Gittin 70a — the Talmud in English

or

he will drink

grapes of

a vine trained over

palm trees

[that are] soaked

in water.

For ḥazazita

[for ringworm] [a skin disease] —

I took seven cedar grains

[he should take seven large grains],

and roast them on a new hoe-blade

[he should roast them on the iron of a threshing hoe],

and extract oil from them

[and extract oil from them]

and rub it in

[and apply the oil to the affected skin].

Rav Shimi bar Ashi made it

[made it for him]

for that gentile

this remedy

for “the other thing”

[for leprosy] that he had,

and he was healed

[and the gentile was healed].

Shmuel said: One whom a Persian spear has struck

[one whom a Persian spear has struck], which is joined to him by means of a poison potion —

he will not live

[he will not live] from this wound; rather, he will certainly die.

But

in the meantime

[meanwhile], before he dies,

feed him fatty meat roasted over coals and undiluted wine

[so that they feed him fatty meat roasted over coals and undiluted wine], for through this

it is possible that he will live a little

[that he will live a little],

and issue instructions concerning his property

[and he will suffice to give instructions concerning his property to the members of his household] before he dies.

Rav Idi bar Avin said: One who swallows a wasp

[one who swallows a wasp],

he will not live

[he will not live]. But

in the meantime

[meanwhile], before he dies,

give him a quarter-log of strong vinegar

[they should give him a quarter-log of strong vinegar], for through this

it is possible that he will live a little

[that he will live a little],

and issue instructions concerning his property

[and he will suffice to give instructions concerning his property to the members of his household] before he dies.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said:

A person who

ate

ox meat with turnips, and spent the night in the

light of the

moon on the fourteenth or fifteenth night during the season of Tammuz —

aḥilu seized him,

a type of fever called aḥilu attacks him.

A tanna

in a beraita

also

so says:

one who fills his belly

more than is proper

with every food

that is good for him and sweet to his palate —

it seizes him

[it attacks him], this disease whose name is

aḥilu.

Rav Pappa said: Even

if he filled his belly

with dates,

the disease aḥilu attacks him.

And we raise an objection:

Is it obvious!

For Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said that “with every food” that is sweet, which he eats more than is proper, the disease attacks him; and this includes eating dates, which are sweet.

And we answer:

It might enter your mind to say

[I would have thought to say], that

since the Master said: dates

are so beneficial to the body — that

they satiate, warm, loosen the bowels, strengthen, and do not pamper

[they satiate, warm, loosen the bowels, and give strength, and do not pamper the heart into being delicate] — even though they are sweet,

say no

[we would say that it is not harmful if he eats more than is proper, since they are so excellent]; therefore

he informs us

Rav Pappa that even dates are harmful if he eats more than is proper.

The Gemara explains:

What

[what is] the disease

“aḥilu”?

Rabbi Elazar said: Fire of the bones.

And we inquire:

What is “fire of the bones”?

Abaye said: Fire of the bones

[in the bones], for the bones burn him.

What is its remedy

[what is the remedy for this disease]?

Abaye said: My mother told me:

All potions [all the potions] that one drinks for healing have a fixed number of days for drinking them: some are

three

[three] days,

and

some are

seven, and

some are

twelve

[twelve] days.

And this

[and this] potion for healing the disease “aḥilu” must be taken

until he is healed

[until he is healed].

And my mother further told me:

All potions

[all the potions] that one takes for healing must be taken

on an empty stomach

[on an empty stomach], and one should not eat before drinking them;

but this

[whereas this] potion for the disease aḥilu, the sick person must take

after he has eaten and drunk

[after he has eaten and drunk],

and entered

[and entered]

the lavatory, and emerged

[and emerged],

and washed his hands

[and washed his hands].

And they bring him a fistful of lentil-flour shetita

[and they bring him a fistful of the food called “shetita,” made of lentil flour and salt],

and a fistful of aged wine

[and a fistful of old wine].

And he should knead them together and eat

[and he should knead them together and eat them].

And he should wrap himself in his sheet

[and wrap himself in his sheet] so that his body will become warm and he will perspire,

and he should sleep

[and sleep].

And there is no one who should awaken him until he rises on his own

[and they should not awaken him until he rises by himself], since perspiration is beneficial for him.

And when he rises, he should remove his sheet from himself

[and when he rises he should remove his sheet from himself],

and if not

he removes his sheet from upon himself —

it returns upon him

[the disease returns upon him].

Elijah said to Rabbi Natan: Eat

until

a third

of your stomach is filled

, and drink

until your stomach is filled

a third

more,

and leave a third

of your stomach empty. Then, even

when you become angry,

and your stomach stretches from anger,

it will stand at its fullness.

Your stomach will remain intact and will not burst.

But if you fill your entire stomach with eating and drinking, then when you become angry and the stomach stretches, it may burst.

Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: One who wishes not to come to intestinal illness should be accustomed to dipping,

he should always dip his food in vinegar, or his bread in wine, both in

summer and

in

winter.

And he further said:

Your meal from which you have pleasure

[from which you derive pleasure],

withdraw your hand from it

so that you should not eat more than is proper, for excessive eating harms the body.

And do not hold yourself back when you need to relieve yourself.

Mar Ukva said: One who drinks poor white wine

[one who drinks bad white wine] —

weakness seizes him

[weakness attacks him].

