Three Talmudic Stories about the Righteous Community of Kefar Sekhanya of Egypt (Gittin 57a)
This Talmudic passage narrates three distinct yet thematically connected incidents in the community of Kefar Sekhanya of Egypt,1 involving sexual and marital sins and challenges. Overall, these narratives from the Talmud explore themes of righteousness, temptation, divine and social justice, and the consequences of both individual and communal actions.
Gittin.57a.14-20 (numbering mine):
Intro
רב מניומי בר חלקיה
ורב חלקיה בר טוביה
ורב הונא בר חייא
הוו יתבי גבי הדדי,
אמרי: אי איכא דשמיע ליה מילתא מכפר סכניא של מצרים, לימא.
The Gemara relates that
Rav Minyumi bar Ḥilkiya,
Rav Ḥilkiya bar Toviya,
and Rav Huna bar Ḥiyya
were once sitting together.
They said: If there is someone who has heard anything about Kefar Sekhanya of Egypt, which was in that region, let him relate it.
Story #1 - Endurance of Virtue Over Desire
The first story discusses a betrothed couple who were captured and forcibly married by gentiles. Despite living together, the man respected the woman's wishes not to consummate their marriage without a proper Jewish marriage contract, maintaining this discipline until his death. This tale highlights extraordinary self-control and fidelity, comparing the man’s continuous struggle to the biblical Joseph's brief encounter with Potiphar's wife.
פתח חד מינייהו ואמר:
מעשה בארוס וארוסתו שנשבו לבין הגוים, והשיאום זה לזה.
אמרה לו: ״בבקשה ממך, אל תגע בי, שאין לי כתובה ממך״,
ולא נגע בה עד יום מותו.
וכשמת, אמרה להן: סיפדו לזה, שפטפט ביצרו יותר מיוסף;
[...]
One of them began the discussion and said:
There was an incident involving a betrothed man and woman from there who were taken captive by gentiles and the latter married them off to each other.
The woman said to the man: Please do not touch me, as I do not have a marriage contract from you, and it is prohibited for us to live together without one.
And until the day of his death the man did not touch the woman.
And when he died without having touched her, the woman said to the Sages: Eulogize this man who conquered [shepitpet] his passion [beyitzro] more than Joseph.
[...]
Story #2 - Divine Justice and Community Response
The second tale connects a decrease in grain prices to a sinful act committed by a father and son, who had illicit relations with a betrothed woman on Yom Kippur. After their sin was discovered and they were punished, the grain prices returned to normal. This story underscores a belief in divine justice affecting communal welfare based on the morality of individuals within the community.
פתח אידך ואמר:
מעשה ועמדו ארבעים מודיות בדינר;
נחסר השער מודיא אחת,
ובדקו,
ומצאו אב ובנו שבאו על נערה מאורסה ביום הכפורים;
והביאום לבית דין וסקלום,
וחזר השער למקומו.
Another Sage began his remarks and said:
It once happened that the market price of forty se’a of grain stood at one dinar.
And then the rate went down one se’a [modeya], so that only thirty-nine se’a were sold for a dinar.
And they checked to see what sin had caused this,
and they found a father and son who had engaged in sexual intercourse with a betrothed young woman on Yom Kippur.
They brought the offenders to court and stoned them,
and the rate returned to its former level.
Story #3 - Deception and Justice
The third incident involves a man plotting to accuse his wife of adultery to avoid paying a large marriage settlement. He stages a scene to make it look like his wife was unfaithful, but his deception is uncovered through the wisdom of Bava ben Buta, a disciple of Shammai the Elder, who distinguishes between the appearances of egg white and semen. The deceitful husband is punished, emphasizing the value of truth and justice.
פתח אידך ואמר:
מעשה באדם אחד שנתן עיניו באשתו לגרשה, והיתה כתובתה מרובה.
מה עשה?
הלך וזימן את שושביניו והאכילן והשקן,
שיכרן והשכיבן על מיטה אחת,
והביא לובן ביצה והטיל ביניהן,
והעמיד להן עדים, ובא לבית דין.
היה שם זקן אחד מתלמידי שמאי הזקן, ובבא בן בוטא שמו.
אמר להן, כך מקובלני משמאי הזקן: לובן ביצה סולד מן האור, ושכבת זרע דוחה מן האור.
בדקו ומצאו כדבריו,
והביאוהו לבית דין והלקוהו, והגבוהו כתובתה ממנו.
Yet another Sage began his remarks and said:
There was an incident there involving a man who set his eyes upon his wife to divorce her, but her marriage contract was large and he wished to avoid having to pay it.2
What did he do?
He went and invited his friends, gave them food and drink,
made them drunk, and lay his friends and his wife in one bed.
He then brought the white of an egg, which has the appearance of semen, and placed it on the sheet between them.
He then stood witnesses over them so that they could offer testimony, and went to court claiming that his wife had committed adultery.
A certain Elder of the disciples of Shammai the Elder was there, and Bava ben Buta was his name.
He said to them: This is the tradition that I received from Shammai the Elder: Egg white on a bedsheet contracts and hardens when heated by fire, whereas semen is absorbed into the sheet by the fire.
They checked the matter and found in accordance with his statement that the substance on the sheet was not semen but egg white.
They then brought the husband to court, administered lashes to him, and made him pay his wife’s marriage contract in full.
Conclusion
The passage concludes with a philosophical discussion between Abaye and Rav Yosef regarding the righteousness of the city's inhabitants and their ultimate destruction. Rav Yosef suggests that despite their virtuous actions, their failure to mourn for Jerusalem led to their downfall, highlighting the importance of collective memory and mourning in Jewish thought.
אמר ליה אביי לרב יוסף: ומאחר דהוו צדיקים כולי האי, מאי טעמא איענוש?
אמר ליה: משום דלא איאבול על ירושלים
[...]
Abaye said to Rav Yosef: But since those in the city were so righteous, what is the reason that they were punished and destroyed?
Rav Yosef said to him: It is because they did not mourn for Jerusalem
[...]
For a different Egytian community discussed in the Talmud, see my “Basilica, Stoa, and Cathedra: A Historical and Linguistic Analysis of the Talmudic Passage on the Synagogue of Alexandria (Sukkah 51b)“
For another example of the trope of a man wanting to divorce his wife but the marriage contract is too large (כתובתה מרובה), see my “"Preparing Her Mouth" and "Turning Her Back": The Talmud on the “The Bad Wife” (Yevamot 63b)“.