Midrasch zu Ijow 10:12

Antonius questioned Rabbi again "At what time does the soul come into the body — at the moment of conception, or at the time the embryo is already formed?" He answered him: "When it is already formed." Antonius said to him: "Is it possible that a piece of flesh shall keep three days or more without being salted, and it shall not smell badly?" Rabbi replied: "It must therefore be at conception." "This thing, said Rabbi, "I was taught by Antonius, and the following passage is a support to him: (Job 10, 12) (Upakad'ta) And thy providence watched over my spirit." Antonius questioned Rabbi again: "At what time does the evil spirit reach man? At the time the embryo is formed, or when it comes out from the womb?" "At the time it is formed," he answered. "If so," rejoined Antonius, "the embryo would kick the entrails of the mother and go out; therefore it must be from the time it comes out." And Rabbi said: "This thing was taught to me by Antonius, and the following passage supports him (Gen. 4, 7) Sin lieth at the door."

... Another possibility: "When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male" [Leviticus 12:2] Thus when it is written "Life and lovingkindness you have given me, Your care has guarded my spirit" [Job 10:12] Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said three [things]: In the way of the world if a person takes a purse of money and places the opening downward, does not the money scatter?! A fetus that rests in the womb of his mother, The Holy Blessed One guards him so he does not fall and die, is this not praiseworthy?! Thus - "Life and lovingkindness you have given me." Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said also: It is the way of the world that an animals breasts are in the place of the womb and the newborn nurses in a shameful place. But a woman, her breasts are in a beautiful place, and the newborn nurses in a place of honor. Is this not "life and lovingkindness?" Thus - "Life and lovingkindness you have given me." Rabbi Elazar said, if a person tarries in a hot place for one hour, does he not die? Yet the womb of the woman boils, and the fetus which is placed inside the womb, The Holy Blessed One protects it, it is not aborted in the shape of a bag, it is not aborted as the placenta, nor aborted in the shape of a sandal - is this not "life and lovingkindess?" Thus - "Life and lovingkindness you have given me." Rabbi Tachalifa of Cesaerea If a person eats one portion of food after another portion of food, does not the second portion expel the first? But no matter how much food a woman eats or how much liquid she drinks, the fetus is not expelled - is this not "life and lovingkindness?" Rabbi Simon said, the womb of a woman is made with many cavities, many coils, and many bands. At the moment that a woman sits on the birth chair, (the baby) does not get cast out all at once. There is a saying, "If one band is loosened, two bands are loosened". Rabbi Meir said: All nine months that a woman does not see blood, she really should have seen it. What did The Holy Blessed One do? He removed (the blood) upward to her breasts and made it milk, so that when the baby was born there would be food for him to eat. Even more if it was a male child, as it says: "When a woman conceives and gives birth to a male."

Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” But look, we find two hundred and seventy-three first-born, who were found to be in excess of the [number of] the Levites at the time that Moses numbered them.¹⁰⁷Numb. R. 4:7. According to Numb. 3:43, there were 22,273 first-born, while Numb. 3:39 put the number of Levites at 22,000. The problem for Moses was that he had been commanded (in Numb. 3:44-45) to replace all the first-born with Levites. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah [differ about this].¹⁰⁸Numb. R. 4:10; ySanh. 1:4 (19c). R. Judah says, “This is what Moses did: he took [twenty-two thousand] lots¹⁰⁹Gk.: pittakia (“tickets”); Lat.: pittacia (“ticket”). and wrote ‘Levite,’ on each of them. Then he took two hundred and seventy-three more lots and wrote ‘five sela'im’¹¹⁰A sela‘ is equal to one sacred or two common shekels. Thus five sela‘im matches the payment of five shekels required in Numb. 3:46-47. [on each of them]. He mixed them up and put them in an urn.¹¹¹Gk.: kalpe. For more details about such an urn, see Yoma 39a. Then the father of a first-born would put his hand into the urn. If there came up in his hand a lot on which was written ‘Levite,’ he was redeemed (by a Levite) and exempted from the five sela'im; but if there came up in his hand a lot on which was written ‘five sela'im,’ he handed over five sela'im.” These are the words of R. Judah. R. Nehemiah says, “There is still a difference of opinion on the matter, because one could say to him, ‘There is no lot [remaining] here on which “Levite" is written.¹¹²Sanh. 17a. That is the reason it did not come up in my hand.’ Instead this is what Moses did: He took lots according to the number of all the first-born, and wrote ‘Levite’ on them. Then again he took other lots according to their number and wrote ‘five sela'im’ on them. He mixed them up and put them in an urn. Then the father of a first-born would reach into the urn. If a lot with ‘Levite’ came up in his hand, he knew that a Levite had redeemed him, and had exempted him from the five sela'im; but if a lot with ‘five sela'im’ came up in his hand, he handed over five sela'im. Then the officer said to him, ‘Was there not another lot there on which "Levite" was written? So you are not worthy of being redeemed by a Levite.’” (Numb. 3:40:) “Enroll (rt.: pqd) every first-born male.” There is [a use of] the root pqd for the first born, as stated (ibid.), “enroll (rt.: pqd) every first-born male.”¹¹³Numb. R. 4:4. There is [a use of] the root pqd for children (in I Sam. 2:21), “For the Lord visited (rt.: pqd) Hannah; so she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.” There is [a use of] the root pqd for watching over (in Job 10:12), “and Your providence (rt.: pqd) has watched over my spirit.” There is [a use of] the root pqd for peace (in Is. 60:17), “and I will appoint peace as your overseer (rt.: pqd).”

