Impurity after Giving Birth

Answered by Rabbi Azriel SchreiberFurther responses from Rabbi Eliahu Levenson

Question

Why is the period of impurity after giving birth to a girl twice as long as for a boy?

Answer

The commentaries say that carrying and giving birth to a girl has a greater effect on the mother, from which it takes twice as long to “recover”. The Talmud implies that there should have been 14 days of “impurity” for a boy too, but the Torah reduced it to 7 to allow the parents to rejoice together at the boy’s circumcision on the 8th day.

Follow-up question

Question

Does the “greater effect” mentioned in the commentaries refer to physical effects, spiritual/emotional effects or both? Is it a time of bonding between mother and daughter?

Answer

I just read the answer given, but it only covers the idea of “impurity.” To understand this esoteric subject better, one needs to think about “purity” as well. The answer already given is a suggestioin that the impurity would be equal, fourteen days, for both male and female, but perhaps as a kindness, G-d reduces the period for the boy to seven days, thus allowing the mother to be fully part of her son’s circumcision on day eight.

Looking at the purity side however, notice that the mother is “pure” for the next 33 days after the period of impurity for the boy, and “pure,” for the next 66 days after the impurity for the girl.

Although most people think having a girl is receiving the raw end of the deal. When looking more closely, it appears to me to be the opposite.

Regards, Eliahu Levenson