Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Red-figure Vessel with Leda and the Swan (Greek, Apulia 330 BCE) - Leda with the Swan, as Hypnos enchants her

Yevamot 59: Zoophilia

jyungar May 5, 2022

For the source text click/tap here: Yevamot 59

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The Mishna on our daf delineates the rules of a kohen gadol – the High Priest – who is limited by the Torah (see Vayikra 21:10-15) with regard to who he can marry, even more so than an ordinary kohen.

While an ordinary kohen cannot marry a gerusha (divorcee), zona (harlot) or halala (woman who was defiled by a forbidden sexual encounter), the kohen gadol also cannot marry an almana (widow) and may only marry a betula (virgin).

The Gemara discusses the technical definition of these terms in some detail in order to clarify the rules of marriage for both an ordinary kohen and a kohen gadol.

One ruling presented by Rav Shimi bar Hiyya is that a woman who has had relations with an animal does not fall into any of the forbidden categories and a kohen would be permitted to marry her, even though she is liable to receive a death penalty for her actions (if she did it on purpose).

The Gemara then goes on to relate that such a story actually took place. In the town of Hitlu, a young woman was innocently cleaning the house when she was raped by a dog (some manuscripts say it was a kof – a monkey).

We explore the history of bestiality in the antique period from the Hittite codes to the greek Myth of Leda the Swan.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​