Pt2 From Kohl to Lime: A Talmudic Discussion of Cosmetics and Hair Removal (Moed Katan 9b)
This is the second and final part of a two-part series. The first part is here, the outline can be found there.
R' Yehuda’s Restriction on Lime as a Depilatory
R' Yehuda restricts the application of lime (תסוד) on Festivals because it in fact makes her look ugly (ניוול).1
He allows lime that can be peeled off during the Festival, as the initial discomfort is balanced by the joy of improved appearance afterward.
רבי יהודה אומר: לא תסוד.
תניא,
רבי יהודה אומר: אשה לא תסוד, מפני שניוול הוא לה.
ומודה רבי יהודה בסיד שיכולה לקפלו במועד, שטופלתו במועד.
שאף על פי שמצירה היא עכשיו — שמחה היא לאחר זמן.
[...]
It was taught in the mishna that R' Yehuda says: She may not apply lime to her skin because it renders her temporarily unattractive and she will be distressed during the Festival.
It is taught in a baraita:
R' Yehuda says: A woman may not apply lime to her skin on the intermediate days of a Festival because it is temporarily a disgrace to her, as she appears unattractive until it is peeled off.
But R' Yehuda concedes that with regard to lime that she can peel off during the Festival, she may apply it on the intermediate days of the Festival,
as even though she is distressed now, as the lime renders her appearance unattractive, she will be happy afterward, when the lime is removed and she sees the results.
[...]
Depilatory Treatments for Young Jewish Girls
Rav Yehuda describes how pubescent girls2 remove their newly-grown body hair based on socio-economic status:
Poor girls use (טופלות) lime
Wealthier girls use fine flour (סולת)
Elite girls3 use oil of myrrh (שמן המור), as in Esther’s beautification, as described in the Book of Esther.
The Talmud explains "shemen hamor" as a perfume or special olive oil:
Rav Huna bar Ḥiyya (רב הונא בר חייא): Identifies it as (the Greek) “stakte”.4
Rav Yirmeya bar Ami: Describes it as oil from immature (“not yet reached one-third” of its growth) olives.
R' Yehuda mentions “anphikinon”5 as olive oil from unripe olives, known to remove (משיר) hair and soften (מעדן) skin.6
אמר רב יהודה:
בנות ישראל שהגיעו לפירקן, ולא הגיעו לשנים,
עניות -- טופלות אותן בסיד,
עשירות -- טופלות אותן בסולת,
בנות מלכים -- בשמן המור, שנאמר: ״ששה חדשים בשמן המור״.
מאי ״שמן המור״?
רב הונא בר חייא אמר: סטכת,
רב ירמיה בר אמי אמר: שמן זית שלא הביא שליש.
תניא,
רבי יהודה אומר:
אנפיקינון — שמן זית שלא הביא שליש.
ולמה סכין אותו?
שמשיר את השער, ומעדן את הבשר.
With regard to applying lime to one’s body, Rav Yehuda said:
The daughters of Israel who reached physical maturity, but had not yet reached the age of majority, i.e., girls that were less than twelve years of age, and therefore embarrassed by their precocious physical development, would seek to remove the excess hair from their bodies.
The poor among them would smear their skin with lime in order to remove the hair.
The wealthy ones would smear themselves with fine flour for this purpose,
and the daughters of kings would smear themselves with shemen hamor. As it is stated with regard to the women who were brought to King Ahasuerus: “Six months with shemen hamor” (Esther 2:12).
The Gemara asks: What is shemen hamor?
Rav Huna bar Ḥiyya said: This is the perfume called setaket.
Rav Yirmeya bar Ami said: It is olive oil extracted from an olive that has not yet reached one-third of its growth; the acidic oil is effective as a depilatory.
It is taught in a baraita that
R' Yehuda says:
Wherever the Mishna mentions anpikinon, it is referring to olive oil from an olive that has not yet reached one-third of its growth.
And why do women spread it on the body?
It is due to the fact that it removes the hair and pampers the skin.
Rav Beivai’s Application of Depilatory Lime on His Daughter, the Danger of Applying Too Rapidly, and the effect of regularly drinking beer on body hair growth
Rav Beivai (רב ביבי) applied (טפלה) lime to his daughter gradually (as a depilatory), covering her limb-by-limb (אבר אבר), thus enhancing her beauty, allowing him to secure a large dowry of 400 dinarii (זוזי).
A non-Jewish neighbor, inspired by Rav Beivai’s example, attempted applying lime on his daughter all at once (בחד זמנא), causing her death. The non-Jew consequently accused Rav Beivai of “killing his daughter”, since the non-Jew had done this due to his influence.
Rav Naḥman notes that beer (שיכרא) drinkers, like Rav Beivai, require this treatment for their daughters, while others do not due to less hair growth.7
רב ביבי הוה ליה ברתא,
טפלה אבר אבר.
שקל בה ארבע מאה זוזי.
הוה ההוא גוי בשבבותיה, דהוה ליה ברתא.
טפלה בחד זמנא,
ומתה,
אמר: קטלה ביבי לברתי.
אמר רב נחמן:
רב ביבי דשתי שיכרא — בעיין בנתיה טפלא,
אנן דלא שתינן שיכרא — לא בעיין בנתין טפלא.
It was related that Rav Beivai had a daughter,
and he spread lime on her limb by limb, which caused her hair to fall out and her skin to whiten.
She became so beautiful that when marrying her off, he took four hundred dinars for her.
There was a certain gentile in his neighborhood who also had a daughter and wanted to do this as well.
He spread her entire body with lime all at once,
and she died.
That gentile said: Beivai killed my daughter.
Rav Naḥman said:
Rav Beivai, who regularly drinks beer, his daughters require that they be smeared with lime, as beer causes hair growth,
but we who do not drink beer, our daughters do not require that they be smeared with lime, as they have little hair even without this treatment.
Compare Mishnah_Shabbat.8.4:
סיד, כדי לסוד קטנה שבבנות
The measure that determines liability for carrying out lime is equivalent to that which is used to spread as a depilatory on the smallest of girls.
And see Hair removal - Wikipedia > “History”
In ancient times, one highly abrasive depilatory paste consisted of an admixture of slaked lime, water, wood-ash and yellow orpiment (arsenic trisulfide); In rural India and Iran, where this mixture is called vajibt, it is still commonly used to remove pubic hair.
הגיעו לפירקן, ולא הגיעו לשנים - literally: “who reached their ‘time’ (i.e. puberty), but had not yet reached ‘years’ (i.e. the age of majority)”.
בנות מלכים - literally: “daughters of royalty”
אנפיקינון.
“(ὀμφάκινον [omphakinon. E.B. see “omphákinos”: “made from unripe grapes/olives”], sub. Ἔλαιον [élaion = “olive oil”]) oil made of unripe olives.” ὀμφάκιον (omphakion) is derived from ὀμφάκη (omphake), meaning "unripe fruit"
This Talmudic passage is cited in Wikipedia, “Hair removal”, quoted earlier:
In other cultures, oil extracted from unripe olives (which had not reached one-third of their natural stage of ripeness) was used to remove body hair.
On differences between Babylonian Jewish communities on their alcohol consumption, especially as it relates to women, compare my piece “Wine, Women, and Widowhood: A Talmudic Exploration of Behavior and Stipends (Ketubot 65a)“, section “The “Tale of Rava and the Renowned Femme Fatale Homa”, on Abaye’s widow Homa:
פסוק לי חמרא!
אמר ליה: ידענא ביה בנחמני, דלא הוה שתי חמרא.
אמרה ליה: חיי דמר, דהוה משקי לי בשופרזי כי האי.
[Homa] subsequently said to him: Apportion wine for me as well.
Rava said to her: I know that Naḥmani, i.e., Abaye, did not drink wine. Since you were not accustomed to drinking wine during your husband’s lifetime, you are not entitled to it after his death.
She said to him: By the Master’s life, this is not correct. In fact, he would give me wine to drink in cups [shufrazei] as large as this. She gestured with her hands to show how large the cups were.
And the next section, “Rav Neḥemya's Ruling: Citing Local Custom in Providing Wine as Sustenance”:
דביתהו דרב יוסף בריה דרבא, אתאי לקמיה דרב נחמיה בריה דרב יוסף.
אמרה ליה:
פסוק לי מזוני! פסק לה.
פסוק לי חמרא! פסק לה.
אמר לה: ידענא בהו בבני מחוזא דשתו חמרא.
The Gemara relates a similar incident: The wife of Rav Yosef, son of Rava, came before Rav Neḥemya, son of Rav Yosef, for judgment.
She said to him:
Apportion sustenance for me. Rav Neḥemya apportioned a certain amount of sustenance for her.
She said to him: Apportion wine for me as well. He apportioned wine for her.
He said to her: I know that the residents of Meḥoza are accustomed to drinking wine, and therefore you, too, are entitled to wine.