Pt2 Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)

Appendix - Foods That Harm a Nursing Mother's Milk (Ketubot 60b)

This is the second an final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here, the outline for the series can be found there.

List of Six Good Signs for the Sick: Sneezing, Sweating, Diarrhea, Nocturnal Emission, Sleep, and Dreams (Genesis 3:19; Job 3:13, 41:10; Isaiah 38:16, 51:14, 53:10)

Six signs of recovery:

1. Sneezing (עטוש)

2. Sweating (זיעה)

3. Diarrhea (שלשול)

4. Nocturnal emission¹

5. Sleep (שינה)

6. Dreams.²

ששה דברים סימן יפה לחולה,

אלו הן:

1. עטוש,

2. זיעה,

3. שלשול,

4. קרי,

5. ושינה,

6. וחלום.

1. עטוש — דכתיב: ״עטישותיו תהל אור״.

2. זיעה — דכתיב: ״בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם״.

3. שלשול — דכתיב: ״מהר צעה להפתח, ולא ימות לשחת״.

4. קרי — דכתיב: ״יראה זרע, יאריך ימים״.

5. שינה — דכתיב: ״ישנתי אז, ינוח לי״.

6. חלום — דכתיב: ״ותחלימני והחיני״.

Similarly: Six matters are good omens for the sick

They are:

1. Sneezing,

2. sweating,

3. diarrhea,

4. a seminal emission,

5. sleep,

6. and a dream.

These are all alluded to in Scripture:

1. Sneezing, as it is written: “His sneezes flash forth light” (Job 41:10), indicating that by means of a sneeze one comes to see the light of the world.

2. Sweat, as it is written: “In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread” (Genesis 3:19).

3. Diarrhea, as it is written: “He that is bent down shall speedily be loosed; and he shall not go down dying into the pit” (Isaiah 51:14).

4. A seminal emission, as it is written: “That he might see his seed, prolong his days” (Isaiah 53:10).

5. Sleep, as it is written: “I should have slept; then had I been at rest” (Job 3:13).

6. A dream, as it is written: “Wherefore You recover me [vataḥalimeni], and make me to live” (Isaiah 38:16); vataḥalimeni is interpreted as etymologically similar to ḥalom, dream.

List of Six/Seven Healing Foods

Seven foods with medicinal benefits:

1. Cabbage (כרוב)

2. Beets (תרדין)

3. Dried poley³

4. Stomach meat⁴

5. Hereth meat⁵

6. Diaphragm meat (יותרת הכבד)

7. Small fish

Additionally, re the final item, small fish: “they cause one’s entire body to flourish⁶ and become healthy”.⁷

ששה דברים מרפאין את החולה מחליו, ורפואתו רפואה,

אלו הן:

1. כרוב,

2. ותרדין,

3. וסיסין יבשין,

4. וקיבה,

5. והרת,

6. ויותרת הכבד.

7. ויש אומרים: אף דגים קטנים.

ולא עוד, אלא שדגים קטנים מפרין ומברין כל גופו של אדם.

Similarly: Six matters cure a sick person from his illness, and their cure is an effective cure.

They are:

1. Cabbage,

2. beets,

3. dried foley, a medicinal plant,

4. the stomach,

5. the placenta,

6. and the diaphragm of an animal.

7. Some say that small fish also possess these qualities.

Furthermore, small fish cause one’s entire body to flourish and become healthy.

List of Ten/Twelve Relapse Triggers

Twelve factors that cause relapse to sickness (all are food items, besides for two: haircut (item #6) and bathing (#10)):

1. Ox meat

2. Fatty meat

3. Roasted meat

4. Poultry

5. Roasted egg

6. Haircut (תגלחת)

7. Cress (שחלים)

8. Milk

9. Cheese

10. Bathing (מרחץ)

11. Nuts (אגוזים)

12. Cucumbers (קשואים)

עשרה דברים מחזירין את החולה לחליו, וחליו קשה,

אלו הן:

1. האוכל בשר שור,

2. בשר שמן,

3. בשר צלי,

4. בשר צפרים,

5. וביצה צלויה,

6. ותגלחת,

7. ושחלים,

8. והחלב,

9. והגבינה

10. והמרחץ.

11. ויש אומרים: אף אגוזים.

12. ויש אומרים: אף קשואים.

In contrast, there are ten matters that cause a sick person who has recovered to suffer a relapse of his illness, and his illness is even more severe,

and they are:

1. Eating ox meat,

2. eating fatty meat in general,

3. eating roasted meat,

4. eating poultry,

5. eating a roasted egg,

6. shaving,

7. eating cress,

8. drinking milk,

9. eating cheese,

10. and bathing in a bathhouse.

11. And some say eating nuts,

12. and some say even eating cucumbers.

Harmfulness of cucumbers

The school of R’ Yishmael (בי רבי ישמעאל) taught that cucumbers (קשואים - kishu’im) are named as such because they are as harmful (קשין - kashim) to the body as swords (חרבות).

תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל:

למה נקרא שמן קשואים?

מפני שהן קשין לגוף כחרבות.

[...]

It was taught in the school of R’ Yishmael:

Why are they called cucumbers [kishu’im]?

Because they are as harmful [kashim] to the body as swords.

[...]

Omens and Symbolism: List of Three Interpretations of Death and Household Events

The Talmud quotes a baraita that states (my translation):⁸

1. [If someone] died⁹ in the house — [it is an omen of] peace in the house.

2. [If someone] ate and drank in the house — [it is a] good omen¹⁰ for the house.

3. [If someone] takes vessels from the house — [it is a] bad omen for the house.

Rav Pappa interpreted [“vessels” as referring specifically] to shoes (מסאנא) and sandals [, as follows]:

• Anything that a corpse (שכבא) takes (שקיל) [from the house] is beneficial,¹¹ except for shoes and sandals.

• Anything that a corpse gives (יהיב) is beneficial, except for dirt and mustard.

תנו רבנן:

1. מת בבית — שלום בבית.

2. אכל ושתה בבית — סימן יפה לבית.

3. נטל כלים מן הבית — סימן רע לבית.

תרגמה רב פפא: במסאנא וסנדלא.

1. כל דשקיל שכבא — מעלי, בר ממסאנא וסנדלא.

2. כל דיהיב שכבא — מעלי, בר מעפרא וחרדלא.

With regard to dreams, the Sages taught:

1. One who dreams that he sees a corpse in his house, it is a sign of peace in his house.

2. If the corpse ate and drank in the house, it is good omen for the house.

3. If the corpse removed vessels from the house, it is a bad omen for the house, as it suggests that the corpse is taking someone from the house with him.

Rav Pappa explained this only if the dream was with regard to a shoe and a sandal, as that indicates that someone from the house is going to embark on a long journey.

As the Sages said:

1. Everything that a corpse takes in a dream is a good omen except a shoe and a sandal;

2. everything that a corpse gives in a dream is a good omen except dust and mustard, which looks like dust, as they portend burial.

Appendix - Foods That Harm a Nursing Mother's Milk (Ketubot 60b)

Ketubot.60b.14¹²

A baraita prohibits a breastfeeding mother from eating “bad things" (דברים הרעים - i.e. foods harmful to her milk). The Talmud asks which foods these are, and various rabbis list what they believe are harmful for breastmilk:

1. Rav Kahana’s examples: hops (כשות), green grain sprouts (חזיז), small fish, and dirt (אדמה);

2. Abaye: also squash (קרא) and quince (חבושא);

3. Rav Pappa: also palm branches (קורא) and unripe dates (כופרא);

4. Rav Ashi: also kutaḥ (כמכא) and small fried fish (הרסנא).

The Talmud adds that some of these foods cause milk to “cease” (פסקי - i.e. dry up), while others spoil (עכרי) it.

לא תאכל עמו דברים הרעים.

מאי נינהו?

1. אמר רב כהנא:

   1. כגון

      1. כשות

      2. וחזיז

      3. ודגים קטנים

      4. ואדמה.

2. אביי אמר:

   1. אפילו

      1. קרא

      2. וחבושא.

3. רב פפא אמר:

   1. אפילו

      1. קורא

      2. וכופרא.

4. רב אשי אמר:

   1. אפילו

      1. כמכא

      2. והרסנא.

מינייהו פסקי חלבא, מינייהו עכרי חלבא.

The baraita said: She may not eat together with him things that are bad for her milk.

The Gemara asks: What are these foods that are detrimental for milk?

1. Rav Kahana said: For example, hops; and young, green grain sprouts; small fish; and soil.

2. Abaye said: Even pumpkin and quince.

3. Rav Pappa said: Even pumpkin and palm branches with small, unripe dates.

4. Rav Ashi said: Even kutaḥ [kamka] and small fried fish.

All these items are bad, as some cause milk to dry up and some cause milk to spoil.

1. קרי - keri.

2. Analysis:

Organizational Structure:

The text follows a clear pattern: it presents a list of six physical conditions, then systematically connects each to a biblical verse as supporting evidence

The Six Signs:

1. Sneezing: Interpreted from Job as bringing "light," suggesting recovery or renewed vitality

2. Sweating: Connected to the fundamental curse/blessing of work from Genesis, implying return to normal bodily function

3. Diarrhea: Linked to Isaiah's imagery (Isaiah 51:14) of someone “bent” (צעה) being "loosed" (להפתח), suggesting the body purging illness. There may also be an implied wordplay of tzo’ah (צעה) - “bent” and tzo’ah (צואה) - “defecation”.

4. Seminal emission: Associated with continuity and longevity through Isaiah

5. Sleep: Connected to Job's description of rest as restorative

6. Dreams: Derived through wordplay in Hebrew between "recover" (vataḥalimeni) and "dream" (ḥalom)

Medical Context:

• These symptoms are interpreted as signs of the body's natural healing processes

• Many align with modern understanding of how bodies fight illness:

  • Sweating can indicate fever breaking

  • Sleep is known to be crucial for recovery

  • Bodily emissions might suggest return of normal functions

3. סיסין; a medicinal plant. See Jastrow:

(cmp. סיסנא) Sisin, name of a medicinal plant (expl[ained] in Ar[ukh] a. Rashi polio or poliol) poley.

4. קיבה. Compare Wikipedia, “Tripe“:

Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep.

See also, Wikipedia, “Offal“:

Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal.

The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle […]

Some cultures strongly consider offal consumption to be taboo, while others use it as part of their everyday food or, in many instances, as delicacies.

Certain offal dishes—including foie gras and pâté—are often regarded as gourmet food in the culinary arts.

Others remain part of traditional regional cuisine and are consumed especially during holidays; some examples are sweetbread, Jewish chopped liver, Scottish haggis, U.S. chitterlings, and Mexican menudo.

On the other hand, intestines are traditionally used as casing for sausages.

5. הרת. See Jastrow:

*הרת f. (b[iblical h[ebrew], [see] Jer[emiah] 20[:17], womb of an animal [=uterus; Steinsaltz: placenta] […]

[Oth[er] opin[ion] sweet-bread [=thymus], pancreas; v. רתת.]

6. מפרין - literally: “be fruitful”. Presumably, based on the common association of fish with being fruitful. For example, in the biblical verse וידגו לרב.

7. מברין.

Compare the passage I quote in the Appendix at the end of the piece, which indicates that small fish are bad for a nursing mother.

8. Ed. Steinsaltz interprets all these events as dreams.

9. מת - Steinsaltz: “a corpse”. The Hebrew word met (מת) is ambiguous, as it can function either as a verb meaning “he died” or as a noun meaning “a dead man, a corpse.” In this context, the verb form seems more likely, given that the following two statements also begin with verbs:

• “Ate and drank in the house” (אכל ושתה בבית)

• “Removed vessels from the house” (נטל כלים מן הבית)

10. סימן - literally: “sign”, from Greek.

11. מעלי - i.e. is a good omen.

12. On the next part of this sugya, see my piece “Pt1 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)“, section “Appendix - Maternal Influences During Pregnancy on Children's Physical Traits: A List of Fourteen Items (Ketubot 60b-61a)“.