Raboyseyee and Ladies,
We begin with mazel-tov wishes to our friends Doba and Kalman Isaacs upon the birth of a grandson, born to their children Jenny and Yair Isaacs. Welcome to the world Eli-Av Liam (Oliver Leo) Isaacs -named after grandfathers Eliezer and Avrohom- whose bris on the 17th of Tamuz brought joy on this otherwise somber day. May you be a source of much nachas to everyone in your orbit.
The Virginity Test:
Believe it or not, virginity testing -like all else under the sun- is discussed in the heylige Gemora. Mamish? Indeed it is, and you might find yourself quite surprised -perhaps even shocked- to read what testing was like back in the day. Says the medrish (Wikipedia), azoy: A virginity test is the pseudoscientific practice and process of determining whether a woman or girl is a virgin; i.e., to determine that she has never engaged in, or been subjected to, vaginal intercourse. The test typically involves a check for the presence of an intact hymen, typically on the flawed assumption that it can only be, and will always be torn as a result of vaginal intercourse. Virginity tests have been practiced since ancient times………. More on that later.
Though we are in the summer months when most are either watching or reading repeats, the heylige Ois is here with mamish brand-new material and insights as we go below the surface, if you chap, to enlighten and entertain.
Shoin! The ominous three weeks are in full bloom and come Monday, we will solemnly welcome in Choidesh Ov and with it the ‘nine days.’ Beware: Weird stuff happens!
This coming shabbis we will say goodbye to Sefer Bamidbar while listening to the back end the Matos-Massei double header. Lots of pisukim, lots going on, and much ground to cover including laws about vows undertaken by girls -and women- and how to undo them. The war against the Midianites and how those in command did not -according to Moishe- execute the plan properly, is covered in Massei. The parsha also covers the spoils of war and how to properly divide such booty. As an aside, booty also included male and female salves, say it’s not so please. As well, laws about kashering (the method by which a utensil that had been used with non-kosher food is rendered permissible for use), and toiveling (oft- time confused as being the same: they are not) are included as a bonus. In yet another headline, the parsha (Massei) cover a shtikel breakaway by 2 ½ shevotim (tribes); a review and detailed listing of the Yiddin’s wanderings during the past 40 years; the command to conquer the Promised Land; very clear delineation of the boundaries of what we call Israel today; the appointment of leaders who will oversee the lottery system to be implemented when divvying up the Land; instructions for taking good care of the Leviyim (Levites) who nebech (sadly) weren’t to receive a real portion of the Land, and, finally but seemingly quite important, a discussion on the setting up of the various ‘Oray Miklat’ (cities of refuge) -designated safe-houses, so to speak- for the inadvertent killer. Shoin, take a breath and exhale: We just covered two gantza (entire) parshas and a total of 244 pisukim in a few run-on sentences and one paragraph. Are we done? Not!
What to focus on this week? Let’s begin here. Two parshas back, as we were closing out Chukas, Pinchas was treated to a public display of lewdness; he was an eye witness to the Zimri and Kosbi entanglement and became an instant hero. Bikitzr (in short), Pinchas, playing the zealot, murdered a sinning Jew and his accomplice mamish while in the act. He speared them through their stomachs which the heylige Gemora goes on to explain was a code word for their genitalia, while they were belly to belly. The bottom line: He performed Pinchas-Interruptus! The magayfo (plague) too was interrupted. The now dead participants came and went, if you chap. The RBSO’s anger was assuaged. One shabbis later, he was rewarded with his own parsha ober things can change rather quickly, and in this week’s parsha, our friend Pinchas is seemingly hero no more. How does one go from zero to hero and back in so short a time period? These things happen. He will get tongue lashed by Moishe and soon we will learn why Moishe was all upset with General Pinchas and the army. Ober, let us begin here.
Last week -Parshas Pinchas- we read how the RBSO gave Moishe very specific instructions to initiate war against the Midianites, it was going to be a revenge war. The plan of the Midianite and Moabite harlots was successful; Yiddin –many thousands- committed despicable acts. The bottom line: 24,000 died as a result of the cunning shiksa harlots proving once again that illicit roadside encounters are not free; the participants paid with their lives. Back in Sefer Bereishis, Tamar, but dressed up as one, nearly paid with hers. The bottom line: Roadside encounters are not always a safe bet. The RBSO was quite upset. Early in the parsha, He instructed Moishe azoy:
יהו spoke to Moishe, saying, “Assail the Midianites and defeat them-צָר֖וֹר אֶת־הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים וְהִכִּיתֶ֖ם אוֹתָֽם׃
כִּ֣י צֹרְרִ֥ים הֵם֙ לָכֶ֔ם בְּנִכְלֵיהֶ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־נִכְּל֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם עַל־דְּבַר־פְּע֑וֹר וְעַל־דְּבַ֞ר כׇּזְבִּ֨י בַת־נְשִׂ֤יא מִדְיָן֙ אֲחֹתָ֔ם הַמֻּכָּ֥ה בְיוֹם־הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה עַל־דְּבַר־פְּעֽוֹר׃
For they assailed you by the trickery they practiced against you—because of the affair of Peor and because of the affair of their kinswoman Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite chieftain, who was killed at the time of the plague on account of Peor.”
Ober, did Moishe spring into action? Not! In fact, once the instructions were given -in the first 8 pisukim the parsha- there is no more mention of this war. The war effort goes silent and the heylige Toirah continues with various other topics as found in the table below.
Welcome to Parsha Matos and Massei where five entire perokim (chapters) later, the RBSO in 31:1-7 revisits the topic with these words:
Hashem spoke to Moishe saying, “Take vengeance for the Children of Israel against the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your kin.” Moishe spoke to the people, saying: “Arm men from among yourselves for the army, for them to be against Midian to exact Hashem’s vengeance from Midian …” Moishe sent them out … and they arrayed against Midian, as Hashem had charged Moishe, and they killed every male.
And the question -posed last week- read azoy: Why did Milchemes Midian -the war against Midian- not occur at that juncture, directly after the calamitous incidents at Ba’al Pe’or, and more specifically, directly after the RBSO so instructed Moishe? Why was the war postponed, as it were, until this week’s parsha? Why is there a gap between Perek 25, which goes into detail about how the Moabite/Midianite coalition enticed the Yiddin into sinning, resulting in about 24,000 deaths, concluding with the RBSO’s call to avenge them, and Perek 31, where the avenging of the Israelites actually takes place via war against Midian? Did Moishe procrastinate or tarry? Was he stalling until he was able to convince the Charedim to join the army? What happened here? Did Moishe ignore the RBSO’s very specific demand? Moreover, up until Parshas Pinchas, the narrative of Sefer Bamidbar has followed a very logical (and chronological) order. In the ‘interim,’ the parsha went on to discuss several events that are not only unrelated, but also appear to have taken place at a later time! It does appear that we have uncovered epes an issue here in relation to the story of the war against Midian. Following the RBSO’s instructions given back in chapter 25, the heylige Toirah goes on to cover the disparate topics found in the table below. Do any mention the war? Not! they are seemingly mamish unrelated.
| Chapter | Topic |
| 26:1-65 | A census of the entire nation |
| 27:1-11 | The story of ‘bnos Tzelofchod’ |
| 27:12-14 | Moishe’s ‘final day’ |
| 27:12-23 | The transfer of leadership from Moishe to Yehoshua |
| 28:1-30:1 | Laws of korbanos – timidim and musafim |
| 30:2-17 | The laws of nedarim (vows) |
So happens that this problem usually goes unnoticed for a very simple reason. When the census begins in chapter 26, it appears to be directly connected to this commandment to avenge the Midyanim but is it? And the emes is azoy (like this): the heylige Ois did a rather thorough search and was unable to find much written on this topic so here goes an original pshat. Is this real pshat? Ver veyst? Let’s examine the instructions in both parshas verbatim for a clue as to why the actual war might have been delayed by one parsha? Let’s read two different English translations of the instructions from last week.
