Pt1 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)
More causes of weakness (ויתק) -- Lets blood, and then has sex; Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom
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
Outline
More causes of weakness (ויתק)
Lets blood, and then has sex
Sex right after: a journey; using the bathroom
The danger of some sex positions
Advice for sexual vitality
Lists of things that cause harm
Three things Diminish Strength: fear; travel; sin
Three actions Break the Body -- Doing while standing: eating; drinking; sex
Five actions Bring Closer to Death: Standing up immediately after: eating; drinking; bloodletting; sleeping; sex
Series of Six actions that will cause Immediate Death: return from travel, let blood, bathe, get drunk, sleep on floor, have sex
Eight actions are difficult in large amounts: travel; sex; wealth; work; wine; sleep; hot water; bloodletting
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
Rav Pappa clarified that this concern only applies if the person did not eat anything after letting blood. If they ate something, there is no problem.
תנו רבנן:
הקיז דם, ושימש מטתו – הוויין לו בנים ויתקין.
הקיזו שניהם, ושימשו – הוויין להן בנים בעלי ראתן.
אמר רב פפא: לא אמרן אלא דלא טעים מידי, אבל טעים מידי – לית לן בה.
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.
Rav Pappa said: We said this only if he did not taste anything after letting blood. But if he tasted something then we have no problem with it.
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.
I plan on discussing that whole sugya separately.