להיות הורה

(6) A man shall not abstain from procreation unless he already has children. Beth Shammai says: two males, And Beth Hillel says: male and a female, for it says, “Male and female created he them” (Genesis 5:2). If a man married a woman and lived with her for ten years and she bore no child, he may not abstain [any longer from the duty of propagation]. If he divorced her she is permitted to marry another, and the second husband may also live with her for ten years. If she miscarried [the period of ten years] is counted from the time of her miscarriage. A man is commanded concerning the duty of propagation but not a woman. Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka says: Concerning both of them it is said, “And God blessed them; and said to them… “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

(1) Blessed be the name of the Holy One, blessed is He, who desired goodness for his creations. For He knew that it is not good for man to be alone and therefore He made a fitting helper for him, for the intent of the creation of man is to be fertile and to increase, and this is impossible without a helper. Therefore He commanded him to cling to the helper whom He made for him. Thus every man is obligated to marry a woman in order to be fertile and increase, for anyone who is not involved in reproduction is like one who sheds blood, as it is written, "Whoever sheds the blood of man," and juxtaposed to it , "Be fertile, then, and increase." And it is as though he is diminishing the [Divine] image, for it is written that in the image of God did He create him, and you shall be fertile and increase. And he causes the Divine Presence to be removed from Israel. And anyone who remains without a wife remains without goodness, without blessing, without a dwelling, without Torah, without a wall, without peace. Rabbi Elazar said, "Anyone who does not have a wife is not a man." When he marries, his sins become unreliable, as it is said, "He who finds a wife has found happiness And has won the favor of the LORD." It is an extremely great commandment, for we only sell a Torah scroll in order to be able to learn Torah and to marry a woman. A man is commanded to marry a woman when he is eighteen years old, as it is taught, "eighteen years for the [wedding] canopy," but one who does so earlier at the age of thirteen, this is a choice [fulfillment of the] command. Our Rabbis have taught, one who marries off his sons and daughters close to their period of puberty, regarding him Scripture states, "You will know that all is well in your tent, etc." Abaye said, I am better than my colleagues because I married at the age of sixteen, but had I married at fourteen, it would have been an arrow in the eyes of Satan. But one must not marry them before thirteen, for this is like lewdness. Under no circumstance should one pass twenty years without a wife, as Raba said, and the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught, until the age of twenty the Holy One, blessed is He, waits for a man to marry. When he passes twenty years without marrying, the Holy One, blessed is He, says, "His bones shall swell." My father wrote of a single man who has passed twenty years and does not want to marry, that the court forces him to marry so that he may fulfill the commandment of reproduction. However, one for whom it will be impossible to study should he marry is not obligated to marry by twenty. The words of the Rambam: If he is busy with Torah and is occupied by it, and is afraid to marry because the burden of providing sustenance will distract him from Torah, he may delay, as one who is involved in a mitzvah is exempt from another mitzvah, and all the more so in the study of Torah. One whose soul has constantly desired Torah, such as Ben Azai, and he clung to it all his days and did not marry, he has not sinned as long as his desire does not overcome him. My father the Rosh says this refers to when it would be impossible for him to study [after marrying]--then he should study and afterward marry. I do not know the extent of this study, but it cannot be that one could abstain from reproduction all his days, for we have not seen such a thing other than Ben Azai, whose soul desired Torah. Therefore, because man consists of male and female, there is a commandment of reproduction. Should the son be a eunuch or the daughter an ailonyit [a woman with arrested sexual development who cannot have children], he has not fulfilled the command of reproduction. If he had sons and they died, he has not fulfilled the command of reproduction. However if they died and left behind children, since the son had a son or daughter or the daughter had a son or daughter, reproduction has been fulfilled. But if one of them died without children and the second has a son or daughter, he has not fulfilled it. If he had children while he was a Gentile and he and his children converted, then he has fulfilled [the mitzvah of] reproduction but a slave who had sons, and he and they were freed, has not fulfilled reproduction. And even one who has fulfilled his obligation of reproduction is forbidden from remaining without a wife, as Rabbi Nachman said: Even if a man has several children, he is forbidden from remaining without a wife, as it is said, "It is not good for man to be alone." Rabbi Yehoshua said: If he married in his youth, he shall marry in his old age. If he had children in his youth, he shall have children in his old age. As it is said, "Sow your seed in the morning, and don't hold back your hand in the evening." There is no difference between one who has children and one who does not except with regard to the matter of selling a Torah scroll for one must always marry a child-bearing woman if he is able to [afford it] even if he has many children and if it is not within his grasp [to afford] to marry a child-bearing woman without selling a Sefer Torah then if he does not have children he should sell a Sefer Torah so that he can marry a child-bearing woman but if he already has children then he should not sell a Sefer Torah but marry a non child-bearing woman rather than remain without a wife. Some say that even if he has children he should sell a Sefer Torah so that he can marry a child-bearing woman and that there is no difference between a child-bearing and n0n-child-bearing woman except for a case where he married her and stayed ten years without her giving birth , so that if he has stayed with her for ten years he's obligated to divorce her in order to fulfill procreation but if he has children then he's not obligated to divorce her for R. Yehoshua only said that ideally he should marry a child-bearing wife [also] in his older years but he's not obligated to divorce her if she's not child-bearing and this too is the opinion of my father my master the Rosh. A man can marry a number of wives for Rava said a man can marry many wives and this is as long as he is able to provide for them nevertheless our Sages gave good advice not to marry more than four wives so that each one can spend "time" [together with her husband] once / month. In a place where there is an edict not to marry more than one wife we follow that custom. A woman is not obligated in procreation therefore if she asks for a divorce on the grounds that she's unable to build a family with him, we don't listen to her as will be explained late on regarding those we force to divorce in the Laws of Divorce.

(6) The woman who allows her husband to deny her sex, this is permitted. When does this apply? [Only] when he has [already] fulfilled the commandment of propagation. If he has not fulfilled it, he must have intercourse at each required time until he fulfills it.

(8) Circumcisions are only performed during the daytime after sunrise, whether the operation takes place on the eighth day, the regular time, or subsequently, from the ninth day and further on, as it is said "on the eighth day" (Gen. 17:12) i.e. by day, and not at night. If the circumcision takes place after daybreak, it is correct. The whole of the day is proper for circumcision. Still it is a duty to perform it in the early part of the day, for the zealous fulfill their religious obligations at the earliest possible time.