Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

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

Bava Batra 19: מֵי רַגְלַיִם מִן הַכּוֹתֶל

jyungar July 14, 2024

For the source text click/tap here: Bava Batra 19

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The Mishna had stated: One must distance his urine three tefachim from the wall of his friend. Rabbah bar bar Chanah said: It is permissible for a man to urinate on the side of another man’s wall, as it is written: And I will cut off from Achav’s house every one that urinates against the wall (every man) and the wealth that is stored in houses, and the animals that are left in the fields of Israel. [Evidently, urinating by a wall was common practice!?]

The Gemora answers: our Mishna is discussing urine which is poured from a pot (and then it requires distancing from a wall). The Gemora asks from a braisa: A man should not urinate on the side of another man’s wall unless he keep three tefachim away.

We explore how urine was used and abused in antiquity (uromancy) and the properties of urine in our times.

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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.​