Kiddushin 81B

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Text Excerpt

תיב שפיר. אמר ליה: הבו לי כסא, יהבו ליה כסא. אכמר שדא ביה כיחו. נחרו ביה. שקא ומית. שמעו דהוו קאמרי: פלימו קטל גברא! פלימו קטל גברא! ערק וטשא נפשיה בבית הכסא. אזיל בתריה, נפל קמיה. כי דחזייה דהוה מצטער גלי ליה נפשיה. אמר ליה: מאי טעמא אמרת הכי? ואלא היכי אימא? אמר ליה: לימא מר ״רחמנא נגער ביה בשטן״.

Sit properly and do not act in a revolting manner. Satan then said to him: Give me a cup. They gave him a cup. He coughed up his phlegm and spat it into the cup. They berated him for acting this way, at which point Satan pretended to sink down and die. They heard people around them saying: Peleimu killed a man! Peleimu killed a man! Peleimu fled and hid himself in the latrine. Satan followed him and fell before him. Upon seeing that Peleimu was suffering, he revealed himself to him. Satan said to him: What is the reason that you spoke this way, provoking me by saying: An arrow in the eye of Satan? He replied: But what then should I say? Satan said to him: Let the Master, i.e., Peleimu, say: Let God rebuke the Satan.

רבי חייא בר אשי הוה רגיל כל עידן דהוה נפל לאפיה הוה אמר: ״הרחמן יצילנו מיצר הרע״. יומא חד (שמעתינהו) [שמעתיה] דביתהו, אמרה: מכדי הא כמה שני דפריש ליה מינאי, מאי טעמא קאמר הכי?

The Talmud relates: R' Ḥiyya bar Ashi was accustomed to say, whenever he would fall on his face in prayer: May God 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 She said: After all, it has been several years since he has withdrawn from having sex with me due to his advanced years.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?

יומא חדא הוה קא גריס בגינתיה. קשטה נפשה, חלפה ותנייה קמיה. אמר לה: מאן את? אמרה: אנא חרותא דהדרי מיומא. תבעה. אמרה ליה: אייתי ניהלי להך רומנא דריש צוציתא. שוור, אזל אתייה ניהלה.

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 had sex.

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.