[Another interpretation] (of Numb. 3:40:) ENROLL (rt.: PQD) EVERY FIRST-BORN MALE. There is <a use of> the root PQD for the first born, as stated (ibid.): ENROLL (rt.: PQD) EVERY FIRST-BORN MALE.¹³⁵Tanh., Numb. 1:21, cont.; Numb. R. 4:4. There is <a use of> the root PQD for children (in I Sam. 2:21): FOR THE LORD VISITED (rt.: PQD) HANNAH; SO SHE CONCEIVED AND BORE THREE SONS <AND TWO DAUGHTERS>. There is <a use of> the root PQD for watching over (in Job 10:12): AND YOUR PROVIDENCE (rt.: PQD) HAS WATCHED OVER MY SPIRIT. There is <a use of> the root PQD for peace (in Is. 60:17): AND I WILL APPOINT PEACE AS YOUR OVERSEER (rt.: PQD).

And Ad-nai said to his heart (Gen. 8:21) - The wicked are under control of their heart: 'The fool has said in his heart' (Ps. 14:1); 'And Esav said in his heart' (Gen.27:41); 'And Yerovoam said in his heart' (I Kings 12:25); 'Now Haman said in his heart' (Est. 6:6). But the righteous have their hearts under their control since it is written 'Now Hannah, she spoke at her heart' (I Sam. 1:13); 'And David said to his heart' (I Sam. 27:1); 'But Daniel put to his heart' (Dan. 1:8); [so too] 'And the Lord said to his heart: I will not again/add curse to the ground' (Gen. 8:21): He did not add to it, and let that indeed suffice. The Rabbis interpreted: I will not add [curse] to the children of Noah; I will not add [curse] to future generations. 'Because the devisings of man's heart [yetzer lev] is evil'. Rabbi Hiyya the Elder said: How terrible must be the dough when the baker himself testifies it to be bad! 'Because the inclination of man's heart [yetzer lev] is evil from his youth' Abba Jose the potter said: How terrible must be the leaven when he who created it testifies that it is bad, as it is written 'For He knows our inclinations, it is remembered that we are dust' (Ps. 103:14). The Rabbis said: How terrible must be the plant when the planter himself testifies that it is bad as it is written 'For the Lord of hosts, that planted you, has spoken evil of you (Jer. 1:17). Antoninus asked our teacher: ‘When is the evil inclination placed in a person, from the moment one comes out of the womb of one's mother or before one comes out of the womb of one's mother?’ ‘Before one comes out of the womb of one's mother’ he replied. [Antoninus] replied ‘It can't be, if [the yetzer] is put before one comes out from the womb, one would dig through the womb and emerge! Rabbi agreed with him, because his view corresponds with that of Scripture: 'Because the inclination of man's heart [yetzer lev] is evil from his youth [mine'urav]'. Rabbi Yudan said: This is written mine'urav (from his awakening), which means, from when he awakes [nin'ar] to the world. Antoninus asked our Teacher further: “When is the soul [neshama] put in a person, from the moment one comes out of the womb of one's mother or before one comes out of the womb of one's mother?’ He answered: ‘When one comes out of the womb of one's mother.’ [Antoninus] replied ‘It can't be! This is comparable to meat left without salt for three days - will it not putrefy?' Our Teacher agreed with him, for Scripture supports him: 'You bestowed on me life and care; Your providence watched over my spirit[ruach].' (Job 10:12) - hence, when did You place the spirit in me? When You gave me Your providence.