Kiddushin 161

לאתרויי ביה

to warn him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But not because we fear adultery with others; v. Sot. 7a.');">¹</span> Rab Judah said in Rab's name: We learnt this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That a woman may be alone with two men.');">²</span> only in town; but on a road, three are necessary, lest one has a call of nature, and so the other is left alone with a forbidden woman. Shall we say that the following supports him: Two scholars were sent with him, lest he has intercourse with her on the way.

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב ל"ש אלא בעיר אבל בדרך עד שיהיו שלשה שמא יצטרך אחד מהם להשתין ונמצא אחד מתייחד עם הערוה נימא מסייע ליה מוסרים לו שני תלמידי חכמים שמא יבא עליה בדרך תרי ואיהו הא תלתא התם כי היכי דניהוו עליה סהדי

Two, and he [the husband] himself - that is three? - There it is in order that they may be witnesses against him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he cohabits, in which case she does not submit to the ordeal, v. loc. cit.');">³</span> Rab and Rab Judah were walking on a road, and a woman was walking in front of them. Said Rab to Rab Judah, 'Lift your feet before Gehenna.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Speed on ahead of her, lest we be tempted.');">⁴</span> 'But you yourself said that in the case of respectable people it is well,' he protested.'

רב ורב יהודה הוו קאזלי באורחא הוה קאזלא ההיא אתתא קמייהו א"ל רב לרב יהודה דל כרעיך מקמי גיהנם אמר ליה והא מר הוא דאמר בכשרים שפיר דמי א"ל מי יימר דבכשרים כגון אנא ואת אלא כגון מאי כגון רבי חנינא בר פפי וחביריו

Who says that respectable people mean such as you and I? ' he retorted.' Then such as who? ' - E.g. , R'Hanina B'Pappi and his companions.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra ');">⁵</span> Rab said: We flagellate on account of privacy, but do not interdict on account of same.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: one is flagellated for being alone with an unmarried woman, but she is not forbidden to her husband on that account. Tosaf.: an unmarried woman is not interdicted to a priest as a zonah (q.v. Glos.) for being alone with a man.');">⁶</span> R'Ashi said: This was said only of privacy with an unmarried woman, but not with a married woman, lest a stigma be cast upon her children.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who may be suspected of bastardy.');">⁷</span>

אמר רב מלקין על ייחוד ואין אוסרין על הייחוד אמר רב אשי לא אמרן אלא בייחוד פנויה אבל בייחוד דאשת איש לא שלא תהא מוציא לעז על בניה

Mar Zutra punished and proclaimed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He punished privacy with a married woman, yet had it proclaimed that she had not committed adultery.');">⁸</span> R'Nahman of Parahetia<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Not identified. MS.M.: Parazika, (Farausag) near Bagdad.]');">⁹</span> said to R'Ashi: You too should punish and proclaim! - Some may hear of the one but not of the other. Rab said: We flagellate on account of an evil rumour,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If one is rumoured to be doing wrong, he is flagellated. kt');">¹⁰</span>

מר זוטרא מלקי ומכריז א"ל רב נחמן מפרהטיא לרב אשי מר נמי לילקי ולכריז א"ל איכא דשמע בהא ולא שמע בהא

because it is said. Nay [al], my sons; for it is n good report that I hear.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Sam. II, 24. Al () introduces a negative injunction, and Rab translates: there is a negative injunction, my sons, in respect of a report that is not good.');">¹¹</span> Mar Zutra laid a cord about his shoulders<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [I.e., inflicted punishment on the one who was subject to an evil report. The punishment for the offence mentioned here has no basis in the Bible, but belongs to the category of makkath marduth 'a beating for rebellion' instituted by the Rabbis for the enforcement of discipline, and which was not hedged about by the regulations which governed the infliction of the 'forty stripes' prescribed in the Bible]');">¹²</span> and recited to him, 'Nay, my sons'.

