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The Miracles Of Birth Rabbi Yohanan said: “What is the meaning of the sentence in Scriptures, ‘He does wonders that are immeasurable and miracles that are incomprehensible?’ This refers to the miracle of the birth of a child.” Before a child is conceived, G-d summons the Angel of Birth and He notifies him that a new life is about to be created. The angel then appears with this spark of life before G-d and asks Him what sort of person will it be? G-d then decrees if the person will be strong or weak, tall or short, male or female, wise or foolish, rich or poor. But if he will be good or bad, He does not decree, for that choice alone is given to man. G-d then motions to the Angel of Souls to bring forth soul so-and-so, which has been created at the beginning of time. For all souls of every future gen-eration have been created when G-d made the world, and they reside in Paradise awaiting their summons at their ordained time. G-d Commands The Soul The soul approaches G-d and bows humbly before Him. G-d then commands the soul to enter this new spark of life which will develop into the body of a human being. But the soul hesitates and says: “O Mighty G-d! Please don’t force me to enter into such an odorous and decayed mortal. I am holy and pure having been created by Your Holiness.” But G-d answers the soul, “The world which you are about to enter is a good world and I only created you for the purpose of entering the mortal body.” G-d then forces the soul into this spark of life, and he assigns two angels to guard the soul. A candle is lit near its head where it studies all the knowledge of the world and it sees all that transpires from the beginning of the world to its end. The Angel then takes the soul on a tour of Paradise. He points out the holy tzaddikim who are seated in all their glory adorned with halos and enjoying the spirit of G-d. “Do you know who these people are?” the Angel asks. “No, my L-rd,” answers the soul. “These people were similar to you before they were born. They entered the world which you are about to see; they observed all the mitzvos of the Torah, were kind and good and led an exemplary life. If you will follow their example, you too, will dwell in this paradise.” That night he shows the spirit the dwelling of Gehennom where the evil souls are punished. The soul shudders and trembles at the hideous sight it witnesses. “These are the people who were evil in the world,” the Angel explains. “Avoid their path and you will reap the benefits of Paradise.’’ The Angel then shows the soul where it will dwell in this world, where it will die and where it will be buried. The Soul Rebels When the time comes for it to be born and enter this world, the soul rebels and exclaims, “I don’t want to leave my comfortable dwelling!” But the Angel admonishes the soul and says: “Know ye, my child, that you are created against your will; you are born against your will; you will die against your will and will have to give reckoning on the day of judgment against your will.” The Angel then forces the soul out into the world. As it is born the angel strikes the child under its nostril and the child forgets everything it was taught. The child cries when it is born, because it has just left a beautiful world of calm and peace. Undergoes Seven Stages The person undergoes seven stages in his life. The first years he is compared to a king. Everyone loves him, he is kissed and hugged, and they make a fuss over him. The next few years he is compared to a pig. He is filthy and wanders in dirt and mud. When he reaches seven years of age, he is compared to a goat. He is always prancing and jumping around. When the child enters his teen years he is compared to a horse. He is frisky, haughty and proud. His fifth stage of life starts when he is 18 years of age. He is then compared to a mule. A halter and lead is placed over him. He takes a wife and he has to work and slave to support a family. In the sixth stage of life he is compared to a dog who has to continually seek food for his hungry brood. He loses all sense of shame when it comes to supporting his growing family. He may become senile in his last stage of life. His main role in life has now become to play with children. People just tolerate him. Time Comes To Depart When his time comes to depart from this world, the Angel appears before him and asks, “Do you recognize me?” The soul replies, “Yes, I know you. Why do you come to me today?” “I have come to take you out of this world. You have completed your allotted span of life.” The soul begins to cry and is heard all over the world, but it cannot be heard by the normal human being whose senses are not attuned to this sphere. “You’ve already taken me out of two worlds to place me into this world,” the soul cries. “Must you continuously bother me?” The Angel replies, “I have told you once before that you are created against your will; you are born against your will; you will die against your will and you will have to stand trial on judgment day against your will.” The Wisdom Of The Children Of Jerusalem No children were as wise as those of Jerusalem. Rabbi Yehoshua described a time when he was traveling on the road to Jerusalem. Outside of the city, he came across a youngster who held in his hand a pot that was covered. “What do you have within that covered pot, my child?” asked Rabbi Yehoshua. The child looked at him and replied: “It seems to me that if my mother had wanted people to know what was in the pot she would not have told me: “Cover it…” Continuing further, Rabbi Yehoshua came upon a small girl who was drawing water from a well. “I pray you, draw me some water from your well,” he asked. “I will draw water both for you and your donkey,” replied the child. Rabbi Yehoshua was deeply impressed by this and when she had finished drawing the water for him and his donkey, he said: “You know, my child, you have acted today just as your mother Rebeccah did in ancient times.” The girl smiled and answered: “Yes, I have acted like Rebeccah but you have not acted like Eliezer (who gave her gifts).” The Athenian Still another time, an Athenian came upon a boy in Jerusalem and, giving him money, asked him to bring him some cheese and eggs. When the boy returned, the Athenian sought to have fun with him. “Tell me, my child, which of these cheeses comes from a white goat and which from a black one?” “You are wiser than I, Sire,” replied the child. “Tell me first which of these eggs comes from a black chicken and which from a white chicken?”
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