b.
Kiddushin 81b
Rabbi Ḥiyya Bar Ashi and his wife
יֹוָמ א ַח ד. ״ָה ַר ֲח ָמ ן ַי ִּצ יֵל נּו ִמ ֵּי ֶצ ר ָה ָר ע״:ַר ִּב י ִח ָּי יא ַּב ר ָא ֵׁש י ֲה ָו ה ְר ִג יל ׇּכל ִע יָּד ן ַּד ֲה ָו ה ָנ ֵפ ל ְל ַא ֵּפ יּה ֲה ָו ה ָאַמ ר
ַמ אי ַט ְע ָמ א ָק ָאַמ ר ָה ִכ י, ִמ ְּכ ֵד י ָה א ַּכ ָּמ ה ְׁש ֵנ י ְּד ָפ ֵר יׁש ֵל יּה ִמ יַּנ אי: ֲא ַמ ָר ה,?(ְׁש ַמ ְע ִּת יְנ הּו) [ְׁש ַמ ְע ֵּת יּה] ְּד ֵב יְת הּו
The Gemara relates: Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Ashi was accustomed to say, whenever he would fall
on his face in prayer: May the Merciful One save us from the evil inclination. One day his
wife heard him saying this prayer. She said: After all, it has been several years since he has
withdrawn from engaging in intercourse with me due to his advanced years. What is the
reason that he says this prayer, as there is no concern that he will engage in sinful sexual
behavior?
ֲא ָנ א: ַמ אן ַא ְּת ? ֲא ַמ ָר ה: ֲא ַמ ר ַל ּה. ָח ְל ָפ ה ְו ָת ְנ ָי יה ַק ֵּמ יּה, ַק ִּׁש ָט ה ַנ ְפ ַׁש ּה.יֹוָמ א ֲח ָד א ֲה ָו ה ָק א ָג ֵר יס ְּב ִג יְּנ ֵת יּה
ֲא ַז ל ַאְת ֵי יּה ִנ יֲה ַל ּה, ְׁש ַו ור. ַאְי יִת י ִנ יֲה ַל י ְל ָה ְך רּוָּמ ָנ א ְּד ֵר יׁש צּוִצ יָת א: ֲא ַמ ָר ה ֵל יּה. ַּת ְב ַע ּה.ָח רּוָת א ַּד ֲה ַד ִר י ִמ ּיֹוָמ א.
One day, while he was studying in his garden, she adorned herself and repeatedly walked
past him. He said: Who are you? She said: I am Ḥaruta, a well-known prostitute, returning
from my day at work. He propositioned her. She said to him: Give me that pomegranate
from the top of the tree as payment. He leapt up, went, and brought it to her, and they
engaged in intercourse.
ָה ִכ י: ַמ אי ַה אי? ֲא ַמ ר ַל ּה: ֲא ַמ ָר ה ֵל יּה. ָס ֵל יק ְו ָק א ָי ֵת יב ְּב ַג ֵּו יּה,ִּכ י ֲא ָת א ְל ֵב יֵת יּה ֲה ָו ה ָק א ָׁש ְג ָר א ְּד ֵב יְת הּו ַּת ּנּוָר א
ֲא ָנ א ִמ יָה א ְל ִא יּסּוָר א: ָאַמ ר ַל ּה. ַע ד ִּד יַה ָב ה ֵל יּה ִס יָמ ֵנ י, ָל א ַא ְׁש ַּג ח ַּב ּה. ֲא ָנ א ֲה ַו אי: ָאְמ ָר ה ֵל יּה.ְו ָה ִכ י ֲה ָו ה ַמ ֲע ֶׂש ה
ׇּכל ָי ָמ יו ֶׁש ל אֹותֹו ַצ ִּד יק ָה ָי ה ִמ ְת ַע ֶּנ ה ַע ד ֶׁש ֵּמ ת ְּב אֹוָת ּה ִמ יָת ה.ִא יַּכ ַּו וִנ י.
When he came home, his wife was lighting a fire in the oven. He went and sat inside it. She
said to him: What is this? He said to her: Such and such an incident occurred; he told her
that he engaged in intercourse with a prostitute. She said to him: It was I. He paid no attention
to her, thinking she was merely trying to comfort him, until she gave him signs that it was
indeed she. He said to her: I, in any event, intended to transgress. The Gemara relates: All the
days of that righteous man he would fast for the transgression he intended to commit, until he
died by that death in his misery.
