Талмуд к Шмот 20:17

Abba Hilfai said in the name of his father Abba Ḥagra: Do not be rash in making vows that you may not trespass in the matter of oaths,⁸⁴Which are more stringent; cf. Ned. 20a (Sonc. ed., p. 56), Demai II, 3 (Sonc. ed., p. 58). and do not be the guest of a kohen who is an ‘am ha-’areẓ lest he give you consecrated food⁸⁵e.g. terumah. According to this reading the exhortation is to a non-kohen. R.N. (cf. Ned. loc. cit.) reads ‘unclean consecrated food’, which was forbidden even to a kohen, in which case the exhortation is addressed to a kohen. to eat. Do not converse much with women because every conversation with a woman is only about unchastity.⁸⁶This statement is not meant to be derogatory of women, who were held in high esteem, but was conditioned by the prevailing laxity in morals which characterized many of the ancient peoples. Cf. Herford, Talmud and Apocrypha, pp. 163ff. [See also Büchler, Types of Jewish-Palestinian Piety, p. 66, n. 2.] The saying is based on Aboth I, 5 (Sonc. ed., p. 4). R. Aḥi of the School⁸⁷V and H read ‘son of’. of R. Josiah said: He who gazes at a woman eventually comes to sin, and he who looks upon a woman’s heel will beget degenerate children,⁸⁸‘And he who looks’, etc., is the reading of GRA. V and H have: ‘And the Sages said: It is decreed against one who looks’, etc. and he who has no shamefacedness⁸⁹i.e. whoever is impudent. is easily led to sin; as it is stated, The show of their countenance doth witness against them [and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not].⁹⁰Isa. 3, 9. But he who is shamefaced⁹¹i.e. is not callous, but feels humiliated when he does wrong. will not easily sin, as it is stated, [And Moses said unto the people, fear not; for God is come to prove you] that His fear may be before your face that ye sin not.⁹²Ex. 20, 17. Face is understood as shamefacedness. Cf. Yeb. 79a (Sonc. ed., p. 535) where a sense of shame is said to be one of the characteristics of the Jew.
R. Measha,⁹³[This is the correct form of the name; cf. Bacher, Ag. d. pal. Amoräer, III, p. 614. Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus, XXIII, 13, Sonc. ed., p. 303, reads ‘Menashyah’.] grandson of R. Joshua b. Levi, said: One who looks at a naked part of the body and does not feed his eyes on it⁹⁴i.e. his gaze is not for the purpose of lustful pleasure. will merit to receive the Divine Presence; as it is stated, And [he that] shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil,⁹⁵Isa. 33, 15. and immediately after it is written, He shall dwell on high,⁹⁶ibid. 16. and it is written, Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty.⁹⁷ibid. 17. King is here understood of God.

BARAITHA.¹K 16. R. Judah said: The bold-faced are [destined] to Gehinnom and the shamefaced to the Garden of Eden. The bold-faced, R. Eliezer said, is the bastard; R. Joshua said: the son of a niddah; R. ‘Aḳiba said: both a bastard and the son of a niddah.
GEMARA. What is R. Judah’s reason [for his statement]? For it is written, A wicked man hardeneth his face.²Prov. 21, 29. Since he hardens his face he is termed wicked and the wicked man is [destined] to Gehinnom. And according to R. Judah, what if he repented? He will answer: There is no [likelihood of] repentance for the bold-faced. ‘The shamefaced to the Garden of Eden’. It has been taught: The shamefaced will not easily yield to sin, as it is stated, And that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.³Ex. 20, 17; in the Heb. text XX, 20. What is the meaning of the word for ‘a bastard’ [mamzer]? R. Eliezer said: Me’um zar [‘something strange’].⁴i.e. anyone objectionable; cf. Yeb. 76b (Sonc. ed., p. 517).

R. Nehorai said: Whoever puts his neighbour to shame will in the end himself be put to shame; furthermore, the Angels of Destruction thrust and drive him out of the world and expose his shame before all mankind. But whoever is shamefaced will not speedily yield to sin; as it is stated, And that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.²⁷Ex. 20, 17. As regards anyone who is not shamefaced, it is certain that his forefathers did not stand at the foot of Mount Sinai.