| 17 Distress the Midianites, and you shall smite them. | יזצָר֖וֹר אֶת־הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים וְהִכִּיתֶ֖ם אוֹתָֽם: | |
| “Assail the Midianites and defeat them—
|
The RBSO’s direct instructions -last week- called for the Yiddin to distress/vex/harass the Midianites and then smite/strike/defeat them. Those are two separate actions. Might we suggest that separate actions might translate to separate events as in the RBSO’s instructions last week and again this week? Or, we might kler azoy: Harassing is avada different than going to war and annihilation. One is a form of annoyance the other is termination of life, over and out; Fartig! Says the heylige Ois azoy: the Yiddin listened carefully and did both: First, they vexed them and only when the RBSO -in our parsha- said it was time, they went to war. Who are we to question the RBSO’s orders? Moreover, it goes to show -does it not- that the Yiddin were only allowed to act if -and when- the RBSO condoned the all-out war effort. It could well be that the Yiddin -having come to their senses about the crimes committed during the combined sex plus idol worship party- were eager -very- to wage war last week, ober the RBSO did not give the green light to move forward.
Alternatively, may we kler (ponder) that Moishe was not very anxious about attacking the Midianites? Did Moishe have a personal agenda? Let us recall a few facts about the land of Midian. Ershtens (firstly), Midian was the refuge to which Moishe fled when escaping Egypt, where he spent 40 years as a shepherd prior to leading the Yiddin out of slavery. As well, Moishe’s eishes chayil (wife) and father-in-law were Midianites, the latter being a priest and prince of Midian, who believed in the RBSO and His wonderous miracles. And hear this: The Midianites -so says the heylige Toirah (Bereishis 25:1-2)- were mamish descendants of Avrohom. The bottom-line question: was there, or wasn’t there a delay?
Says The Chizkuni azoy: Although the actionable command to wage war with Midian, was not given to Moishe until this week’s parsha, the RBSO did initially charge Moishe and the Yiddin to wage war in Parshas Pinchas in order to assuage the bereaved and shaken nation with the apparent message that Midian would be defeated and that the Yiddin would move on and upward toward a better future. In other words: The RBSO was ready to forgive and move on! As soon as the people regained the RBSO’S favor, they were commissioned to go up against Midian. When the war orders and battle instructions were given, Moishe sprang into immediate action. He drafted 1,000 men from each sheyvet and just like that, an army of 12,000 was born. Did the army include yeshiva boys, ver veyst? Do all agree that the army had 12,000 men or that every sheyvet participated? Not! There is -of course- a machloikes (disagreement) as to whether or not the Leviyim (Levites) participated in the war. Were they instead hiding out in some draft dodging yeshiva? Some say that the Leviyim did join the army since this was a war of revenge. The bottom line: Revenge is powerful; typically, most are interested in serving.
Another medrish tells us that although the specific instructions called for 1,000 soldiers per sheyvet, the real instructions called for 3,000 men per tribe for a total of 36,000. Does the heylige Toirah mention this number? Not! That being stated as fact, this number does come alive in the medrish, why not? How do we reconcile these two numbers? Who says the numbers need to be reconciled? And what difference is it to you if each sheyvet sent 1000 or 3000? Nu, since it’s medrish, avada this isn’t much of an issue, ober one answer proffered tells us azoy: Taka there were 3,000 soldiers per sheyvet, ober of those, only 1,000 were real fighters. And the others? Seemingly, they were there for moral support which they showed by davening (praying) for the real soldiers to win the war. Shoin! Davening is -at times- seemingly also a job. Gishmak.
Is everyone tzifridden (satisfied) with this medrish? No! Why would an army of 12,000 in total require an additional 24,000 daveners? Were they the gang that couldn’t shoot straight? Isn’t one good davener and shokeler enough to cover the entire army? Nu, mistama it depends on how well and in which directions he shokels and avada if the davener has his talis over his head or not. After all, isn’t that the hallmark of a good davener and shokeler? Moreover, that same medrish tells us that the 24,000 daveners also accompanied the Yiddin into the battlefield for moral support, ober some question why this was necessary. Isn’t the RBSO anywhere and everywhere? Were they not familiar with Uncle Moishe’s song, “Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere? Doesn’t everyone know it? Why not daven in shul or in the midbar? Says R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz so gishmak azoy: emesdike davening (true prayer) can only be generated if one can feel deep empathy for the fellow Yid for whom one is praying. Without this key ingredient, the prayer will never be genuinely heartfelt. This is why, although the RBSO is everywhere, the davening-Yiddin needed to be on location, on the battlefield, witnessing in real time, everything that their brothers were experiencing. Only then could they effectively pray for their brothers at arms. Veyter.