אמר רב מלקין על לא טובה השמועה שנאמר (שמואל א ב, כד) אל בני כי לא טובה השמועה מר זוטרא מותיב לה אפסירה על כתפיה ומקרי ליה אל בני

Rabbah said: If her husband is in town we have no fear on account of privacy. R'Joseph said: If the door opens to the street, we have no fear on account of privacy. R'Bibi visited R'Joseph. Having dined,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Lit., ,'wrapt the bread', with allusion to the custom of placing salt or vegetables between slices of bread.]');">¹³</span>

אמר רבה בעלה בעיר אין חוששין משום ייחוד אמר רב יוסף פתח פתוח לרשות הרבים אין חוששין משום ייחוד רב ביבי איקלע לבי רב יוסף בתר דכרך ריפתא אמר להו שקולי דרגא מתותי ביבי והא אמר רבה בעלה בעיר אין חוששין משום ייחוד שאני רב ביבי דשושבינתיה הואי וגייסא ביה

he said to them [the servants], 'Remove the ladder from under Bibi.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They were in an upper chamber, and then R. Joseph and his wife descended, leaving R. Bibi above. Before R. Joseph left the house he gave this order, so that R. Bibi should not go down and be alone with his wife.');">¹⁴</span> But Rabbah said: If her husband is in town, we have no fear on account of privacy? - R'Bibi was different, because she was his best friend,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The ancient equivalent of 'best man' - here 'best woman - at marriage, v. B.B. 144b.');">¹⁵</span> and intimate with him. R'Kahana said: If there are men without [i.e., in the outer chamber] and women within, we have no fear of privacy.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The men can have no plausible excuse for going to the women, since their natural way leads to the street.');">¹⁶</span>

אמר רב כהנא אנשים מבחוץ ונשים מבפנים אין חוששין משום ייחוד אנשים מבפנים ונשים מבחוץ חוששין משום ייחוד

If there are men in the inner chamber and women in the outer, we have fear of privacy.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The men's path lies through the women's chamber, and as stated before, one man may not be alone with a number of women.');">¹⁷</span> In a Baraitha the reverse was taught.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When men are in the outer chamber, we fear that one may pass into the inner chamber without the others noticing it. But if men are in the inner chamber, we are not afraid that a woman from the outer chamber will enter, because in any case one woman may be alone with two men; nor do we fear that a man may enter the women's chamber, since others will follow him, as that is their natural exit.');">¹⁸</span> Said Abaye: Now that R'Kahana ruled thus, while the Baraitha taught the reverse, let us<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is the reading in the Asheri; cur. edd. 'I shall'.');">¹⁹</span> act stringently.

במתניתא תנא איפכא אמר אביי השתא דאמר רב כהנא הכי ותנא מתניתא איפכא אנא נעביד לחומרא

Abaye made a partition of jugs;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where men and women assembled together, e.g.. for a sermon or at a wedding (Rashi) .');">²⁰</span> Raba made a partition of canes. Abin<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Aruch reads: Abaye.');">²¹</span> said: The sorest spot of the year<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When immorality is most to be feared.');">²²</span>

אביי דייר גולפי רבא דייר קנה אמר אבין סקבא דשתא ריגלא

is the festival.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because various people congregate then.');">²³</span> Certain [redeemed] captive women came to Nehardea. They were taken to the house of R'Amram the pious, and the ladder was removed from under them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They were lodged in an upper chamber; cf. story of R. Bibi and R. Joseph supra.');">²⁴</span> As one passed by,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The skylight which divided the upper from the lower storey.');">²⁵</span>

הנך שבוייתא דאתאי לנהרדעא אסקינהו לבי רב עמרם חסידא אשקולו דרגא מקמייהו בהדי דקא חלפה חדא מנייהו נפל נהורא באיפומא שקליה רב עמרם לדרגא דלא הוו יכלין בי עשרה למדלייא דלייא לחודיה סליק ואזיל

a light fell on the sky lights;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which revealed her beauty to R. 'Amram below.');">²⁶</span> [thereupon] R'Amram seized the ladder, which ten men could not raise, and he alone set it up and proceeded to ascend. When he had gone half way up the ladder, he stayed his feet and cried out, 'A fire at R'Amram's!' The Rabbis came and reproved him, 'We have shamed you!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' You have made us put you to shame by revealing your burning passion.');">²⁷</span> Said he to them: 'Better that you shame Amram in this world than that you be ashamed of him in the next.'

