Sunday, April 5, 2009

Marital Advice, Shabat 140b

This is problematic but interesting.

Rav Hisda told his daughters, 'Be modest before your husbands.  Don't eat bread in front of them(lest you seem to overeat and be perceived as gross.]  Don't eat green vegetables at night [for they cause bad breath].  Don't eat dates or drink beer at night [for they cause indigestion].  [If one uses the fields for a latrine], don't defecate where your husband defecates [lest you become disgusting to him.]  When someone comes calling, don't ask, 'Who is he?' but rather, 'Who is she?' [so that you don't seem used to male visitors.]

He took a ruby in one hand and clod of dirt in the other.  He showed them the ruby, but kept the clod hidden until [the daughters] troubled him [showing them that something hidden can seem more precious, no matter what its value.]  


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