brought into the world. As the child emerges, Lailah gently strikes the newborn above the lip, causing it to cry out. And in that instant, the infant forgets everything it has learned. Everything! That little indentation we all have above our lip? According to this tradition, it's a reminder of that moment of forgetting.

Lailah doesn’t disappear after birth. The tradition says that Lailah remains a guardian angel, watching over the child throughout its life. And when the time comes to leave this world, it is Lailah who appears, saying, "Do you not recognize me? The time of your departure has come. I have come to take you from this world." Lailah then leads the soul to the World to Come, where it renders an accounting before God and is judged according to its merits. We find this full myth in Midrash Tanhuma Pekudei 3.

This myth reminds us of the rabbinic belief in the inherent purity of the human soul. According to Rabbi Menashe ben Israel in Nishmat Hayim 2:18, God breathes the soul into a person at conception, much like He did with Adam in Genesis 2:7.

Interestingly, while most angels in Jewish tradition are described with masculine traits, Lailah is considered to have feminine characteristics. The Yalkut Hadash even suggests that it's appropriate to distinguish between male and female angels. Lailah's name, while the word "night" (lailah) is grammatically masculine, the name Lailah, and the angel’s role are considered feminine. She is responsible for the fetus, assisting at birth, and guiding the soul from this world to the next. In some ways, Lailah stands in stark contrast to Lilith, who is seen as destructive and anti-maternal.

So, what does this all mean? This beautiful story of Lailah, drawn from sources like B. Niddah and the Zohar, offers a glimpse into the mysteries of life, death, and the journey of the soul. It reminds us, as Pirke Avot 3:1 says, to "Know where you came from, where you are going, and before whom you will in the future have to give account and reckoning." From a "fetid drop" to dust, we are all part of a grand, divinely orchestrated story, watched over by angels like Lailah, from beginning to end. Perhaps, remembering Lailah, we can find comfort in the idea that even in the moment of forgetting, we are never truly alone.