כי מטא לפלגא דרגא איפשח רמא קלא נורא בי עמרם אתו רבנן אמרו ליה כסיפתינן אמר להו מוטב תיכספו בי עמרם בעלמא הדין ולא תיכספו מיניה לעלמא דאתי אשבעיה דינפק מיניה נפק מיניה כי עמודא דנורא אמר ליה חזי דאת נורא ואנא בישרא ואנא עדיפנא מינך

He then adjured it [the Tempter] to go forth from him, and it issued from him in the shape of a fiery column. Said he to it: 'See, you are fire and I am flesh, yet I am stronger<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'better'.');">²⁸</span> than you.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On Satan as an independent being v. p. 142, n. 5.');">²⁹</span> R'Meir used to scoff at transgressors.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He maintained that they could easily subdue their evil desires if they wished.');">³⁰</span>

רבי מאיר הוה מתלוצץ בעוברי עבירה יומא חד אידמי ליה שטן כאיתתא בהך גיסא דנהרא לא הוה מברא נקט מצרא וקא עבר כי מטא פלגא מצרא שבקיה אמר אי לאו דקא מכרזי ברקיעא הזהרו בר' מאיר ותורתו שויתיה לדמך תרתי מעי

One day Satan appeared to him in the guise of a woman on the opposite bank of the river. As there was no ferry, he seized the rope<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: a rope stretched from bank to bank over a plank bridge.');">³¹</span> and proceeded across. When he had reached half way along the rope, he [Satan] let him go<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By resuming his normal shape he freed him from temptation.');">³²</span>

ר' עקיבא הוה מתלוצץ בעוברי עבירה יומא חד אידמי ליה שטן כאיתתא בריש דיקלא נקטיה לדיקלא וקסליק ואזיל כי מטא לפלגיה דדיקלא שבקיה אמר אי לאו דמכרזי ברקיעא הזהרו ברבי עקיבא ותורתו שויתיה לדמך תרתי מעי

saying: 'Had they not proclaimed in Heaven, "Take heed of R'Meir and his learning," I would have valued your life<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'blood'.');">³³</span> at two ma'ahs.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A small coin, v. supra 12a. - i.e., I would have destroyed you as a worthless thing.');">³⁴</span> R'Akiba used to scoff at transgressors. One day Satan appeared to him as a woman on the top of a palm tree.

פלימו הוה רגיל למימר כל יומא גירא בעיניה דשטן יומא חד מעלי יומא דכיפורי הוה אידמי ליה כעניא אתא קרא אבבא אפיקו ליה ריפתא אמר ליה יומא כי האידנא כולי עלמא גואי ואנא אבראי עייליה וקריבו ליה ריפתא אמר ליה יומא כי האידנא כולי עלמא אתכא ואנא לחודאי אתיוהו אותבוהו אתכא הוה יתיב מלא נפשיה שיחנא וכיבי עליה והוה קעביד ביה מילי דמאיס א"ל

Grasping the tree, he went climbing up: but when he reached half-way up the tree he [Satan] let him go, saying: 'Had they not proclaimed in Heaven, "Take heed of R'Akiba and his learning," I would have valued your life at two ma'ahs.' Pelimo used to say every day, 'An arrow in Satan's eyes!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. supra ');">³⁵</span> One day - it was the eve of the Day of Atonement - he disguised himself as a poor man and went and called out at his door; so bread was taken out to him.' On such a day,' he pleaded, 'when everyone is within, shall I be without? ' Thereupon he was taken in and bread was offered him.' On a day like this,' he urged, 'when everyone sits at table,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'at the tray'.');">³⁶</span> shall I si alone!' He was led and sat down at the table. As he sat, his body was covered with suppurating sores, and he was behaving repulsively.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Wriggling, or perhaps scratching himself.');">³⁷</span> 'Sit properly,' he rebuked him.