Let the war begin: The Yiddin killed all Midianite males including Bilam and five kings, ober the women, children, herds, flocks, and possessions of Midian were taken as booty. The cities and palaces were destroyed. Mission accomplished? Not according to Moishe! What happened next? The heylige Toirah tells us that Moishe, Elozor, and other leaders went out to greet and congratulate the returning army. Avada they knew the Yiddin were the victors because this particular war was ordered by the RBSO Himself. And when the RBSO orders war, one need not worry about the mission or its outcome.
Ober, did the Yiddin execute the plan? Did they kill the veyber, those very women who caused such a shandeh (embarrassment), and angered the RBSO so? A necthiger tug (fuhgeddaboudit): Instead, they killed the men only, took the booty and let the women off the hook. And Pinchas did this why? Had a hard-hearted Pinchas gone soft? We are taught that the troops and their general (Pinchas) rationalized azoy: since women did not participate in the battle, they were but innocent bystanders and were not deserving of death. Efsher they thought that these fine women still had what to give to society -and to the Yiddin, if you chap. Efsher they planned a shtikel reunion, ver veyst? The bottom line: Moishe was not tzifridden (happy) that the officers gave the women of Midian a pass since it was mamish women who were instrumental in the downfall of the Yiddin in the Pe’or affair and the consequent plague. Nor was he happy about the children being spared and though Pinchas and his commanders figured that the young males would make good slaves, Moishe reprimanded them. His thinking was that the males would grow up and threaten the Yiddin while the women were all whores and had been the only cause of the immorality and the idolatry of the hapless Yiddin. Next: Moishe ordered the Yiddin to go back and wipe out the women, which this time they did. Did they? All the women and male children were killed but the girl’s -seemingly 16,000 of them- were taken captive. So says the heylige Toirah itself when describing the booty that was split up. Let’s read the posik “….and 16,000 human beings. וְנֶ֣פֶשׁ אָדָ֔ם שִׁשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֖ר אָֽלֶף׃
Which girls, and how old were those selected for life vs. death? Nu, believe it or not, this selection was based on whether or not they were of age to have sexual relations. Explains the heylige Gemora azoy: The command was not just to slay those women who had had intercourse mamish, but also to kill anyone who was “fit for intercourse.” What? How does one get ‘fit’ for intercourse? Says the heylige Gemora: it’s a technical term within halocho (Jewish law) that intercourse at a specific age is considered intercourse, whereas at an earlier age the act is not called intercourse. The bottom line: If she wasn’t fit, Pinchas could acquit! And what is that age? Says the Gemora: three years old and one day. Well, blow me down with a feather!
Ober, the question is azoy: how did Moishe know -in posik 16 above- that the “very women” whose lives were spared were the one’s whoring with the Yiddin? Were they marked with a scarlet letter? Were they forced to walk the ‘walk of shame?’ Says the medrish so amazingly creatively and colorfully, azoy: the Yiddin could tell specifically which women were immoral and which did not participate. Ober, how is this possible? Nu, lest you think you were the first to wonder about this miracle, says the Abarbenel azoy: women’s innocence or guilt was determined by leading each and every one of them before the Koihen Godol whose wardrobe included the tzitz. The what? Let’s go back to Sefer Shmois (28:36) where the heylige Toirah gave very specific instructions on the dress code of the kohanim. Zicher (certainly) you recall that the Koihen Godol (high priest) was to don a total of eight garments and one of them was the tzitz.
