פרק רביעי: פרו ורבו סוגיה 14- מקור המצווה

(1) The commandment of procreation: [Parshat] Bereshit has one positive commandment and that is the commandment of procreation, as it is stated (Genesis 1:28), "And God blessed them and told them to procreate."

(2) It is from the roots of this commandment (i.e the reason behind this commandment) that the world should be settled (Gittin 41b) because God wants the world to be settled, as it says (Isaiah 45:18), "I did not create it for naught, but [rather] formed it for habitation." This is a great commandment, through which all the commandments are observed, as [the Torah] was given to people and not to the ministering angels (Berakhot 25b).

(3) The laws of this commandment - when a man is obligated to be involved with it; how many sons he needs to have; what other commandments he is exempt from due to his involvement in procreation; and the rest of its details - are [all] explained in the sixth chapter of Yevamot and in Berachot. (see Shulchan Arukh Even HaEzer 1 and Orach Chaim 70:3)

(4) And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times (Kiddushin 36b), and a person is obligated to be invovlved with it from when it is fitting for him, and this is the age which the sages (Avot 5:21) designated to marry a woman. And this commandment is not incumbent upon women. And one who negates it violates a positive commandment; and his punishment is very great (Kiddushin 29b), as he shows that he does not want to fulfill God's will to settle His world.

(6) One may not abstain from procreation unless he [already] has children. Beit Shammai say: [One must have] two boys, and Beit Hillel say: [One must have] a boy and a girl, as it says, "Male and female He created them" (Bereishit 5:2). [If] one married a woman and waited for ten years and she did not bear children, he is not permitted to abstain [from his obligation]. [If] he divorced her she is permitted to marry somebody else, and the second [husband] is permitted to wait ten years with her. And if she miscarries he counts [ten years] from the point she miscarried. A man is commanded to procreate but a woman is not. Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka says: It states to both of them, "And God blessed them and He said to them... be fruitful and multiply" (Bereishit 1:25).

(3) ...Rabbi Natan said: Beit Shammai say two boys [to fulfill pru urvu], like Moshe’s sons, as it is written: “And Moshe’s sons were Gershom and Elazar" (Chronicles 1 23:15). Beit Hillel say: a son and a daughter, as it is written: “Male and female God created them” (Genesis 5:2). Rabbi Natan said: Beit Shammai say: a son and a daughter, and Beit Hillel say: a son or a daughter....

(1) (Gen. 5:1:) THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM. Let our master instruct us: May one cease being fruitful and multiplying at a time when he has no children? Thus have our masters taught (in Yev. 6:6): ONE IS NOT TO CEASE FROM BEING FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLYING UNLESS HE ALREADY HAS CHILDREN. THE BET SHAMMAY SAY: TWO MALES; BUT THE BET HILLEL SAY: A MALE AND A FEMALE, AS STATED (in Gen 5:2): MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM.⁸⁰Cf. Yev. 61b for a different explanation. What is the reasoning of the Bet Shammay? Through analogy with Cain and Abel.⁸¹I.e., after the birth of these two, there were no more children until Adam begot Seth after a long interval. See Gen. 5:3. What is the reasoning of the Bet Hillel? Through analogy with Adam and Eve. R. Simon said: Adam separated himself from his wife Eve for a hundred and thirty years after Abel was killed. Adam said: How am I to beget children when they go to destruction? What did he do? R. Simon said: Female spirits would come to him and become inflamed with passion from him; for so the Holy One told David (in I Chron. 22:8): BEHOLD, A SON SHALL BE BORN TO YOU, {AND} HE SHALL BE A MAN OF REST. (II Sam. 7:14:) I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON. When? When he is busy in the Torah. But when he forsook me and walked in the way of his < own > heart, (ibid., cont.): WHEN HE TRANSGRESSES, I WILL PUNISH HIM WITH THE ROD OF MEN AND WITH THE PESTILENCES OF THE CHILDREN OF ADAM. What is the meaning of THE ROD OF MEN? These < words > refer to Hadad and Rezon ben Eliada. Thus it is stated (in I Kings 11:23) AND [GOD] RAISED UP AN ADVERSARY (satan) FOR HIM {FOR SOLOMON}, [REZON BEN ELIADA].⁸²The previous verses (14-22) concern the adversary. Hadad the Edomite. [AND WITH THE PESTILENCES OF THE CHILDREN OF ADAM.]⁸³Cf. Gen. R. 20:11; 24:6. PESTILENCES can only be the demons (mazziqin). Thus it is stated (in Ps. 91:10): NEITHER SHALL PESTILENCE COME NEAR YOUR TENT. < The above is > to make known to you that during the whole 130 years in which Adam had withdrawn from Eve, the spirits were coming to him and being inflamed with passion from him so that he was begetting demons (mazziqin).⁸⁴See ‘Eruv. 18b. At that time the Holy One said: I created my world only for fruitfulness and multiplying. So it is stated (in Is. 45:18): HE DID NOT CREATE IT AS A VOID; HE FORMED IT FOR HABITATION. What did the Holy One do? He put a sexual desire for Eve into the heart of Adam. So he had intercourse with her, and she bore Seth. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 5:3): WHEN ADAM HAD LIVED A HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS, HE BEGOT < A SON > IN HIS OWN LIKENESS {IN} [AFTER] HIS IMAGE. When Seth was born, Adam said: I did not ascribe my former sons a lineage. Why? Because they were accursed. But to this one I am ascribing a lineage because he is the head of [the] generations. Where is it shown? From what they have read on the matter (in Gen. 5:1-3): THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF ADAM…. HE BEGOT < A SON > … AND CALLED HIS NAME SETH.