אִשָּׁה כִי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָּׁלְדָּׁה זָּׁכָּׁר ... וּבַיּוֹם הַשְמִינִי יִמּוֹל בְשַר עׇרְלָּׁתוֹ׃
“When a woman gives forth seed and gives birth to a male... on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ”
Parshas Tazria begins with the laws of Tuma Leidah, the impurity imparted through childbirth. The duration of impurity depends whether the baby is male or female. The Tiferes Shlomo asks 2 questions on this verse.
Firstly, why does the Posuk mention כי תזריע, when a woman will “give forth seed”, which is a reference to conception. It should have simply said “when a woman gives birth to a male”, since it is childbirth that is the catalyst for impurity.
Secondly, why does the verse mention the obligation of performing a Bris. The Mitzvah of Bris is already discussed in Parshas Lech Lecha and is seemingly irrelevant here.
Our sages teach that all of our deeds and engagements should be performed Lsheim Shamayim, for the sake of Heaven. This includes not only our Mitzvos, but also our mundane involvements and activities, such as working, eating and the like. Before doing anything, we should pause and think, what is the Tachlis of this activity? How is this going to further my relationship with Hashem and observance of Mitzvos? Through this, every part of our lives becomes imbued with holiness.
The same applies to bearing children. Our Kavanah in raising children is that they will fulfill the Mitzvos and serve Hashem. This Kavanah does not start at birth. It should be present from the time of conception.
This is the allusion in the Pasuk. When a woman “gives seed” to conceive, already then, the parents’ Kavanah should be that once the child is born, if it is a boy, they will merit to perform the Mitzvah of the Bris Milah.
