The Jerusalem Talmud
משנה: הַמַּפֶּלֶת שְׁפִיר מָלֵא מַיִם מָלֵא דָם מָלֵא גְנִינִים אֵינָהּ חוֹשֶׁשֶׁת לַוְולָד. וְאִם הָיָה מְרוּקָם תֵּשֵׁב לַזָּכָר וְלַנְּקֵיבָה.
MISHNAH: If a woman miscarried an amnion full of water, or blood, or flakes, she does not have to consider this as a child. But if it showed tissue she has to observe for male and female birth.
הלכה: הַמַּפֶּלֶת שְׁפִיר מָלֵא מַיִם כול׳. תַּנֵּי. מָלֵא מַיִם טְמֵיאָה לֵידָה. מָלֵא דָם טְמֵיאָה נִידָּה. מָלֵא בָשָׂר טְמֵיאָה נִידָּה. וְהָא תַנִּינָן. הַמַּפֶּלֶת שְׁפִיר מָלֵא מַיִם מָלֵא דָם מָלֵא גְנִינִים אֵינָהּ חוֹשֶׁשֶׁת לַוְולָד. רִבִּי בֵּיבַי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ. מַתְנִיתָא בִצְלוּלִין. בָּרְיָיתָא בָּעֲכוּרִין. רִבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. וַאֲפִילוּ צְלוּלִין. שֶׁאֵין שְׁפִיר אֶלָּא בָאָדָם בִלְבַד. הָדָא הִיא דִכְתִיב בְּשׂוּמִי עָנָן לְבוּשׁוֹ וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתוּלָתוֹ. לְבוּשׁוֹ זֶה הַשְּׁפִיר. וַעֲרָפֶל חֲתוּלָתוֹ זוֹ הַשִּׁילְיָא.
HALAKHAH: “If a woman miscarried an amnion full of water,” etc. It was stated: Full of water, she is impure for a birth; full of blood, she is impure as menstruating; full of flesh, she is impure as menstruating. But did we not state: “If a woman miscarried an amnion full of water, or blood, or flakes, she does not have to consider this as a child”? Rebbi Bevai in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish: The Mishnah if [the contents are] clear; the baraita if [the contents are] turbid. Rebbi Simon in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi: Even if all was clear, since only humans have an amnion! That is what is written: “When I gave clouds as his garment and fog as his diapers.” “His garment” is the amnion, “and fog his diapers” that is the placenta.
שְׁפִיר שֶׁנִּתְקַלְקְלָה צוּרָתוֹ מָהוּ. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. וְולָד. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ אָמַר. אֵינוֹ וְולָד. מְתִיב רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ קוֹמֵי רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. מַה בֵינוֹ לְבֵין הַמֵּת שֶׁנִּסְרַח וְאֵין שִׁלְדּוֹ קַיֶימֶת. אָמַר לֵיהּ. תַּמָּן בְּדִין הָיָה אֲפִילוּ שִׁלְדּוֹ קַיֶימֶת יְהֵא טָהוֹר. וְלָמָּה אָמְרוּ. טָמֵא. מִפְּנֵי כְבוֹדוֹ. בְּרַם הָכָא וְולָד הוּא.
If an amnion’s shape was spoiled, what is the rule? Rebbi Joḥanan said, it is a child; Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, it is not a child. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish objected before Rebbi Joḥanan: What is the difference between this and a rotting corpse without a spine? He said to him, in the latter case it would have been correct that he should be pure even with his spine intact; why did they say, he is impure? That he should be treated with honor. But in our case it is a birth.
אֵי זֶהוּ שְׁפִיר מְרוּקָם שֶׁאָמְרוּ. כָּל שֶׁתְּחִילַּת בִּרְיָיתוֹ דוֹמֶה לְרָשׁוֹן. אֵין בּוֹדְקִין אוֹתוֹ בַּמַּיִם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן עַזִּין וְעוֹכְרִין אוֹתוֹ. אֶלָּא בַשֶׁמֶן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא מָתוּן וּמְזַגְזֵג. וְאֵין בּוֹדְקִין אוֹתוֹ אֶלָּא בַחַמָּה.