Rav Ḥisda said: There are sixty types of wine

[there are sixty types of wine]:

The finest of all

[the finest of all] is wine

that is red and fragrant

[red and possessing a very good aroma].

The poorest of all

[the poorest of all] is wine

that is poor and white

[bad white wine].

Rav Yehuda said: One who sits beside a fire on the mornings of Nisan

[one who sits beside a fire on the mornings of the month of Nisan],

and rubs on oil, and goes out and sits in the sun

[and anoints himself with oil and goes out and sits in the sun] —

weakness seizes him

[weakness attacks him].

The Sages taught

in a beraita: A person who

let blood and

afterward

had intercourse —

there will be

[there will be]

for him

from this intercourse

weak sons

[weak ones].

And if

both let blood and had intercourse —

there will be

[there will be]

for them sons afflicted with ra'atan

[very weak], because they have a creeping creature in the brain.

Rav Pappa said: We said

[we did not say] this matter, that he will have weak sons,

only

in a situation

where he tasted nothing

[anything] after letting blood;

but

if he

tasted something

[anything],

we have no concern about it

[we have no concern regarding this matter].

Rabba bar Rav Huna said: One who comes from the road and has intercourse —

there will be

[there will be]

for him weak sons

[weak ones].

The Sages taught

in a beraita:

One who comes from the lavatory should not have intercourse until he waits the measure

of walking

half a mil, because the demon of the lavatory accompanies him.

And if he had intercourse —

he will have sons subject to seizures

[who are ill with the falling disease].

The Sages taught

in a beraita:

One who has intercourse while standing —

a convulsion seizes him

[a muscular contraction].

And one who has intercourse

while seated —

a yawning seizes him

[yawning].

But one who has intercourse when

she is above and he is below —

it seizes him

the disease

delarya.

What is “delarya”?

The Gemara does not explain what the disease is, but brings its remedy:

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: The potion

for healing

delarya —

“dardara”

is its name.

What is “dardara”?

Abaye said: The saffron of hedges

[saffron that grows in a fence of plants].

Rav Pappa —

chewed it and swallowed it

[he chewed it with his teeth and swallowed it].

Rav Pappi chewed it and cast it out

[he chewed it with his teeth and spat it out] after chewing it.

Abaye said: One who is not proficient in marital relations,

who lacks strength for intercourse —

let him bring three kapizei of saffron of hedges

[let him take three vessels, each holding three revi'it, filled with saffron growing in earth fertilized with sheep manure].

And let him pound them

[and pound them finely],

and boil them in wine, and drink

[and boil them in wine and drink].

Rabbi Yoḥanan said:

The saffron of hedges in this potion,

they are indeed

the ones that

returned me to my youth

in intercourse.

Three things weaken a person’s strength, and these are they:

a.

Fear

— anxiety concerning something in the future, such as livelihood or an enemy who is destined to come. b. The exertion of the

road.

c.

Sin.

Fear —

as it is written: “My heart is agitated; my strength has forsaken me”

[Psalms 38:11].

The road —

as it is written: “He weakened my strength on the road”

[Psalms 102:24].

Sin —

as it is written: “My strength has failed because of my iniquity”

[Psalms 31:11].

Three things break

[break]

a person’s body. And these are they:

a.

He ate while standing.

b.

And he drank while standing.

c.

And he had intercourse while standing.

There are

five

things which, if he does them,

bring him nearer

to

death than to life, and these are they:

a.

He ate and stood.

b.

He drank and stood.

c.

He let blood and stood.

d.

He slept and stood.

e.

He had intercourse and stood.

There are

six

things, each person who

does them

all together, one after the other —

dies immediately

from great weakness,

and these are they:

a.

He comes on the road and becomes exhausted.

b.

He lets blood.

c.

And he enters the bathhouse.

d.

And he drinks and becomes drunk.

e.

And he sleeps on the ground.

f.

And he has intercourse.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: This is when he performed them in their order

only then does he die.

Abaye said:

If he performed them all

in their order —

he dies,

but if he performed them all

not in their order —

he becomes weak

[he becomes weakened].

And we raise an objection:

It is not so

[the matter is not so], that only if he does all of them does he die.

But

[but] a certain woman named

Me'urat did it to

[did it for]

her slave

[her slave] only

three of them

[three of them],

and he died!

And we answer:

That one was emaciated

[that slave was weak], and therefore he died already after doing three of them; but an ordinary person dies only if he performs all of them in their order.

Eight

things —

most of them

[if he increases them],

are difficult

for him.

And few of them

[if he decreases them],

are beneficial

to him.

And these are they:

a.

The road

— traveling on the roads. b.

And marital relations

— intercourse.

c.

Wealth

— a little of it is beneficial and much of it is difficult, since it distracts him from Torah study and makes his heart haughty. d.

And labor.

e.

Wine

and f.

sleep.

g.

Hot water

— for bathing and drinking. h.

And bloodletting.

Eight

things

decrease the semen, and these are they:

a.

Salt,

b.

and hunger.

c.

And netek

— leprosy. d.

Weeping.

e.

And sleeping on the ground.

f.

And coriander

[coriander]. g.

And hops out of season.

h.

And bloodletting

performed on the body

below

— decreases the semen

twice

as much as all of them.

A tanna taught: Just as bloodletting

for the body

below

in the body is difficult, because it decreases the semen

twice

as much as the other things,

so is it beneficial

for the body to let blood

above

in the body, for it increases it

twice.