Study Kiddushin folio 40A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
נושאי קיסר שמרוני כל הלילה. אמרו ליה: שמא דבר ערוה בא לידך וניצלת הימנו, דתנינא: כל הבא דבר ערוה לידו וניצל הימנו – עושין לו נס. ״גברי כח עשי דברו לשמע בקול דברו״ – כגון רבי צדוק וחביריו.
soldiers [nosei keisar] who guarded me all night. They said to him: Perhaps a matter of forbidden sex presented itself to you and you were saved from it, which is why a miracle occurred for you. As we learned: With regard to anyone to whom a matter of forbidden sex presented itself to him and he was saved from it, a miracle is performed for him. As it says: “Mighty in strength who fulfill His word, hearkening to the voice of His word” (Psalms 103:20). This is referring to one such as R' Tzadok and his colleagues.
רבי צדוק תבעתיה ההיא מטרוניתא, אמר לה: חלש לי ליבאי ולא מצינא, איכא מידי למיכל? אמרה ליה: איכא דבר טמא. אמר לה: מאי נפקא מינה? דעביד הא – אכול הא. שגרת תנורא, קא מנחא ליה. סליק ויתיב בגויה. אמרה ליה: מאי האי? אמר לה: דעביד הא – נפיל בהא. אמרה ליה: אי ידעי כולי האי – לא צערתיך.
To what is this referring? R' Tzadok was enticed by a certain noblewoman to have sex with her. He said to her: My heart is weak and I am incapable at present; is there something to eat that can strengthen me? She said to him: There is something non-kosher. He said to her: What difference is there? One who performs such an act eats such food as well. She lit the oven and placed the non-kosher food in it to roast. He climbed and sat in the oven. She said to him: What is the meaning of this? He said to her: One who performs this act falls into this, i.e., the fires of Gehenna. She said to him: If I had known that the matter was so serious for you, I would not have caused you such anguish.
רב כהנא הוה קמזבין דיקולי, תבעתיה ההיא מטרוניתא. אמר לה: איזיל איקשיט נפשאי, סליק וקנפיל מאיגרא לארעא. אתא אליהו קבליה. אמר ליה: אטרחתן ארבע מאה פרסי! אמר ליה: מי גרם לי, לאו עניותא? יהב ליה שיפא דדינרי.
The Talmud further relates: Rav Kahana would sell baskets woven from palm leaves to women. He was enticed by a certain noblewoman to have sex with her. He said to her: Let me go and adorn myself beforehand. He ascended to the roof and fell from the roof toward the ground. Elijah the prophet came and caught him. Elijah the prophet said to Rav Kahana: You have troubled me to travel 400 parasangs [parsei] to save you. Rav Kahana said to him: What caused me to be in this situation of temptation? Was it not poverty, as I am forced to engage in a trade that leads me to come into contact with women? Elijah gave him a basket [shifa] full of dinars, to spare him from having to work as a salesman.