Children - BOOK ONE

בנים Bunim - CHILDREN:

1. Anyone who cries and mourns over an upright man merits to raise his children.

2. One must guard a baby that it should not go [about] with an uncovered head.

3. A man does not need to worry about the income of his children. For as they grow, their income grows with them.

4. One who causes his friend to abstain (translator's note: even temporarily) from (the commandment of) be fruitful and multiply (i.e. to engage in kosher relations with his wife, to bring children into the world), will go to Sheol childless.

5. One who forces his wife to have relations with him (even when it is a mitzva), will have children that are not proper (upstanding).

6. A woman who bleeds (menstrual blood) excessively, her pain in bringing children into the world is greater (translator's note: this could also include and insinuate that her raising children is more straining).

7. A daughter of a Cohen (Priestly class) who marries an Israel (common class), and a daughter of a Torah scholar who marries one without education (lit. a person of the land), will not have children (lit. seed).

8. Fasting on Thursdays is propitious against the pain of having children (translator's note: this includes having a safe pregnancy, childbirth, and raising the infant).

9. The modesty of a woman merits her to have upstanding children.

10. Through the joy of the festivals, and through the proper donning of tefillin, one's wife will give birth to sons.

11. Sometimes, when one does not have children, and others pray for him that he should have children (translator's note: according to the reference given by Rabbi Nachman of Tcherin, this has a connotation that the prayers are heeded and a child is born), he dies.

12. For the sin of (not upholding one's) vows, children die.

13. Change of habitat causes (the ability) to have children.

14. Grown children do not die for the sins of their fathers. But in a place where the Name of G-d is profaned, even grown children die.

15. One who eats meat and drinks wine will have healthy children.

16. One who looks at the heel of a woman, or at his wife when she is in her days of impurity, will have improper children.

17. One who lives ten years in the land of Israel and does not have children should divorce his wife, lest he did not merit to [have his lineage] built by her.

18. What should a man do to have male children? He should marry a woman who is fitting to him, sanctify himself at the time of marital relations, and ask [for sons] from the One to whom all sons belong.

19. Anyone who begets a child, brings forth a child similar to himself.

20. A man should beware not to cut down a tree before its time, for this harms the raising of his children.

21. All who pursue (giving) charity, merit to have sons who are wealthy, wise, and proficient in the homiletic section of the Torah.

22. What should a man do to have children? He should spread his wealth to the poor, and cheer his wife before relations with her.

23. Just as it is forbidden to murder a man, so it is forbidden to cut down a fruit tree before its time.

24. Yoav, who did not leave a son similar to him (in his stead), it is said of him that he died. David, who did leave a son similar to him (in his stead), it is said of him that he layed [to rest].

25. One who has a daughter first, the evil eye will not have power over him.

26. One who raises an orphan in his home is as if he gave birth to him.

27. One who teaches his friend's son Torah is as if he gave birth to him.

28. Forty days (of the beginning of a pregnancy, which is) before the creation of the fetus, one should pray that his wife will give birth to a son.

29. One who thinks about promiscuity, his wife also comes to have such thoughts. And when his wife has promiscuous thoughts, the husks (evil forces) come to her (have relations with her) in a dream, and through this her children die.

30. One who is promiscuous causes that his wife will commit adultery on him.

31. One who burns his friend's crops will not leave a son to inherit him.

32. A woman who miscarriages—at the time of birth, place an apple on her head.

33. One who does a mitzvah (commandment or good deed) and does not finish it, buries his wife and children.

34. One who marries a woman for the sake of money will have improper children, and will lose the money in a short time.

35. One who is involved in learning Torah and acts of kindness will merit to have many children.

36. Children do not die for the sins of their fathers, unless they grasp the deeds of their father's in their hands (i.e. continue in their path of sin).

37. Marital relations during pregnancy are beneficial to the fetus to beautify it (literally: lighten it), make it more agile, and possessor of fine form and strength.

38. One who does not have children should accept upon himself (to go into) exile.

39. One who goes down into his fellow's business (i.e. begins to compete with him) is as if he committed adultery with his friend's wife.

40. When a man is delivered into the hands of his enemies, it is as if he lost his children.

41. Someone who had sexual relations with a Kutaite woman (this was a large group that converted to Judaism, but in reality kept serving idolatry) or a male, or had idolatrous contemplations, will not have a son who is a Torah scholar, and if his son does learn Torah, he will be forgetful.

42. Good children are a great healing to their fathers.

43. Through falsehood, the children die.

44. One who does not separate from his wife in anticipation of her days of impurity, even if he should have children like those of Aharon, they will die. (In contrast,) one who does separate from his wife at that time, he will have sons who are fitting to be legal deciders.

45. One who does havdalah on wine at the closing of the Shabbat will have male children who are fitting to be legal deciders.

46. One who sanctifies himself in marital relations through conducting himself modestly will have sons.

47. One should be very careful that one's child is not nursed by an evil woman. For milk contaminates and milk purifies.

48. (Bathing in) hot water and (anointing one's self with) oil give health to the fetus.

