Kiddushin 81b

קידושין פ״א ע״ב

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Topic

The power of the יצר הרע, the seriousness of sinful intention, and the laws of יחוד with relatives and children

Overview

The amud opens by finishing the story of פלימו, who used to taunt שטן. שטן embarrasses him and then teaches him to say instead, 'May the Merciful One rebuke שטן.' Next comes the story of the elderly רבי חייא בר אשי. He gives in to his wife, who is disguised as a prostitute, and then fasts for the rest of his life because he meant to sin. A ברייתא about a woman whose נזיר vow was cancelled without her knowing shows that even a sinful intention needs forgiveness. This leads רבי עקיבא and איסי בן יהודה to cry over how serious sin is. The גמרא then returns to the משנה's rules of יחוד. רב אסי allows it with close relatives, but שמואל forbids it with all עריות, even an animal, and the גמרא concludes that this is a dispute among תנאים. רבא lists pairs of women a man may be alone with, and the גמרא sets the ages at which children may no longer share a bed with a parent. The amud ends with a story about רב אחא בר אבא holding his granddaughter, and his answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (29)

1. Statementשטן provokes פלימו and fakes his own death
2. Statementפלימו hides and שטן reveals himself
3. ConclusionThe proper way to speak about שטן
4. Statementרבי חייא בר אשי's prayer puzzles his wife
5. StatementThe wife's disguise and his failure in the garden
6. StatementHe sits in the oven and his wife reveals the truth
7. ConclusionHis intention still counted, so he fasted all his life
8. ProofA source: the woman who did not know her vow was cancelled
9. Statementרבי עקיבא cries: if a mistaken sinner needs forgiveness, how much more a real one
10. StatementA second פסוק that made רבי עקיבא cry
11. Statementאיסי בן יהודה: everyone should grieve over this
12. StatementBack to the משנה: being alone with close relatives
13. Statementשמואל: no being alone with any forbidden relative, even an animal
14. ChallengeThe משנה Seems to Refute שמואל
15. Resolutionשמואל Points to a ברייתא on His Side
16. ResolutionIt Is a Dispute Among תנאים
17. Proofרבי מאיר and רבי טרפון Were Careful Even with Close Relatives
18. StatementHow אביי and רב ששת Kept Away from Animals
19. Questionרב חנן Finds רב כהנא Alone with an Animal
20. Responseרב כהנא Had Not Noticed the Animal
21. Statementרבא's List of Women a Man May Be Alone With
22. QuestionAt what age are children called grown up?
23. ResponseFirst answer: a girl at nine, a boy at twelve
24. StatementSecond version: a girl at twelve, a boy at thirteen
25. StatementIf she is embarrassed, it is forbidden at any age
26. Challengeרב חסדא questions holding a granddaughter on the lap
27. Resolutionרב אחא: you would not betroth a minor against רב's ruling
28. Challengeרב חסדא: you went against שמואל's rule about using a woman
29. Resolutionרב אחא starts to answer with another ruling of שמואל