Julian Ungar-Sargon

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Daf Ditty

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

Avodah Zarah 25: אשה חשובה בין אנשים

jyungar July 13, 2025

For the source text click/tap here: Avodah Zarah 25

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The prohibition of yichud, codified in the Talmud (Kiddushin 80b; Avodah Zarah 36b) and halakhically detailed in the Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer 22), forbids a man and woman who are not married to one another from being secluded in private spaces.

To many, this restriction appears anachronistic in an age that celebrates autonomy, gender equality, and sexual liberation.

Yet, in a cultural moment punctuated by scandals involving consensual and non-consensual sexual interactions (e.g., Weinstein, Epstein, #MeToo), the yichud framework warrants renewed attention.

Yichud is not primarily concerned with action but with potential: the creation of a situation where illicit sexual behavior might occur. The prohibition stems from the rabbinic maxim, ein apotropus le-arayot—“there is no guardian against sexual impropriety” (Avodah Zarah 36b). Human desire, rabbinic sources suggest, is unpredictable, transcultural, and requires external containment.

We explore the notions of power intimacy and sexuality.

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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.​