49. One who does not hold himself back from urinating, his prayers on behalf of his children will be heard.

50. The fetus develops according to the form of the father and mother.

51. Bad mannerism in a person's house is worse than the War of Gog and Magog (a war of immense proportions that, according to prophecy, will take place right before the Redemption).

52. One should come to synagogue early and stay late, and his children will have longevity (lit. his children’s days will be lengthened.)

53. One should not treat one son differently than his other sons.

54. Through Channukah and the candles of Shabbat, one will have sons who will be Torah scholars.

55. Whoever loves the sages will be given sons who become sages. Whoever honors sages is given sages as sons-in-law.

56. Through the sins of (not fulfilling) oaths, also for the sin desisting from Torah study, also for the sin of (faulty or lacking of) mezuzot, also for the sin of (faulty or lacking of) tzitzit, also for the sin of causeless hatred, children die when they are young.

57. One who gives ma’aser (tithe) of his money, his children are saved from the sickness of Samkah (“red”, also mentioned in the 2^nd part number 6, where the Yiddish word zidushin is provided).

58. Small children (lit. infants of the house of their rabbi), retribution is exacted upon them, for the (sins of the) generation.

59. Through (smelling) myrtle on Shabbat, one merits having children who will be Torah scholars.

60. A woman who miscarries her children, a segulah (spiritual benefit/protection) for this, is for her to bathe a bride the wedding ceremony.

61. According to how a man eats, so will be his sons and daughters.

62. One whose sons die should not have marital relations during the week, only from Shabbat to Shabbat.

63. The drawing of a bow on Lag b'Omer is a segulah (spiritual benefit) for children. Also, praying before the pulpit with melody is a segulah for children.

64. One must teach a child proper behavior (“derech eretz”) from a young age.

65. The songs and praises that are said before dawn are a segulah for children. It is also helpful for a woman deficient in her milk, and for an evil woman who is bad-tempered.

66. One who belittles himself before his rabbi by asking about all his doubts, even though his rabbi embarrasses him (for it) -- through this, he will merit to have a child who is greater in Torah than his rabbi.

67. One who accepts suffering with love will merit to have children who will live long.

68. The acts of G-d (lit. Hashem—the Name) follow after the name of a man, for a name has causative [power].

69. One who raises his voice in order to glorify himself, his children will be brought into captivity.

70. One who doesn't have children should [use] oil regularly.

71. - And sometimes one should uproot his dwelling, and his children will live.

72. Through pursuing peace, one saves his children from death and exile.

73. Someone who does something, and afterwards it becomes a stumbling block for others, good is denied to his children.

74. Sometimes, because of the great love between a man and his wife, she does not conceive.

75. Usually, when barren women conceive, they give birth to a son.

76. Through verbal abuse, children die.

77. A tzaddik possesses the power to curse a man, that his children will not be proper.

78. One who has the Tzaddik as a guest by him, is blessed with children.

79. One who longs to do a mitzvah (commandment or good deed), but does not merit to do it, through this (longing) he will merit having children who inherit his greatness, and eventually will do that mitzvah.

80. One who deprives someone's livelihood, his children will eventually die.

81. A magnet is a segulah (spiritual benefit) for children.

82. One's children die as a result of working with impure names, or sorcery, or believing in them.

83. When a man and his wife wash their hands and give charity before relations, through this they remove the spirit of impurity from the children they conceive.

84. There is woman who raise only girls and not boys.

85. Saying the scriptural passages about tzitzit with self sacrifice, and with great awe, and also clothing the naked, though this one merits one to have male children.

86. A year in which there is blessing (in the produce), this is an indication that the Jews will be fruitful and have many children.

87. A woman who deals in witchcraft, her children die and she becomes a widow.

88. A nursing woman who's milk is deficient, the segula for this (propitious act or charm) is for her husband to mourn over Jerusalem.

89. Violence (lit. beatings) comes upon one's sons through falsehood. Location can also be a cause.

90. One who gives joy to a bride and groom will merit that his wife will birth sons.

91. Also through being careful with candles (translator's note: see number 54), [one merits sons].

92. A year with abundant rain is a sign that in that year, many sons will be born.

93. A man and his wife who curse each other will not raise their children.

94. A segulah for raising children: Plant any type of crop, and when you harvest it, give it to the poor—do not benefit from it yourself.

95. One who casts excessive fear upon his generation, will not uphold wise (literally: wise of heart) children.

96. One who does not have mercy on his children, it is certain (known) that he does not possess a portion of (the) holy intelligence.

97. When he does not review his learning [and forgets it], through this the children die.

98. Through sexual immorality, one will not raise children.

99. The name Elo-kah (a name of G-d), gives protection to children.

100. One who strives to assure an income to people who seek G-d, will merit that his children not go off (develop, turn out) into bad ways.

101. Through faith in the tzaddikim, one's children live and prosper.

102. When a male child comes into the world, kindness comes to the world.

103. One who causes his father and mother pain will not merit to raise sons.

104. One who pursues peace, through this he will merit seeing his children’s children.

105. Breakage to a door or a window is a sign of weakness in one's children.

106. Contention is a bad sign for [having] children and peace is a good sign.

107. Children will be fools when their father is bad tempered.

108. Through respecting [your] father, you will merit having male children.