Halakhah к Ийова 10:12

Said Antoninus to Rabbi [Judah the Prince], "When is the soul placed in man; at the time of conception or at the time of creation (i.e., when the fetus assumes human form as evidenced by the development of flesh, sinews and bones)?" [Rabbi] said to him, "From the time of creation." [Antoninus] responded, "Is it possible for a piece of meat to stand three days without salt without becoming putrid? Rather, from the time of conception." Said Rabbi: "This matter Antoninus taught me and Scripture supports him for it is written, 'And your decree has preserved my spirit'³I.e., my soul. Support from this verse bolstering Antoninus’ position is based upon the use of the term “pekidah” or “decree” in the phrase “and Your decree—u-fekudatkha.” The term employed by the Gemara for conception is also “pekidah” or “decree.” Rashi explains the use of this nomenclature by stating that the literal reference is to the moment the angel turns his attention to the “tipah” (i.e., the fertilized ovum) and brings it before God for a decree concerning its fate as described in the Gemara, Niddah 16b. (Job 10:12)."

Our Rabbis also taught us that in our time, we do the redemption of the first-born in an order like this: They bring a cup of wine and a myrtle branch to the home of the father of the son or to [some] other place, and the priest to whom the father chooses to give the redemption of his son blesses first over the wine and over the myrtle and then recites this blessing - "Blessed are You, our Lord, King of the Universe, Who sanctified the fetus in his mother's innards, and at forty days individuated his limbs into two hundred and forty-eight limbs, and then breathed in the spirit of life, as it is written (Genesis 2:7), 'and He breathed in his nostrils ...'; He clothed him with skin and flesh, and covered him with bones and ligaments, as it is written (Job 10:11), 'He clothed me with flesh and skin and covered me with bones and ligaments.' He appointed food and drink for him, honey and milk to bring him joy, and appointed two ministering angels to guard him in his mother's womb, as it is written (Job 10:12), 'with life and kindness, etc.'" His mother says, "This is my firstborn son, with which God opened the doors of my belly." His father says, "This is my first-born and I am warned about redeeming him, as it is stated (Exodus 13:13), 'and all the first-born of man, your sons shall you redeem.' May it be the will in front of You, Lord, my God, that as You have allowed his father to merit to redeem him, so too should you allow him to merit Torah, marriage and good deeds. Blessed are You, Lord, who sanctified the first born of Israel to be redeemed." The father of the son then recites two blessings: 'on the redemption of the first born'; and 'Who has allowed us to live.' He gives the well-known redemption to the priest, which is five sela, as specified in the Torah. This is equal to sixty argents of refined silver in our land. And after the redemption, the priest recites these three blessings that we wrote.