Study Avodah Zarah folio 20B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
ולא בבגדי צבע [של] אשה, ולא בחמור ולא בחמורה, ולא בחזיר ולא בחזירה, ולא בעופות בזמן שנזקקין זה לזה, ואפילו מלא עינים כמלאך המות.
and a person should not gaze upon the colored garments of a woman; and a person should not gaze at a male donkey, at a female donkey, at a pig, at a sow, or at fowl, when they are mating; and even if one were full of eyes like the Angel of Death and saw from every direction, it is not permitted to look.
אמרו עליו על מלאך המות, שכולו מלא עינים, בשעת פטירתו של חולה עומד מעל מראשותיו, וחרבו שלופה בידו, וטיפה של מרה תלויה בו, כיון שחולה רואה אותו מזדעזע ופותח פיו, וזורקה לתוך פיו, ממנה מת, ממנה מסריח, ממנה פניו מוריקות!
They said about the Angel of Death that he is entirely full of eyes. When a sick person is about to die, the Angel of Death stands above his head, with his sword drawn in his hand, and a drop of poison hanging on the edge of the sword. Once the sick person sees him, he trembles and thereby opens his mouth; and the Angel of Death throws the drop of poison into his mouth. From this drop of poison the sick person dies, from it he putrefies, from it his face becomes green.
קרן זוית הואי.
The Talmud answers: Rabban Gamliel did not intentionally look at the woman; rather, he was walking around a corner and he saw her unexpectedly as they each turned.
ולא בבגדי צבע [של] אשה. אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל: אפילו שטוחין על גבי כותל. אמר רב פפא: ובמכיר בעליהן. אמר רבא: דיקא נמי, דקתני ״ולא בבגדי צבע אשה״, ולא קתני ״ולא בבגדי צבעונין״, שמע מינה.
With regard to the statement in the baraita: Nor may one gaze at the colored garments of a woman, Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: This is the halakha even if they are spread on a wall, not only when they are being worn. Rav Pappa says: And the prohibition applies only when one knows their owner. Rava said: The language of the baraita is also precise, as it teaches: Nor may one gaze at the colored garments of a woman, and it does not teach: Nor may one gaze at colored garments. Learn from it that the prohibition applies only to the garments of one he knows.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.