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Tosefta Yevamot 8:4

 

תוספתא יבמות ח:ד

Original Text:

לא יבטל אדם מפריה ורביה אלא אם כן יש לו בנים...בית הלל אומ' זכר ונקבה שנ' זכר ונקבה בראם

Translation:

A man shall continue his attempts to fulfill the mitzvah, “be fruitful and multiply” until he has sons...The house of Hillel says [he must produce] a son and a daughter], as it says: “male and female, he created them (Genesis 1:27)
[Translation by Rabbi Steven Greenberg]

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1. What appears to the be the aim of reproduction from the original biblical source?
2. What might Hillel's contribution, ie. that it must be at least one son and one daughter, add to the original duty articulated in Genesis?

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Related Sourcesheets:Making Meaning of the Mitzvot: Session 1 -- Be Fruitful and Multiply, Reproductive Issues

Submitted By

Wrestling With God - Keshet Online Library

Comments on this Text

For relevant context, see Greenberg, Steven, Wrestling With God & Men, 148. (See note 3 on p. 281)