Otzar HaYirah – Vol. 4 | Kishui Holada — Difficulty in Childbirth

1. When a soul of Israel must be born into the world — and every soul of Israel is a new revelation and new knowledge to recognize Hashem Yisborach in a new way — for in every generation His G-dliness is revealed in a new knowledge and recognition according to the clarifications of the souls that are clarified in each generation. Therefore whenever a new soul comes — which is the aspect of a new intellect and new knowledge to recognize Him — and to reveal His faith ever more in the world — in the aspect of: "generation to generation shall praise Your works" [Tehilim 145:4] — at that very time the contamination of Amalek, which is the contamination of the serpent, is provoked and seeks to obstruct, G-d forbid, the birth — and from this comes, G-d forbid, the difficulty in childbirth [ kishui holada ] drawn from the contamination of the serpent — the husk of Amalek. And therefore reciting Mizmor L'Sodah [Psalm 100] is a segulah to nullify difficulty in childbirth, as is known — for there it speaks of the drawing of faith from generation to generation — in the aspect of: "His faithfulness endures to all generations" — and there it is written: "know that Hashem — He is G-d" [Tehilim 100:3] — which is all the foundation of faith. Therefore through this the difficulty in childbirth is nullified — for the essential nullification of difficulty in childbirth is through faith. And therefore the essential cure is prayer — as is customary to multiply prayer for one who is in difficult labor — for prayer is the aspect of faith through which the difficulty in childbirth is nullified. Source: Likutay Halachos, Hilchos Tefilin, Halachah 5, Ois 31.

2. The matter of difficulty in childbirth and the seventy lighter verses [ ayin kalin ] that must be cried out before birth. Cross-reference entry — see "Mamon U'Farnasah" [Money and Livelihood], Ois 212.

3. The reason the woman giving birth must endure the birth pangs is because birth is drawn from the aspect of the mighty hand [ Yad HaChazakah ] — from which comes all judgments — and this is the aspect of: "trembling seized them there — anguish as of a woman in travail" [Tehilim 48:7] . And similarly the reason most medicines come through bitter herbs and suffering is also because healing comes through the mighty hand — from which come all afflictions and plagues and illnesses — and from that very same source comes the healing — in the aspect of: "I have struck and I will heal" [Devarim 32:39] — and as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: with the very hand with which the Holy One blessed be He strikes, He heals. And therefore the healing that comes from that source must also come through afflictions and bitter medicines. And therefore the woman giving birth has the same legal status as a sick person for the purposes of Shabbos and Yom Kipur, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said. Source: Likutay Halachos, Hilchos Chovel B'Chaveiro, Halachah 3, Ois 4.