You shall make a tzitz (headplate) of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it… “Holy to Hashem.” One more time: The golden Tzitz was a mysterious ornament worn on the high priest’s forehead. Says the heylige Gemora (Zevochim 88b) and the medrish (Vayikra Rabbah 10:60), azoy: the tzitz, positioned as it was on the koihen Godol’s forehead, brought about information if the person was righteous and deserving of a divine pardon for the sin of impudence, known in Hebrew as azus panim, (lit: hardness of the face) or more commonly known as a wisenheimer. The tzitz recognized hardness? Aha! Hardness on the face? Says the heylige Zoihar azoy: the Koihen Godol could observe whether the words inscribed on the tzitz, “Holy to Hashem,” were reflected on the face of the person standing before him. If so, that meant that the person was righteous and deserving of a share in the world to come. If not, the koihen Godol knew that he was impudent, and the high priest would pray to the RBSO to have mercy on the wicked person and forgive him.
The bottom line: it was a magical ornament. That’s nice but how did it work in Midian following the war? Says the heylige Gemora (Yevomis 60b), azoy: In the aftermath of the war with the Midianites, the tzitz was used to determine which of the captive Midianite women had been involved in the sex-capade and were therefore to be executed. And it worked -according to some- azoy: all women were to pass before the tzitz. If a woman had sexual relations, her face would turn green; if she never engaged in relations with any man, her face underwent no change in color at all. Ober, says the Yalkut Shimoni that instead of green, those who had engaged in sexual relations turned a fiery red. The bottom line: based on what we read above, as the women were paraded before the tzitz, their faces turned either green or red as a sign of guilt and participation in the orgy. Red light, green light, 1,2,3 and Moishe wanted them dead. Did the tzitz also recognize their measurements, ver veyst?
Another bottom line: The midbar, as we have discussed over and again, was magical, Disney-ish mamish. Is it so far-fetched to believe that the Midianite meydlich were paraded in front of the tzitz and that it was able to determine virginity? Not! Well, blow me down, ober does the heylige Gemora really say that? Or, anything close? Yes, and even more, let’s read some of it together.
כִּדְרַב הוּנָא. דְּרַב הוּנָא רָמֵי, כְּתִיב: ״כׇּל אִשָּׁה יֹדַעַת אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר הֲרֹגוּ״, הָא אֵינָהּ יוֹדַעַת — קַיֵּימוּ, מִכְּלָל דְּהַטַּף, בֵּין יָדְעוּ בֵּין לֹא יָדְעוּ — קַיֵּימוּ. וּכְתִיב: ״וְכׇל הַטַּף בַּנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ מִשְׁכַּב זָכָר הַחֲיוּ לָכֶם״, הָא יָדְעִי — הֲרוֹגוּ!
The Gemora replies: His reasoning is as stated by Rav Huna, as Rav Huna raised a contradiction: It is written in one verse: “Kill every woman that has known man by lying with him” (Numbers 31:17), which indicates that a woman who has not known a man in this way you may keep alive. This proves by inference that the female children, who are not classified as women, you may keep alive regardless of whether they knew a man or they did not know a man. And it is written in a different verse: “But all the women children that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves” (Numbers 31:18), which indicates that if they have known men, you must kill them. This is an apparent contradiction.
הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר בִּרְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר.
Rav Huna explains: You must say that the verse is speaking of a woman who is fit for intercourse. The verse does not mean to distinguish between women who have actually engaged in sexual intercourse and those who have not. Rather, it distinguishes between a girl over the age of three, with whom an act of intercourse is recognized as such, and a girl below the age of three.
תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי: ״וְכׇל אִשָּׁה יוֹדַעַת אִישׁ״ — בִּרְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר בִּרְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא נִבְעֲלָה מַמָּשׁ? כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְכׇל הַטַּף בַּנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ מִשְׁכַּב זָכָר״, הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר: בִּרְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר.
This is also taught in a baraita: “Every woman that has known man;” the verse is speaking of a woman who is fit for intercourse. The baraita proceeds to discuss this halakha: Do you say it is referring to one who is fit for intercourse, or perhaps it is referring only to one who has actually had intercourse? When the verse states: “But all the women children that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves,” which indicates that grown women must be killed even if they have not had intercourse with a man, you must say that the verse is speaking of a woman who is fit for intercourse.
