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Text Excerpt
דחוור אפיה, שקל באצבעתיה אנח ליה בפומיה. אמר ליה: אפסדת לסעודתא דמלכא. אמרו ליה: אמאי תיעביד הכי? אמר להו: מאן דעביד הכי פסיל למאכל דמלכא. אמרו ליה: אמאי? אמר להו: דבר אחר חזאי ביה. בדקו ולא אשכחו. שקל אצבעתיה, אנח עליה, אמר להו: הכא מי בדקיתו? בדקו אשכחו. אמרו ליה רבנן: מאי טעמא סמכת אניסא? אמר להו: חזאי רוח צרעת דקא פרחה עילויה.
face blanch because he craved the food, so he took some of the food with his finger and put it in Mar Zutra’s mouth. The chief butler said to him: You have spoiled the king’s meal, as now he will not eat from it. The king’s soldiers who were there said to him: Why did you do this? He said to them: The one who makes such awful dishes is the one who actually spoiled the king’s food. They said to him: Why do you say this? He said to them: I saw something else, i.e., a leprous infection, in this meat. They checked and didn’t find anything. He took his finger and placed it on the food and said to them: Did you check here? They then checked that spot and found the infection. The rabbis said to Rav Ashi: What is the reason that you relied on a miracle and assumed that tzara'at would in fact be found there? He said to them: I saw a leprous spirit hovering over the food and realized that it had this defect.
ההוא רומאה דאמר לה לההיא איתתא: מינסבת לי? אמרה ליה: לא. אזל אייתי רימני, פלי ואכל קמה. כל מיא דצערי לה, בלעתיה, ולא הב לה עד דזג לה. לסוף אמר לה: אי מסינא לך, מינסבת לי? אמרה ליה: אין. אזל אייתי רימני, פלי ואכל קמה. אמר לה: כל מיא דצערי לך, תוף שדאי תוף שדאי! עד דנפקא מינה כי הוצא ירקא ואתסיאת.
The Talmud relates another incident with regard to a similar subject: A certain Roman said to a certain woman: Will you marry me? She said to him: No. In order to convince her, he went and brought pomegranates and peeled them and ate them in front of her and did not give her any of them. The aroma of the pomegranates caused her mouth to water, so she swallowed all of the saliva that caused her anguish, but he did not give her any until she became ill and bloated. Ultimately, he said to her: If I cure you, will you marry me? She said to him: Yes. He went and brought pomegranates, peeled them and ate them in front of her. He said to her: All of the saliva that causes you anguish, spit it out, spit it out. She did this until something like a green leaf came out of her, and then she was cured.