The Gemara explains…
ְו ִה יא, ְו ָׁש ַמ ע ַּב ְע ָל ּה ְו ֵה ֵפ ר ָל ּה, ַּב ָּמ ה ַה ָּכ תּוב ְמ ַד ֵּב ר? ְּב ִא ָּׁש ה ֶׁש ָּנ ְד ָר ה ְּב ָנ ִז יר, ״ִא יָׁש ּה ֲה ֵפ ָר ם ַו ה׳ ִיְס ַל ח ָל ּה״:ְּד ַת ְנ ָי א
ְו ָה ְי ָת ה ׁשֹוָת ה ַי ִין ּוִמ ַּט ְּמ ָאה ְל ֵמ ִת ים,ֹלא ָי ְד ָע ה ֶׁש ֵה ֵפ ר ָל ּה ַּב ְע ָל ּה.
The Gemara explains the source that one who intended to transgress is punished even though he
did not actually sin. As it is taught in a baraita concerning a husband who nullified the vow of
his wife: “Her husband has made them null; and the Lord will forgive her” (Numbers
30:13). With regard to what case is the verse speaking? Why would the woman require
forgiveness if her husband has nullified her vow? It is referring to a woman who vowed to be a
nazirite, and her husband heard and nullified her vow. And she did not know that her
husband had nullified her vow, and she drank wine and contracted impurity from a corpse,
violating her presumed vow.
, ּוָמ ה ִמ י ֶׁש ִּנ ְת ַּכ ֵּו ין ֶל ֱא כֹול ְּב ַׂש ר ֲח ִז יר ְו ָע ָל ה ְּב ָי דֹו ְּב ַׂש ר ָט ֶל ה: ָאַמ ר,ַר ִּב י ֲע ִק יָב א ִּכ י ֲה ָו ה ָמ ֵט י ְל ַה אי ְּפ סּוָק א ֲה ָו ה ָּב ֵכ י
ִמ י ֶׁש ִּנ ְת ַּכ ֵּו ין ֶל ֱא כֹול ְּב ַׂש ר ֲח ִז יר ְו ָע ָל ה ְּב ָי דֹו ְּב ַׂש ר ֲח ִז יר – ַע ל ַאַח ת ַּכ ָּמ ה, ְצ ִר יָכ ה ַּכ ָּפ ָר ה ּוְס ִל יָח ה:ָאְמ ָר ה ּתֹוָר ה
ְו ַכ ָּמ ה.
The Gemara relates: When Rabbi Akiva came to this verse he would cry. He said: And if
with regard to one who intended to eat pork, and kosher lamb came up in his hand, like this
woman who intended to violate her vow but in fact did not, the Torah nevertheless says: She
requires atonement and forgiveness, all the more so does one who intended to eat pork and
pork came up in his hand require atonement and forgiveness.
ּוָמ ה ִמ י: ְּכ ֶׁש ָה ָי ה ַר ִּב י ֲע ִק יָב א ַמ ִּג יַע ְל ָפ סּוק ֶז ה ָה ָי ה ּבֹוֶכ ה.ַּכ ּיֹוֵצ א ַּב ָּד ָב ר ַא ָּת ה אֹוֵמ ר ״ְו ֹלא ָי ַד ע ְו ָא ֵׁש ם ְו ָנ ָׂש א ֲע ֹונֹו״
ִמ י ֶׁש ִּנ ְת ַּכ ֵּו ין ֶל ֱא כֹול ֵח ֶל ב, ״ְו ֹלא ָי ַד ע ְו ָא ֵׁש ם ְו ָנ ָׂש א ֲע ֹונֹו״:ֶׁש ִּנ ְת ַּכ ֵּו ין ֶל ֱא כֹול ׁשּוָּמ ן ְו ָע ָל ה ְּב ָי דֹו ֵח ֶל ב – ָאְמ ָר ה ּתֹוָר ה
״ְו ֹלא ָי ַד ע ְו ָא ֵׁש ם ְו ָנ ָׂש א ֲע ֹונֹו״ – ַע ל ָּד ָב ר ֶז ה ִיְד וּו: ִא יִס י ֶּב ן ְי הּוָד ה אֹוֵמ ר.ְו ָע ָל ה ְּב ָי דֹו ֵח ֶל ב – ַע ל ַאַח ת ַּכ ָּמ ה ְו ַכ ָּמ ה
ׇּכל ַה ּדֹוִו ים.
In a similar manner, you can say that the same lesson can be derived from the verse: “Though
he know it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity” (Leviticus 5:17). When Rabbi
Akiva came to this verse he would cry. He said: And if with regard to one who intended to
eat permitted fat, and forbidden fat mistakenly came up in his hand, the Torah states:
“Though he know it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity,” all the more so is this
true for one who intended to eat forbidden fat and forbidden fat came up in his hand. Isi ben
Yehuda says with regard to the verse “Though he know it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear
his iniquity”: With regard to this matter all sufferers shall grieve, since the verse teaches that
one is punished even for sinning unawares.