Chapter Twenty (פֶּרֶק עֶשְׂרִים)

And if you should say (וְאִם תֹּאמַר), behold these ten kinds of blood are not present only at the time of birth (הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ הָעֲשָׂרָה מִינֵי דָמִים אֵינָם בִּשְׁעַת הַלֵּידָה בִּלְבַד), for they are always within her (כִּי לְעוֹלָם יֶשְׁנָם בָּהּ), even though Abba gives her nothing (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין אַבָּא נוֹתֵן בָּהּ כְּלוּם), if so, how do we say that she possesses pure bloods (אִם כֵּן אֵיךְ אָנוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ דָּמִים טְהוֹרִים). This will be understood through what our Sages of blessed memory said, “A woman makes a covenant only with one who makes her a vessel” (זֶה יוּבַן בְּמַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲזַ״ל אֵין הָאִשָּׁה כּוֹרֶתֶת בְּרִית אֶלָּא לְמִי שֶׁעֲשָׂאָהּ כְּלִי) (Sanhedrin 22b), and furthermore they said, “A woman does not conceive from the first union” (וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ שֶׁאֵין הָאִשָּׁה מִתְעַבֶּרֶת מִבִּיאָה רִאשׁוֹנָה) (Yevamot 34a). And the reason is (וְהַטַּעַם הוּא), because through the first drop that the Supernal Woman receives (לְפִי שֶׁטִּפָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁמְּקַבֶּלֶת הָאִשָּׁה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה), she is rectified and becomes a vessel (בָּהּ מִתְתַּקֶּנֶת וְנַעֲשֵׂית כְּלִי), and she takes that light as a root within herself (וְלוֹקַחַת הָאוֹר הַהוּא לְשֹׁרֶשׁ בָּהּ בְּעַצְמָהּ), from which point onward she possesses the power to raise Mayin Nukvin [Female Waters] (שֶׁמִּשָּׁם וָאֵילָךְ יֵשׁ בָּהּ כֹּחַ לְהַעֲלוֹת מַיִן נוּקְבִין), and therefore she always possesses ten kinds of blood (וְלָזֶה יֵשׁ בָּהּ עֲשָׂרָה מִינֵי דָמִים לְעוֹלָם), and among them are five kinds of pure blood from the aspect of the first drop (וּמֵהֶם ה׳ מִינֵי דַם טֹהַר מִבְּחִינַת הַטִּפָּה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה), which she received from the male (שֶׁקִּבְּלָה מֵהַזָּכָר). Except that there is a difference between the Upper Imma and the Lower Imma (אֶלָּא שֶׁיֵּשׁ הֶבְדֵּל בֵּין אִמָּא עִלָּאָה לְתַתָּאָה), for in the Upper Imma there is one drop which she took as a root (שֶׁבְּאִמָּא עִלָּאָה יֵשׁ טִפָּה אַחַת שֶׁלָּקְחָה לְשֹׁרֶשׁ), and from then onward every additional drop serves to bring down a Neshamah (וּמִשָּׁם וָהָלְאָה כָּל טִפָּה [נוֹסֶפֶת] הִיא לְהוֹרִיד נְשָׁמָה). But in the Lower Imma, every day she returns to become a bride (אֲבָל בְּאִמָּא תַתָּאָה בְּכָל יוֹם הִיא חוֹזֶרֶת לִהְיוֹת כַּלָּה), because she is in exile (לְפִי שֶׁהִיא בַּגָּלוּת), and after the union she returns and becomes diminished (וְחוֹזֶרֶת וּמִתְמַעֶטֶת אַחַר הַזִּוּוּג), and she returns and grows every day at the time of prayer (וְחוֹזֶרֶת וְנִגְדֶּלֶת בְּכָל יוֹם בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלָּה), and it is impossible for the union to produce offspring unless he cohabits and repeats (וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִהְיוֹת הַזִּוּוּג לְהוֹלִיד אִם לֹא שֶׁיִּבְעַל וְיִשְׁנֶה). And therefore at the time of birth she must sweeten those bloods of hers through the ten fingers of the hands (וְלָזֶה בִּשְׁעַת הַלֵּידָה צְרִיכָה לְמַתֵּק אוֹתָם הַדָּמִים שֶׁלָּהּ בְּעֶשֶׂר אֶצְבְּעוֹת הַיָּדַיִם), for all her birth pangs are caused by her bloods (כִּי כָּל הַחֲבָלִים שֶׁלָּהּ הֵן מֵחֲמַת הַדָּמִים שֶׁלָּהּ), because they contain refuse (שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם פְּסֹלֶת), and this is what the verse says, “And a belt upon the loins” (וְזֶה שֶׁאוֹמֵר הַכָּתוּב וַחֲגוֹרָה עַל חֲלָצַיִם).