מְנָא יָדְעִי? אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בַּר בִּיזְנָא אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן חֲסִידָא: הֶעֱבִירוּם לִפְנֵי הַצִּיץ. כׇּל שֶׁפָּנֶיהָ מוֹרִיקוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁהִיא רְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין פָּנֶיהָ מוֹרִיקוֹת — בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁאֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה לִיבָּעֵל. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: סִימָן לַעֲבֵירָה — הִדְרוֹקָן.
The Gemora asks a practical question with regard to the events described by the Torah: From where did they know whether a particular girl was already three years old and fit for intercourse? Rav Huna bar Bizna said that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida said: They passed them before the frontplate of the High Priest. Any girl whose face miraculously turned sallow, it was known that she was fit for intercourse, and any girl whose face did not turn sallow, it was thereby known that she was not fit for intercourse. Similarly, Rav Naḥman said: A sign of transgression in the area of sexual morality is the disease hidrokan, which causes one’s face to turn sallow.
כַּיּוֹצֵא בַּדָּבָר, אַתָּה אוֹמֵר: ״וַיִּמְצְאוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵשׁ גִּלְעָד אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ אִישׁ לְמִשְׁכַּב זָכָר״, מְנָא יָדְעִי? אָמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא: הוֹשִׁיבוּם עַל פִּי חָבִית שֶׁל יַיִן, בְּעוּלָה — רֵיחָהּ נוֹדֵף, בְּתוּלָה — אֵין רֵיחָהּ נוֹדֵף.
The bottom lines: For those who -even once in a while- question the heylige Ois’s sources, nu, now you know. And let’s read this shtikel bonus Gemora for yet another virginity test. Says the heylige Gemora next, azoy:
Similarly, you can say with regard to the verse: “And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins that had not known man by lying with him” (Judges 21:12). From where did they know that they were virgins? Rav Kahana said: They sat them on the opening of a barrel of wine. If she was a non-virgin, her breath would smell like wine; if she was a virgin, her breath did not smell like wine.
וּנְעַבְּרִינְהוּ לִפְנֵי צִיץ? אֲמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב נָתָן: ״לְרָצוֹן לָהֶם״ כְּתִיב, לְרָצוֹן וְלֹא לְפוּרְעָנוּת. אִי הָכִי בְּמִדְיָן נָמֵי? אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: ״לָהֶם״ כְּתִיב, לָהֶם — לְרָצוֹן וְלֹא לְפוּרְעָנוּת, וּלְגוֹיִם — אֲפִילּוּ לְפוּרְעָנוּת.
The Gemora suggests: They should have passed them before the frontplate, as described previously with regard to the daughters of Midian. Rav Kahana, son of Rav Natan, said: The verse states with regard to the frontplate: “And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead…that they may be accepted before the Lord” (Exodus 28:38), which indicates that the frontplate is worn for acceptance but not for calamity. The Gemara raises a difficulty: If so, the frontplate should also not have been used with regard to the women of Midian. Rav Ashi said: The word “they” is written in the verse, indicating that for them, the Jewish people, the frontplate is for acceptance but not for calamity; but for gentiles it can be used even for calamity.
אָמַר רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידִי אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי זֵירָא לְרַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר אִידִי: בְּפֵירוּשׁ שְׁמִיעַ לָךְ, אוֹ מִכְּלָלָא שְׁמִיעַ לָךְ?
Rabbi Ya’akov bar Idi said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai. Rabbi Zeira said to Rabbi Ya’akov bar Idi: Did you hear Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say this explicitly or did you learn it by inference?
The final bottom line: Having read this Gemora, now you can chap why so many thousands are walking around with their own Art Scrolls learning at least one folio (daf) daily: Sexual content sells! Lots of Gemoras. Our sages of yore knew this well; it just took some English translation for the rest of the world to chap.
A gittin Shabbis
Chazak, Chazak, V’nischazake
The Heylige Oisvorfer Ruv
