Kiddushin, Daf Peh Aleph, Part 3

 

Introduction

The Talmud now begins with a remarkable series of stories showing that even great rabbis are susceptible to desires. The idea behind these stories seems to be that no one, not even a righteous person, not even the greatest of rabbis, should so sure of himself as to ignore the rabbinic restrictions concerning mingling the sexes. The rules are not there just for those who will easily give in to temptation. They are there for everybody and without them, people would succumb to sin.

 

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

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

 

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.

As one passed by, a light shone from the sky lights. R. Amram seized the ladder, which ten men could not raise, and he alone set it up and started to ascend.

When he had gone half way up the ladder, he strengthened his legs and cried out, A fire in the house of Amram. The Rabbis came. They said to him, We have embarrassed you! He said to them: Better that you embarrass Amram in this world than that you be ashamed of him in the next.

He then took an oath that it should go from him, and it came out from him in the shape of a fiery column. He said to it: See, you are fire and I am flesh, yet I am stronger than you.

 

This is one of my favorite stories in the Talmud. R. Amram, who is called the pious, does the right thing when these tempting women show up at his home he removes the ladder so he won t go up and have relations with them. But it is not enough. His desire is so strong that he lifts the very heavy ladder and starts to make his way up. But then suddenly, he girds himself and cries out in a way that will bring others to his aid. And while their presence embarrasses him, it is better to be embarrassed, he remarks, then transgress.

At the end of the story, the embodied evil urge emerges from R. Amram and the rabbi is victorious over it. Still, this was a very dangerous situation.

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

 

R. Meir used to scoff at transgressors. One day Satan appeared to him disguised as a woman on the opposite bank of the river. As there was no ferry, he seized the rope and began to go across. When he had reached half way along the rope, he [Satan] let him go saying: Had they not proclaimed in Heaven, Be careful with regard to R. Meir and his teaching, I would made your life worth two ma ahs.

 

R. Meir cannot resist Satan disguised as a woman. He takes his life into his own hands by crossing the river by rope. And only R. Meir s teaching, so valued by Heaven, can save him.

Again, we learn the lesson that even great rabbis can be tempted to sin.

 

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

 

R. Akiva used to scoff at transgressors. One day Satan appeared to him disguised as a woman on the top of a palm tree. He grabbed the tree, and began to climb up. But when he reached half-way up the tree he [Satan] let him go, saying: Had they not proclaimed in Heaven, Be careful with regard to R. Meir and his teaching, I would made your life worth two ma ahs.

 

Nearly the same thing happens to R. Akiva, perhaps the greatest of Talmudic sages. To me it is remarkable that the rabbis would tell such stories about their own greatest heroes. It testifies to what the rabbis seem to have deeply believed about human nature. All people have strong sexual desires and the only way to overcome them is through practice of rabbinic safeguards.