Halakhah for Niddah 62:22
(מלכים ב ו, כג) ויכרה להם כירה גדולה
R. Simeon b. Yohai was asked by his disciples: Why did the Torah ordain that a woman after childbirth should bring a sacrifice? He replied: When she kneels in bearing she swears impetuously that she will have no intercourse with her husband. The Torah, therefore, ordained that she should bring a sacrifice. (R. Joseph demurred: Does she not<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When swearing. ');"><sup>21</sup></span>
Sefer HaChinukh
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order that she be aroused by action to give thanks to God, blessed be He, who saved her from the pangs of her birth, which is a miraculous thing. And also they, may their memory be blessed, said (Niddah 31b) that a woman rushes to swear at the time of her throes that she will no longer [have sexual relations with] a man. And therefore she requires atonement, and hence her sacrifice is called a sin-offering, and it is stated about her, "and the priest shall atone for her" (Leviticus 12:8).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy