Pt2 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)
Danger of some sex positions; Recipe for aphrodisiac; 3 things Diminish Strength: fear; travel; sin; 3 actions Break the Body -- Doing while standing: eating; drinking; sex; 5 actions Bring Closer to
This is the second part of a three-part series. First part here.
The danger of some sex positions
A beraita taught that engaging in sexual intercourse in certain positions can lead to health issues:
Standing: causes spasms (עוית).
Sitting: causes a condition called dalarya (דלריא).
Woman on top: as previous, causes dalarya.
R’ Yehoshua ben Levi identified the remedy for dalarya as dardara (דרדרא), which Abaye clarified is "saffron of thorns" (מוריקא דחוחי).
Rav Pappa would chew and swallow this remedy, while Rav Pappi would chew and spit it out.
תנו רבנן:
המשמש מטתו מעומד – אוחזתו עוית;
מיושב – אוחזתו דלריא;
היא מלמעלה והוא מלמטה – אוחזתו דלריא.
מאי דלריא?
אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: סם דלריא – דרדרא.
מאי דרדרא?
אמר אביי: מוריקא דחוחי.
רב פפא אליס ובלע ליה.
רב פפי אליס ושדי ליה.
The Sages taught:
One who engages in sexual intercourse while standing will be afflicted by spasms.
One who engages in sexual intercourse while sitting will be afflicted with dalarya.
If she, the woman, is above and he, the husband, is below during sexual intercourse, then he will be afflicted with dalarya.
The Gemara asks: What is dalarya?
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The remedy for dalarya is dardara.
The Gemara asks: What is dardara?
Abaye said: Saffron of thorns.
Rav Pappa would chew [aleis] and swallow this remedy.
Rav Pappi would chew and spit it out.
Recipe for aphrodisiac
Abaye advises a remedy for “one who is not an expert in sex”:1
bring 3 vessels (קפיזי) of safflower thorns,
grind them,
boil them in wine,
and drink the mixture.
R’ Yoḥanan comments that this remedy indeed helps him feel youthful in terms of sexual vitality.
אמר אביי:
מי שאינו בקי בדרך ארץ,
ליתי שלשה קפיזי קורטמי דחוחי,
ונידוקינהו,
ונישלקינהו בחמרא
ונישתי.
אמר רבי יוחנן: הן הן החזירוני לנערותי.
Abaye says:
As a remedy for one who is not an expert, i.e., does not have strength, in the way of the world, i.e., in sexual intercourse,
let him bring three vessels [kefizei], each containing three-quarters of a log of safflower thorns.
And let him grind them,
and boil them in wine,
and drink the mixture.
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: These are the remedies that return me to my youth with regard to sexual intercourse.
Lists of things that cause harm
The Talmud provides a number of lists of actions that impact a person's strength and well-being.
Three things Diminish Strength: fear; travel; sin
שלשה דברים מכחישים כחו של אדם, ואלו הן:
פחד,
דרך
ועון.
[...]
Three things diminish a person’s strength, and they are:
Fear,
traveling on the road,
and sin.
[...]
Three actions Break the Body -- Doing while standing: eating; drinking; sex
שלשה דברים מתיזין גופו של אדם, ואלו הן:
אכל מעומד,
ושתה מעומד,
ושימש מטתו מעומד.
Three things break a person’s body, and they are:
If he ate while standing,
if he drank while standing,
and if he engaged in sexual intercourse while standing.
Five actions Bring Closer to Death: Standing up immediately after: eating; drinking; bloodletting; sleeping; sex
חמשה קרובין למיתה יותר מן החיים, ואלו הן:
אכל ועמד,
שתה ועמד,
הקיז דם ועמד,
ישן ועמד,
שימש מטתו ועמד.
There are five actions that bring one closer to death than to life, and they are:
If he ate and stood up immediately,
if he drank and stood up immediately,
if he let blood and stood up immediately,
if he slept and stood up immediately,
and if he engaged in sexual intercourse and stood up immediately.
Meaning, an aphrodisiac:
An aphrodisiac is a substance alleged to increase libido, sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. These substances range from a variety of plants, spices and foods to synthetic chemicals.