Ketubot

but in the former, if she said, 'I wish to be with him', she is allowed [to live with him] whilst in the latter,  even if she said, 'I wish to be with him', she is not allowed [to continue to live with him].  But behold [the case of the man who was] afflicted with boils with whom the woman is not allowed to live even if she said, 'I wish to be with him', for we learned: THE ONLY EXCEPTION BEING A MAN AFFLICTED WITH BOILS BECAUSE SHE [BY HER INTERCOURSE] WILL ENERVATE HIM, and this case was nevertheless enumerated!  — There,  if she were to say. 'I will live with him under [the supervision of] witnesses',  she would be allowed [to remain with him] but here,  even if she were to say, 'I will live with him under [the supervision of] witnesses,' she would not be allowed to do so. It was taught: R. Jose related, An old man of the inhabitants of Jerusalem told me, 'There are twenty-four [kinds of] skin disease,  and in respect of all these the Sages said, "Intercourse is injurious", but most of all is this the case with those afflicted with ra'athan'.  What is the cause of it? — As it was taught: If a man had intercourse immediately after being bled, he will have feeble  children; if intercourse took place after the man and the woman  had been bled they will have children afflicted with ra'athan. R. Papa stated: This  has been said only in the case where nothing was tasted [after the bleeding] but if something was tasted there can be no harm. What are the  symptoms? — His eyes tear, his nostrils run, spittle flows from his mouth and flies swarm about him. What is the cure?  — Abaye said: Pila,  ladanum,  the rind of a nut tree, the shavings of a dressed hide,  melilot  and the calyx  of a red date-tree. These must be boiled together and carried into a house of marble,  and if no marble house is available they may be carried into a house [the walls of which are of the thickness] of seven bricks and a half.  Three hundred cups [of the mixture] must then be poured upon his  head until his cranium is softened, and then his brain is cut open. Four leaves of myrtle must be brought and each foot  [in turn] lifted up and one [leaf] placed [beneath it].  It  is then grasped with a pair of tweezers and burned; for otherwise it would return to him. R. Johanan issued the announcement: Beware of the flies of the man afflicted with ra'athan. R. Zera never sat [with such a sufferer] in the same draught. R. Eleazar never entered his tent. R. Ammi and R. Assi never ate any of the eggs coming from the alley in which he lived. R. Joshua b. Levi, however, attached himself to these [sufferers] and studied the Torah; for he said, A lovely hind and a graceful doe,  if [the Torah] bestows grace upon those who study it, would it not also protect them? When he  was about to die the Angel of Death was instructed, 'Go and carry out his wish'. When he came and shewed himself to him the latter said, 'Shew me my place [in Paradise]'. — 'Very well', he replied. 'Give me your knife', the other demanded, '[since, otherwise], you may frighten me on the way'. He gave it to him. On arriving there he lifted him up and shewed him [his place]. The latter jumped and dropped on the other side [of the wall].  He seized him by the corner of his cloak; but the other exclaimed, 'I swear that I will not go back'. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'If he ever had an oath of his annulled  he must return;  but if not, he need not return'. 'Return to me my knife', he said to him; but the other would not return it to him. A bath kol  went forth and said to him, 'Return the thing to him, for it is required for the mortals'. Elijah  heralded him  proclaiming. 'Make room for the son of Levi, make room for the son of Levi'. As he  proceeded on his way he found R. Simeon b. Yohai sitting on thirteen stools  of gold. 'Are you', the latter asked him, 'the son of Levi?' — 'Yes', he replied. 'Has a rainbow [the latter asked again] ever appeared in your lifetime?' — 'Yes', he replied. 'If that is so [the other said] you are not the son of Levi'.  The fact, however, is  that there was no such thing [in his lifetime], but he  thought, 'I must take no credit for myself'. R. Hanina b. Papa was his  friend, and when he was about to die the Angel of Death was commanded, 'Go and carry out any wish of his'. He went to his house and revealed himself to him. 'Allow me', the latter said to him, 'thirty days in which to revise my studies', for it was said,  'Happy is he who comes here in full possession of his learning'. He left him, and after thirty days he appeared to him again. 'Shew me', the latter said to him 'my place [in Paradise]'. 'Very well', he replied. 'Give me your knife', the other said to him, [since otherwise], you may frighten me on the way'. 'Do you wish to treat me as your friend  has done?' he asked. 'Bring', the other replied, 'the Scroll of the Law and see if anything that is written therein has not been observed by me'. 'Have you attached yourself', he asked 'to the sufferers of ra'athan and engaged thus in the study of the Torah?'  Nevertheless when his soul passed to its eternal rest, a pillar of fire formed a partition between him and the world; and we have it as a tradition that such a partition by a pillar of fire is made only for a person who is unique in his generation  or [one] of the two [outstanding men] in his generation. R. Alexandri approached him and said, 'Do it for the honour of the Sages', but he disregarded him. 'Do it [he said] for the honour of your father's house', but he again disregarded him. 'Do it [he finally requested] for your own honour's sake' [and the pillar of fire] departed. Abaye remarked: [The purpose of the pillar of fire was] to keep away  anyone who had failed to observe even a single letter  [of the Torah]. Said R. Adda b. Mattena to him: [This then would also] exclude the Master, since he has no battlement to his roof.  The fact, however, was  that he did have one, but the wind had thrown it down at that moment. R. Hanina said: Why are there no sufferers from ra'athan in Babylon? — Because they eat beet  and drink beer containing cuscuta  of the hizme  shrub. R. Johanan stated: Why are there no lepers in Babylon? — Because they eat beet,  drink beer, and bathe in the waters of the Euphrates.