Commentary for Shabbat 124:23

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אנשי ירושלים אנשי שחץ היו אדם אומר לחברו במה סעדת היום בפת עמילה או בפת שאינה עמילה ביין גורדלי או

but if it is into a vessel, we have nought against it. 'And the treating of the washing of the hands with disrespect': Raba said, This was said only when one does not wash his hands at all; but if he washes them inadequately,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he washes and does not wash', — i.e., he uses the barest minimum. ');">²⁰</span> we have nought against it. (But this is not so, for R. Hisda said: I washed with full handfuls of water and was granted full handfuls of prosperity).<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'goodness'. This shows that water must be used generously. ');">²¹</span> 'And being cursed by one's wife in his presence': Said Raba: [That is when she curses him] on account of her adornments.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because he refuses them. ');">²²</span> But that is only when he has the means but does not provide them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. this with Raba's statement supra 32b, 33a. ');">²³</span> Raba son of R. Ilai lectured: What is meant by, Moreover the Lord said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. III, 16. ');">²⁴</span> That means that they walked with haughty bearing.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'erect stature'. ');">²⁵</span> And walk with outstretched necks<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. ');">²⁶</span> — they walked heel by toe.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., with short mincing steps. One who walks with outstretched neck must take short steps, because he cannot see his feet (Rashi). ');">²⁷</span> And wanton [mesakroth] eyes:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. ');">²⁸</span> they filled their eyes with stibium and beckoned.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To the men. ');">²⁹</span> Walking and mincing: they walked, a tall woman by the side of a short one. And making a tinkling [te'akasnah] with their feet: R. Isaac of the School of R. Ammi said: This teaches that they placed myrrh and balsam in their shoes and walked through the market-places of Jerusalem, and on coming near to the young men of Israel, they kicked their feet and spurted it on them, thus instilling them with passionate desire like with serpent's poison.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Reading 'akus (serpent) and connecting te'akasnah with it by a play on words. ');">³⁰</span> And what is their punishment? — As Rabbah b. 'Ulla lectured: And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices [bosem] there shall be rottenness:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' lbid. 24. ');">³¹</span> the place where they perfumed themselves [mithbasmoth] shall be decaying sores. And instead of a girdle a rope [nikpeh]: the place where they were girded with a girdle shall become full of bruises [nekafim]. And instead of well-set hair baldness: the place where they adorned themselves shall be filled with bald patches. And instead of a stomacher [pethigil] a girding of sackcloth: the openings that lead to [sensual] joy<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Reading pethigil as an abbreviation for pethahim (openings) of gilah (joy). ');">³²</span> shall be for a girding of sackcloth. Branding [ki] instead of beauty: Said Raba, Thus men say, Ulcers instead of beauty. Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab [wesipah] the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. Ill, 17. ');">³³</span> R. Jose son of R. Hanina said: This teaches that leprosy broke out in them: here is written wesipah; whilst elsewhere it is written, [This is the law for all manner of plagues of leprosy …] and for a rising and for a scab [sapahath].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIV, 56. ');">³⁴</span> And the Lord will lay bare [ye'areh] their secret parts:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. Ill, 17. ');">³⁵</span> Rab and Samuel — one maintained: This means that they were poured out like a cruse;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they discharged an abundance of matter. Ye'areh (E. V. lay bare) is translated, will empty; cf. Gen. XXIV, 20: and She emptied (wate'ar) her pitcher. ');">³⁶</span> while the other said: Their openings became like a forest. Rab Judah said in Rab's name: The men of Jerusalem were vulgar. One would say to his neighbour, On what did you dine to-day: on well-kneaded bread or on bread that is not well kneaded;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The whole is a vulgar metaphor for the satisfaction of one's lust. ');">³⁷</span> on white wine<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gurdeli fr. garad, to scrape, means scraper, a nickname for an inferior white wine. ');">³⁸</span> or

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