Talmud su Cantico dei cantici 7:3

There is a story of a man who studied much Scripture and much Mishnah, and devotedly served the great Torah scholars – and yet he died in middle age. So his wife took his tefillin and went to the synagogues and study houses, and would scream and cry and say to them: My masters! It is written in your Torah (Deuteronomy 30:20), “For it is your life, and the length of your days.” But my husband studied so much Scripture, and so much Mishnah, and served the Torah scholars so devotedly – so why did he die in middle age? No one there had anything to say in response. Then one day, Elijah the prophet visited her and said: My daughter, why are you screaming and crying? She said to him: Master, my husband studied so much Scripture, and so much Mishnah, and devotedly served the Torah scholars – and yet he died in middle age. He said to her: When you were in your period [of impurity], did he come near you during the first (three) days? She said to him, “God forbid! He never touched me with even his little finger. And he would say to me, Do not even touch the dishes, lest they bring (me) to doubt [whether or not I am impure]. [Elijah continued:] And during the latter days, did he come near you? She said to him: Master, I ate with and drank with him, and slept with him in the same bed fully clothed, and yes, his flesh would touch my flesh – but we never had any intention of doing anything else. He said to her: Blessed is the Omnipresent God who killed him! For so it is written in the Torah (Leviticus 18:19), “Do not come near a woman during her period of impurity.”
It says (Leviticus 18:6), “None of you shall come near any of his own flesh.” Because of this, they said: A man should not be alone with (any) women in an inn, even with his sister or his daughter, because of what people will think. He should not chat with a woman in the marketplace, even with his own wife, let alone with another woman, because of what people will claim. A man should not follow a woman in the marketplace, not even his own wife, let alone another woman, because of what people will claim. It says here, “None of you shall come near,” and then it says further on [in the verse], “Do not come near.” Do not come near something that causes you to sin. Stay away from ugliness, and even something similar to ugliness. (Therefore) the sages said: Stay away from a minor sin, for it may bring you to a major sin. And run to [perform] a minor mitzvah (commandment), for it will bring you to [perform] a major mitzvah.
It says (Song of Songs 7:3), “Your belly is like a heap of wheat, surrounded by a hedge of lilies.” “Your belly is [like] a heap of wheat” – that refers to the congregation of Israel. “Surrounded by a hedge of lilies” – that refers to the seventy elders.
Another interpretation: “Your belly is a heap of wheat” – these are the minor, easy commandments. “Surrounded by a hedge of lilies” – when Israel performs mitzvot [commandments], they are taken into the life of the World to Come. How does this happen? When one’s wife is in her period [of impurity], and she is with him in his house, he wants to sleep with her – he wants to, but he does not. Will anyone see him, or will anyone know, or say anything to him? He is only afraid of the one who checks the immersion [at the mikveh]. You could say the same about [taking] challa [for the priests], and you could say that same about [giving] the first shearing [of wool to the priests]. These are minor, easy commandments – like lilies – but when Israel performs them, they are taken into the life of the World to Come.