How could the people have been happy after the Chanukas Habayis because their wives gave birth to boys-they would not have known that immediately on Shmini Atzeres?
Good question! The Gemara does not actually say that they were "happy" about their wives giving birth to boys. The Gemara says that they were "happy" about coming home and finding their wives Tahor. Rather, the Gemara says that they were "Tuvei Lev" (lit. "of good heart") about their wives giving birth to boys. The verse splits the two because, as you point out, it was not possible for them to be happy right away about their wives giving birth to boys, since they could not have known that their wives conceived boys so soon. Rather, the verse means that they Shlomo ha'Melech sent them home so that they would become Tuvei Lev at a later time (nine months later), when their wives would give birth to boys.
If you have any other approach, let us know.
Mordecai
Perhaps the minhag mentioned by the Mateh Ephraim of women biting off the Pitam of an esrog as a tried and tested segula for having a boy was already known at the time of Shlomo HaMelech, hence they already Knew they'd have boys. (Rav Soloveitchik ZT"L explains that this is a Halachically valid Minhag based on the concept of expressing the appropriate time of eating the Essrog-Eitz HaDaas after waiting until it's allowable as a correction of Chava's premature consumption of the Essrog. This also invalidates the christian interpretation of the Eitz HaDaas as an apple)
Perhaps they knew that the women were Mazria first, as the Loshon Hagimoroh is hat the gladness of heart was "Nisabroh Ishtoi Bben Zachar" not Sheholida Ben
Zachar (as is the Girsoh in Breishis Rabboh 35, however the Girsah in Shabbos
30a is "Shenisabru Nshoseihen...Veyalda Zachar, perhaps there the Teitch is
that the simcha was as soon as Nisabru, when it was a Zachar another level of
Simcha came).
According to the Gemarah in Berachos they would have known about their wives
giving birth to boys depending on Isha Ki Sazria Veyaldah Zachor. Isha Mazraas Techila Yoledes Zachor. That they would have known immediately.
I heard this one from Rabbi Glodberg from Minneappolis. We know that when the woman is mazria first, she concieves a boy. After coming from Chanukas Habais, the men were on a high level and were able to please their wives first. They therefore knew that they will have boys right away.
I guess you could explain it based on the Chazal (Niddah 31a) that when the
"woman gives forth seed first" the child born will be a male. Perhaps the
idea of being "Tuvei Lev" was that the husbands were generous of heart in
their relations with their wives so that the wives... were "the first to give forth seed". The interpretation might be "as a result of the husbands being good hearted, their wives conceived males".
Dear Dr. Levin,
Please tell Rabbi Glodberg (? Goldberg), that the added point that they were on a high level and were able to please their wives first, is beutiful, and explains why the word "Smeichim" which the Gemara explains that Neh'nu mZiv Hashchina, is placed between "Oholeihem" which refers to wife being Tahor (akin to Shuvu Lochem Loholeichem, Dvorim 5:27), and "Tovei Leiv" as Davka the "Smeichim" assured the "Tovei Leiv".
Yemei Chanukah Mei'rim,
Yitzchok Zirkind