What is the amnion containing tissue which they referred to? Any which initially looks like a rāšôn. One does not check it in water, for water is a solvent and destroys it, but only in oil which is neutral and clears up; also one checks only in sunlight.
תַּנֵּי. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר. מִטִּיבּוּרוֹ אָדָם נוֹצַר וּמְשַׁלֵּחַ שָׁרָשִׁין מִיכָּן וּמִיכָּן. תַּנֵּי. רוֹאִין שְׁתֵּי עֵינָיו כְּמִין שְׁתֵּי טִיפִּין שֶׁלַּזְּבוּב. שְׁנֵי נְקוֹבֵי חוֹטְמוֹ כְּמִין שְׁתֵּי טִיפִּין שֶׁל זְּבוּב. פִּיו פָתוּחַ כִּשְׂעוֹרָה. רוֹאִין שְׁתֵּי יָדָיו כְּמִין שְׁתֵּי טִיפִּין שֶׁלַּזְּבוּב. טִיבּוּרוֹ כְּמִין טִיפָּה שֶׁל זְבוּב. גְּוִיָיתוֹ כְּטִיפָּה שֶׁלַּזְּבוּב. וְאִם הָיְתָה נְקֵיבָה גְּוִיָיתָהּ מָתוּחַ כִּשְׂעָרָה. תַּנֵי. רִבִּי יוֹנָתָן אוֹמֵר. רוֹאִין שְׁתֵּי זְרוֹעוֹתָיו כְּמִין שְׁנֵי חוּטִּין שֶׁל זְהוֹרִית וּשְׁאָר כָּל אֵיבָרָיו כְּמִין גּוֹלֶם מְצוּמָּתִים. וּפִיתּוּחַ יָדַיִם וְרַגְלַיִם אֵין לֹו אֲדַיִין. וְעָלָיו הוּא מְפוֹרָשׁ בַּקַּבָלָה גּוֹלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וְעַל סִפְרְךָ כּוּלָּם יִכָּתֵבוּ יָמִים יוּצָרוּ וְלֹא אֶחָד בָּהֶם.
It was stated: “Abba Shaul said, a human is created from his navel; from there is spreads its roots in all directions. It was stated: One sees his two eyes like two fly-blows, his two nose holes like two fly-blows, his mouth opened like a barley grain. One sees his two hands like two fly-blows, his navel like a fly-blow, his genital like a fly blow and if she is female, her genital spanned like a barley grain.” It was stated: Rebbi Jonathan says, one sees his two arms like two threads of crimson wool and his other limbs like compressed unformed material; he has not yet developed hands and feet. On that it is explained in the Bible: “My unformed body was seen by Your eyes, in Your ledger they are all written down, the days bundled before one of them was.”
רַב יְהוּדָה שָׁאַל לִשְׁמוּאֵל. בְּגִין דַאֲנָא חַכִּים מֵיחְמֵי סִימָנֵי שְׁפִיר. אָמַר לֵיהּ. רֵישֵׁיהּ דְּרֵישָׁךְ יְכַוֶוה בְרוֹתְחִין. וְאַתָּה לֹא תִיכְוֶה אֲפִילוּ בְפוֹשְׁרִין. רִבִּי חִיָיא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אִילֵּין נַשַּׁיָיא דְאָמְרָן. שִׁכְלוּלֵיהּ דָּכָר. שִׁכְלוּלָהּ נוּקְבָה. לֵית אֲנָן סָמְכִין עֲלֵיהוֹן. רִבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר זַבְדִּי רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. נֶאֱמֶנֶת אִשָּׁה לוֹמַר. יָלַדְתִּי וְלֹא יָלַדְתִּי. וְאֵינָהּ נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹמַר. דָּכָר הוּא. נוּקְבָה הִיא.
Rav Jehudah asked Samuel: Since I am learned, can I judge the signs of an amnion? He said to him, your head’s head can be scalded by boiling water, you should not be scalded even by lukewarm water. Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, we do not rely on women who say, its completion would have been male, its completion would have been female. Rebbi Jacon bar Zavdi, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: A woman is trustworthy if she said, I gave birth or I did not give birth. But she is not trustworthy if she says, it was male or it was female.