Pt1 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)

More causes of weakness -- Lets blood, and then has sex; Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom; Appendix - Maternal Influences During Pregnancy on Children's Physical Traits (Ketubot 60b-61a)

This is the first part of a three-part series. Outline is below.

See also my previous pieces on sex in the Talmud, here, here, here, here, and here.

Intro

This sugya is found at the end of the very lengthy talmudic sugya of remedies (Gittin 67b-70b — roughly seven pages), that starts with explaining the Greek term kordeyakos (קורדייקוס) used in the mishna.¹

The Passage

Gittin.70a.14-70b.2

Outline

1. More causes of weakness (ויתק)

   1. Lets blood, and then has sex

   2. Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom

2. Appendix - Maternal Influences During Pregnancy on Children's Physical Traits: A List of Fourteen Items (Ketubot 60b-61a)

3. The danger of some sex positions

4. Advice for sexual vitality

5. Lists of things that cause harm

6. Three things Diminish Strength: fear; travel; sin

7. Three actions Break the Body -- Doing while standing: eating; drinking; sex

8. Five actions Bring Closer to Death: Standing up immediately after: eating; drinking; bloodletting; sleeping; sex

9. Series of Six actions that will cause Immediate Death: return from travel, let blood, bathe, get drunk, sleep on floor, have sex

10. Eight actions are difficult in large amounts: travel; sex; wealth; work; wine; sleep; hot water; bloodletting

11. Eight actions or illnesses decrease the semen: salt; hunger; netek; crying; sleeping on the ground; gudg’daniyot; unripe dodder; bloodletting on the lower portion of the body

More causes of weakness (ויתק)

Lets blood, and then has sex

A beraita teaches that if a person lets blood (הקיז דם) and then engages in sexual intercourse, the children conceived from that act will be weak. 

If both husband and wife let blood and then engage in intercourse, their children may be afflicted with a disease known as ra’atan.²

תנו רבנן: 

הקיז דם, ושימש מטתו –

הוויין לו בנים ויתקין. 

הקיזו שניהם, ושימשו –

הוויין להן בנים בעלי ראתן.

[…]

The Sages taught: 

One who let blood and afterward engaged in sexual intercourse

has weak children conceived from those acts of intercourse. 

If both of them, husband and wife, let blood and engaged in sexual intercourse

they will have children afflicted with a disease known as ra’atan. 

[…]

Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom

Rabba bar Rav Huna states that engaging in sexual intercourse immediately after returning from a journey results in children who are weak (ויתקין). 

Additionally, a beraita taught that after coming from the bathroom, one should wait the time it takes to walk half a mil (מיל) before engaging in intercourse, as the demon (שד) of the bathroom accompanies them. Failing to wait results in having children who have epilepsy (נכפים).

אמר רבה בר רב הונא:

בא מן הדרך ושימש מטתו –

הוויין לו בנים ויתקין. 

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. 

Rabba bar Rav Huna says: One who came back from traveling on the road and engaged in sexual intercourse immediately has weak children conceived from those acts of intercourse. 

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.

Appendix - Maternal Influences During Pregnancy on Children's Physical Traits: A List of Fourteen Items (Ketubot 60b-61a)

Ketubot.60b.15-61a.1

1. Mother has sex (משמשא) in a mill → Epileptic (נכפי) children.

2. Sex on the ground → Long-necked (שמוטי) children.

3. Stepping on donkey dung while pregnant → Bald (גירדני) children.

4. Eating mustard → Gluttonous (זלזלני) children.

5. Eating garden cress (תחלי) → Tearful (דולפני) children.

6. Eating fish brine (מוניני) → Children with blinking (מציצי) eyes.

7. Eating soil → Ugly (מכוערי) children.

8. Drinking beer (שיכרא) → Dark (אוכמי) children.

9. Eating meat and drinking wine → Healthy (בריי) children.

10. Eating eggs → Large-eyed (עינני) children.

11. Eating fish (כוורי) → Graceful (חינני) children.

12. Eating celery (כרפסא) → Beautiful (זיותני) children.

13. Eating coriander (כוסברתא) → Fat (בישרני) children.

14. Eating citrons → Fragrant (ריחני) children.

Regarding the final item, the daughter of King Shapur was said to be placed among spices because her mother ate citrons (אתרוגא - etrog) during pregnancy, making her naturally fragrant.³

1. דמשמשא בי ריחיא — הוו לה בני נכפי.

2. דמשמשא על ארעא — הוו לה בני שמוטי.

3. דדרכא על (רמא) [דמא] דחמרא — הוו לה בני גירדני.

4. דאכלה חרדלא — הוו לה בני זלזלני.

5. דאכלה תחלי — הוו לה בני דולפני.

6. דאכלה מוניני — הוו לה בני מציצי עינא.

7. דאכלה גרגושתא — הוו לה בני מכוערי.

8. דשתיא שיכרא — הוו לה בני אוכמי.

9. דאכלה בישרא ושתיא חמרא — הוו לה בני בריי.

10. דאכלה ביעי — הוו לה בני עינני.

11. דאכלה כוורי — הוו לה בני חינני.

12. דאכלה כרפסא — הוו לה בני זיותני.

13. דאכלה כוסברתא — הוו לה בני בישרני.

14. דאכלה אתרוגא — הוו לה בני ריחני.

ברתיה דשבור מלכא אכלה בה אמה אתרוגא,

והוו מסקי לה לקמיה אבוה בריש ריחני.

The Gemara cites other possible consequences of a mother’s behavior that could affect her children:

1. A woman who engages in intercourse in a mill will have epileptic children;

2. one who engages in intercourse on the ground will have long-necked children;

3. one who steps on a donkey’s dung when pregnant will have bald children;

4. one who eats mustard during pregnancy will have gluttonous children;

5. one who eats garden cress [taḥlei] will have tearful children;

6. one who eats fish brine [moninei] will have children with blinking eyes;

7. one who eats soil will have ugly children;

8. one who drinks intoxicating liquor will have black children;

9. one who eats meat and drinks wine during pregnancy will have children who are healthy;

10. one who eats eggs will have large-eyed children;

11. one who eats fish will have graceful children;

12. one who eats celery will have beautiful children;

13. one who eats coriander [kusbarta] will have corpulent children;

14. and one who eats etrogim will have sweet-smelling children.

It is related with regard to the daughter of King Shapur of Persia, that her mother ate etrogim while pregnant with her

and they used to place her in front of her father on top of all the spices, as she was so fragrant.

1. I plan on discussing that whole sugya separately.

2. ראתן - Jastrow: “[nervous trembling,] a certain skin disease attended with extreme weakness”.

3. This passage links maternal behaviors and dietary habits during pregnancy to specific traits in offspring. The passage reflects classical conceptions of prenatal influence.

The majority (the final 10 items out of the 14: items #4-14) related to the mother’s diet while pregnant.

Compare Wikipedia, “Prenatal nutrition“:

Prenatal nutrition addresses nutrient recommendations before and during pregnancy. Nutrition and weight management before and during pregnancy has a profound effect on the development of infants.

This is a rather critical time for healthy development since infants rely heavily on maternal stores and nutrient for optimal growth and health outcome later in life.

Prenatal nutrition has a strong influence on birth weight and further development of the infant […]

The "Barker Hypothesis", or Thrifty phenotype, states that conditions during pregnancy will have long-term effects on adult health. Associated risk of lifelong diseases includes cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.