״ראשית״ קראתי אתכם — על עסקי ראשית הזהרתי אתכם. נשמה שנתתי בכם קרויה ״נר״ — על עסקי נר הזהרתי אתכם. אם אתם מקיימים אותם — מוטב, ואם לאו — הריני נוטל נשמתכם.
I called you first, as it is stated: “Israel is YHWH’s hallowed portion, His first fruits of the increase” (Jeremiah 2:3) and I warned you about matters of the first: “Of the first of your dough you should set apart ḥalla for a gift” (Numbers 15:20). The soul that I have placed in you is called ner: “The spirit of man is the lamp [ner] of YHWH” (Proverbs 20:27), and I warned you about matters of the Shabbat lamp. If you fulfill these mitzvot, fine, and if not, then I will take your soul.
ומאי שנא בשעת לידתן? אמר רבא: נפל תורא — חדד לסכינא. אביי אמר: תפיש תירוס אמתא, בחד מחטרא ליהוי. רב חסדא אמר: שבקיה לרויא, דמנפשיה נפיל. מר עוקבא אמר: רעיא חגרא ועיזי רהטן, אבב חוטרא מילי, ואבי דרי חושבנא. רב פפא אמר: אבב חנואתא נפישי אחי ומרחמי, אבב בזיוני — לא אחי ולא מרחמי.
And, if so, what is different during childbirth? Why does the divine attribute of judgment punish them for dereliction in fulfillment of these mitzvot specifically then? The Talmud cites several folk sayings expressing the concept that when a person is in danger, he is punished for his sins. Rava said: If the ox fell, sharpen the knife to slaughter it. Abaye said: If the female slave’s insolence abounds, she will be struck by a single blow as punishment for all her sins. So too, when a woman is giving birth and her suffering is great due to Eve’s sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge, all the punishments for her own sins are added to that suffering. Rav Ḥisda said: Leave the drunk, as he falls on his own. Similarly, the time of birth is a time of danger, and if God does not come to her assistance at that time, that is sufficient to cause her death. Mar Ukva said: The shepherd is crippled, and the goats are running, and he cannot catch them. However, next to the gate, he speaks harsh words, and inside the pen he settles the account. Similarly, as long as a woman is in a healthy state, her sins are in abeyance, and she is not held accountable for them. However, when she is giving birth, which is a time of danger, she is held accountable for her sins and a calculation is made whether or not she is worthy of a miracle. Rav Pappa said: At the entrance to the stores, during a time of prosperity, brothers and loved ones abound. When a person is prospering financially, everyone acts like his brother or friend. However, at the gate of disgrace, during a time of loss and poverty, he has no brothers and no loved ones; everyone abandons him.