Gittin

or grapes from a vine trailed on a palm tree in water. For lichen,  he should take seven Arzanian wheat stalks  and roast them over a new hoe and smear himself with the juice that exudes from them. R. Shimi b. Ashi used this remedy for a heathen for something else,  and it cured him. Samuel said: If a man has been wounded by a Persian lance  there is no hope for him. All the same, however, he should be given fat roast meat and strong wine, as this may keep him alive long enough to enable him to give his last instructions. R. Idi b. Abin said: If a man has swallowed a wasp there is no hope for him. It is as well, however, to give him a revi'ith of Shamgaz vinegar  to drink, as this may keep him alive long enough to enable him to give his last instructions. R. Joshua b. Levi said: If a man eats beef with turnips and sleeps in the moon on the nights of the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month in the cycle of Tammuz,  he is liable to ahilu.  To this a gloss was added: If one gorges himself with anything, he is liable to ahilu. R. Papa said: This applies even to dates. Is not this obvious? — [Not so: for] you might argue thus: Seeing that a Master has said, Dates fill and warm and promote digestion and strengthen and do not spoil the taste,  I might think [that dates are] not [included]; hence we are told [that they are]. What is ahilu? — R. Eleazar said: A burning in the bones.  (What is meant by a burning of bones? — Abaye replied: A burning in the bones.)  What is the remedy for it? — Abaye said: I have been told by my mother that all medicines are to be taken either three days or seven or twelve, but with this he must go on till he is cured. All other medicines must be taken on an empty stomach; this one, however, [is different]. After he has eaten and drunk and relieved himself and washed his hands, they must bring him a handful of shatitha  with lentils, and a handful of old wine, and mix them together, and he must Elijah once said to R. Nathan: Eat a third and drink a third and leave a third for when you get angry, and then you will have had your fill. R. Hiyya taught: If a man wants to avoid stomach trouble, he should take tibbul  regularly summer and winter. In a meal which you enjoy indulge not too freely, and do not wait too long to consult nature. Mar 'Ukba said: If a man drinks white tilia,  he will be subject to debility. R. Hisda said: There are sixty kinds of wine; the best of all is red fragrant wine, the worst is white tilia. Rab Judah said: If a man sits by the fire on the mornings of Nisan and rubs himself with oil and then goes out and sits in the sun, he will be liable to debility. Our Rabbis taught: If a man lets blood and then has marital intercourse his children [born therefrom] will be weaklings. If both man and wife let blood before intercourse their children will be liable to ra'athan.  R. Papa said: This is the case only if they did not take anything to eat [in between], but if they took something to eat, there is no harm. Rabbah b. Bar Huna said: If a man immediately on returning from a journey has marital intercourse, his children will be weaklings. The Rabbis taught: On coming from a privy a man should not have sexual intercourse till he has waited long enough to walk half a mil, because the demon of the privy is with him for that time; if he does, his children will be epileptic. The Rabbis taught: If a man has sexual intercourse standing, he will be liable to convulsions; if sitting, to spasms;  if she is above and he below, he will be subject to delaria [diarrhoea]. What is delaria!  R. Joshua b. Levi says: The cure for diarrhoea is dardara. What is Abaye said: One who is not conversant with the way of the world19  should take three kefizi  of safflower and grind it and boil it in wine and drink it. R. Johanan said: This is just what restored me to my youthful vigour. Three things weaken a man's strength, namely, anxiety, travelling and sin. Anxiety, as it is written, My heart fluttereth, my strength faileth me.  Travelling, as it is written, He weakened my strength in the way.  Sin, as it is written, My strength faileth because of mine iniquity. Three things enfeeble a man's body, namely, to eat standing, to drink standing, and to have marital intercourse standing. Five are nearer to death than to life, namely, one who eats and rises immediately, or who drinks and rises immediately, or who lets blood and rises immediately, or who rises immediately on waking or after marital intercourse. If one does the following six things [together], he will die immediately: if he comes weary from a journey, lets blood and has a bath and drinks himself drunk and lies down to sleep on the floor and has marital intercourse. R. Johanan said: That is, if he does them in this order; Abaye said: If he does them in this order he will die; if not in this order he will fall ill. Is that so? Did not [a certain] Me'orath do three of these things to her slave and he died? — He was a weakling. There are eight things which in large quantities are harmful but in small quantities are beneficial, namely, travelling, the 'way of the world', wealth, work, wine, sleep, hot baths, and blood-letting. Eight things cause a diminution of seed, namely, salt, hunger, scalls, weeping, sleeping on the ground, lotus, cucumbers out of season, and bloodletting below, which is as bad as any two. A Tanna taught: As it is as bad as any two below, so it is as good as any two above. R. Papa said: