Pt2 Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)

Abaye's advice; R' Yishmael bar Yosei's advice to R' Yehuda HaNasi; R' Yosei bar Yehuda's advice to him; Candles, Sex, and Sleeping Arrangements That Cause Epilepsy; Agrat bat Maḥalat

This is the second part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here, the outline can be found there.

Abaye's advice: Avoid causes of leprosy: tanner’s hide, eating spring fish, fried fish leftovers, very hot water, eggshells, freshly washed garments

Abaye identifies six items—hide,¹ fish, a cup, hot water (חמין), eggs, and white lice—as causes of “other matter” (דבר אחר - a common talmudic euphemism for leprosy).

The Talmud interprets each item in Abaye’s list:

1. Hide: Sleeping (גני) on the hide (משכא) of a tanner (צלא)

2. Fish: Eating the shibuta (שיבוטא) fish during Nisan (i.e. springtime).

3. The Cup: Consuming leftovers of small fried fish (הרסנא).

4. Hot Water: Pouring excessively hot water² on oneself.

5. Eggs: Stepping on eggshells (קליפים).

6. White Lice: Wearing a freshly washed³ garment without waiting eight days, leading to the creation of lice.

All these actions are identified as causes of leprosy.⁴

אמר אביי:

1. עור,

2. דג,

3. וכוס,

4. חמין,

5. וביצים,

6. וכנים לבנים —

כולן קשין לדבר אחר.

1. עור — מאן דגני אמשכא דצלא.

2. דג — שיבוטא ביומי ניסן.

3. כוס — שיורי כסא דהרסנא.

4. חמין — חמימי דחמימי משדרו עילויה.

5. ביצים — מאן דמדרך אקליפים.

6. כינים לבנים — מאן דמחוור לבושיה, ולא נטיר ליה תמניא יומי, והדר לביש לה — בריין הנך כינים, וקשין לדבר אחר.

[...]

Abaye said:

1. Hide,

2. fish,

3. and a cup,

4. hot water,

5. and eggs,

6. and white lice

all cause the other matter, i.e., leprosy.

The Gemara elaborates:

1. Hide is referring to one who sleeps on a tanner’s hide before it has been tanned.

2. Fish is referring to the shibuta fish in the days of Nisan.

3. The cup is referring to one who eats the leftovers of small fried fish.

4. Hot water is referring to very hot water that one pours on himself.

5. Eggs means one who steps on eggshells.

6. White lice is referring to one who washes his garment but does not keep it for eight days before wearing it again, a habit which creates these lice. And all of these practices cause the other matter, leprosy.

[...]

R' Yishmael son of R' Yosei's advice to R' Yehuda HaNasi: Avoid blemishes (legal entanglements); avoid fraudulent offers; delay sex after nida purification until the second night

R' Yishmael son of R' Yosei instructed R' Yehuda HaNasi on three matters:

1. “Don’t inflict a blemish upon yourself”. The Talmud interprets this to mean: Avoid engaging in a court case against three people, as one can act as your formal opponent (בעל דינך ; i.e. the opposing legal party) and the other two may testify against you.

2. Don't express interest in an item for sale when you lack the means to buy it (as this is considered fraudulent).

3. After your wife immerses for nida purification, don’t have sex on the first night (i.e. wait until the next night).

שלשה דברים צוה רבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי את רבי:

[…]

1. אל תעש מום בעצמך.

   1. מאי היא? לא תיהוי לך דינא בהדי תלתא, דחד הוי בעל דינך ותרי סהדי.

2. ואל תעמוד על המקח בשעה שאין לך דמים.

3. אשתך טבלה — אל תזקק לה לילה הראשונה.

[...]

R' Yishmael, son of R' Yosei, commanded R' Yehuda HaNasi with regard to three matters.

[…]

1. The first matter is: Don't inflict a blemish upon yourself.

   1. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of that statement? The Gemara explains: Don't have a court case against three people, as one will be your opponent and two will act as witnesses and testify against you whatever they wish.

2. And Don't stand over and display interest in a purchase when you Don't have enough money even for the price you are offering, as this constitutes fraud.

3. The Gemara cites the third instruction that R' Yishmael, son of R' Yosei, commanded R' Yehuda HaNasi. After your wife has immersed, Don't engage in intimacy with her on the first night. Rather, wait an additional night.

[...]

R' Yosei son of R' Yehuda's advice to R' Yehuda HaNasi: Don’t go out alone at night; don’t stand naked before a candle; don’t enter a new bathhouse until it’s proven safe

The Talmud records three warnings given by R' Yosei son of R' Yehuda to R' Yehuda HaNasi:

1. Don’t go out alone at night

2. Don’t stand naked before a candle

3. Avoid entering a newly constructed bathhouse, as there’s a high risk of it collapsing.⁵

R' Yehoshua ben Levi interprets that a bathhouse is considered “new” (in the context of the advice of the final item in the list, #3, to avoid a “new” bathhouse) for twelve months. (At that point, enough time has passed without it collapsing, that it's no longer considered high risk.)

שלשה דברים צוה רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה את רבי:

1. אל תצא יחידי בלילה,

2. ואל תעמוד בפני הנר ערום,

3. ואל תכנס למרחץ חדש, שמא תפחת.

עד כמה?

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: עד שנים עשר חדש.

The Gemara continues: R' Yosei, son of R' Yehuda, commanded R' Yehuda HaNasi with regard to three matters:

1. Don't go out alone at night;

2. Don't stand naked before a candle;

3. and Don't enter a new bathhouse, lest it collapse when they light the fire beneath it.

The Gemara asks: Until when is a bathhouse considered new?

R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: Until twelve months have passed.

Candles, Sex, and Sleeping Arrangements That Cause Epilepsy

A baraita states that standing naked in front of a candle (#2 in the previous list of behaviors to avoid) causes epilepsy (נכפה) in the individual, while having sex by candlelight results in children conceived under such circumstances being epileptic.

Additionally, the baraita states that having a baby sleep in the same bed during sex leads to the child developing epilepsy.⁶

ואל תעמוד בפני הנר ערום,

דתניא:

העומד בפני הנר ערום — הוי נכפה.

והמשמש מטתו לאור הנר — הויין לו בנים נכפין.

תנו רבנן:

המשמש מטתו על מטה שתינוק ישן עליה — אותו תינוק נכפה.

[...]

With regard to the statement: And Don't stand naked before a candle,

the Gemara comments that this is as it was taught in a baraita:

One who stands naked before a candle will become epileptic,

and one who engages in intimacy by candlelight will have epileptic children.

Likewise, the Sages taught: One who engages in intimacy in a bed upon which a baby is sleeping, that child becomes epileptic.

[...]

Agrat bat Maḥalat and Successive Sages’ Banishment of Demons to the Outskirts of Towns

Re item #1 in the previous list of behaviors to avoid, a baraita elaborates, advising against going out alone on Tuesday and Friday nights due to the danger posed by the demon Agrat daughter of Maḥalat (אגרת בת מחלת) and her 180,000 destructive angels,⁷ who are especially active during these times.

Initially, these demons roamed daily, but Agrat encountered R' Ḥanina ben Dosa (c. 1st century CE), who decreed that she and her angels should no longer enter inhabited areas (יישוב), granting her activity only on Tuesday and Friday nights after her plea.

Similarly, she encountered Abaye (c. late 3rd century; also quoted earlier), who also decreed limitations on her movements.

Despite these decrees, demons are still seen near cities, particularly on paths (גזייתא) where their horses escape (שמטי) to, and the demons lead (דברי) them away, but they no longer enter populated areas.

אל תצא יחידי בלילה,

דתניא:

לא יצא יחידי בלילה,

לא בלילי רביעיות, ולא בלילי שבתות,

מפני שאגרת בת מחלת,

היא ושמונה עשרה רבוא של מלאכי חבלה יוצאין,

וכל אחד ואחד יש לו רשות לחבל בפני עצמו.

מעיקרא הוו שכיחי כולי יומא,

זמנא חדא, פגעה ברבי חנינא בן דוסא,

אמרה ליה: אי לאו דמכרזן עלך ברקיע: ״הזהרו בחנינא ובתורתו״ — סכנתיך.

אמר לה: אי חשיבנא ברקיע, גוזר אני עליך שלא תעבורי ביישוב לעולם.

אמרה ליה: במטותא מינך, שבק לי רווחא פורתא.

שבק לה לילי שבתות ולילי רביעיות.

ותו:

חדא זמנא, פגעה ביה באביי,

אמרה ליה: אי לאו דמכרזי עלך ברקיע: ״הזהרו בנחמני ובתורתו״ — הוה סכנתיך.

אמר לה: אי חשיבנא ברקיע, גוזרני עלייכי שלא תעבורי ביישוב לעולם.

הא קא חזינן דעברה?!

אמרי: הני גזייתא נינהו, דשמטי סוסיא, ואתו דברי להו.

With regard to the instruction: Don't go out alone at night,

the Gemara states that this is as it was taught in a baraita:

One should not go out alone at night,

neither on Tuesday nights nor on Shabbat nights, i.e., Friday nights,

because the demon Agrat, daughter of Maḥalat,

she and 180,000 angels of destruction go out at these times.

And as each and every one of them has permission to destroy by itself, they are all the more dangerous when they go forth together.

The Gemara states: Initially, these demons were present every day.

Once Agrat, daughter of Maḥalat, met R' Ḥanina ben Dosa

and said to him: Had they not announced about you in the Heavens: Be careful of Ḥanina and his Torah, I would have placed you in danger.

He said to her: If I am considered important in Heaven, I decree upon you that you should never travel through inhabited places.

She said to him: I beg you, leave me a little space.

He left for her Shabbat nights and Tuesday nights.

And furthermore,

once Agrat, daughter of Maḥalat met Abaye

and said to him: Had they not announced about you in the Heavens: Be careful of Naḥmani, Abaye, and his Torah, I would have placed you in danger.

He said to her: If I am considered important in Heaven, I decree upon you that you should never pass through inhabited places.

The Gemara asks: But we see that, notwithstanding these anecdotes, demons do pass through inhabited areas?!

The Sages say in explanation: These demons are found on the paths [gazyata] near the city, as horses belonging to the demons flee along those paths, and the demons come to lead them away. Generally, however, demons Don't enter inhabited places.

1. עור - literally: “skin”.

2. חמימי דחמימי - literally: “hot of the hot”; in linguistics, this is called reduplication: “ the root or stem of a word, part of that or the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change […] to indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, increase of size, added intensity, continuance”.

3. מחוור - literally: “whitened”.

4. The next section is Rav Pappa’s advice on cats and snakes, I elide that here, since I already discussed that in a previous piece, here, in a note.

5. תפחת. Regarding the danger of bathhouses, see also Berakhot.60a.23:

תנו רבנן:

הנכנס לבית המרחץ,

אומר:

״יהי רצון מלפניך, ה׳ אלהי

שתצילני מזה וכיוצא בו,

ואל יארע בי דבר קלקלה ועון.

ואם יארע בי דבר קלקלה ועון —

תהא מיתתי כפרה לכל עונותי״.

The Sages taught: One who enters a Roman bathhouse, where a fire burns beneath the pool of water used for bathing, and where there is the risk of collapse,

says:

May it be Your will, O Lord my God,

that you save me from this and similar matters,

and do not let ruin or iniquity befall me, and if ruin or iniquity does befall me,

let my death be atonement for all of my transgressions.

And ibid., sections # 26-27:

כי נפיק מאי אומר?

אמר רב אחא:

״מודה אני לפניך, ה׳

שהצלתני מן האור״.

רבי אבהו על לבי בני.

אפחית בי בני מתותיה,

אתרחיש ליה ניסא

קם על עמודא,

שזיב מאה וחד גברי בחד אבריה.

אמר: היינו דרב אחא.

Returning to the subject of the Roman bathhouse, the Gemara asks: When he emerges from the bathhouse, what does he say?

Rav Aḥa said:

I give thanks to You, Lord,

that You saved me from the fire.

The Gemara relates: Rabbi Abbahu entered a bathhouse

when the bathhouse floor collapsed beneath him

and a miracle transpired on his behalf:

He stood on a pillar

and saved one hundred and one men with one arm. He held one or two people in his arm, with others holding on them and so on, so that all were saved.

He said: This is confirmation of the statement of Rav Aḥa, who said that one should offer thanks upon leaving the bathhouse safely.

6. So two things are said here to cause children to have epilepsy:

• Having sex by candlelight

• Having a baby sleep in the same bed during sex

Compare my piece here (section “Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom“), were having sex immediately after defecating in the outhouse (בית הכסא) is said to casue the resulting child to have epilepsy, since “the outhouse demon (שד) accompanies him“:

תנו רבנן:

הבא מבית הכסא,

אל ישמש מטתו,

עד שישהה שיעור חצי מיל,

מפני ששד בית הכסא מלוה עמו;

ואם שימש – הוויין לו בנים נכפים.

The Sages taught:

With regard to one who comes in from the bathroom,

he should not engage in sexual intercourse

until he waits the measure of time it takes to walk half a mil

because the demon of the bathroom accompanies him.

And if he engaged in sexual intercourse without waiting this measure of time, he has children who are epileptic.

7. מלאכי חבלה - compare Destroying angel (Bible) - Wikipedia.