Unfortunately men haven’t changed TB Shabbat 62

The Mishnah on today’s daf TB Shabbat 62 presents a disagreement between Rabbi Meir and sages whether certain objects that women wear should be classified as a piece of jewelry and permitted to be worn on Shabbat or as a burden, משאוי and forbidden. Since two of the objects under discussion were a bundle of sweet smelling herbs and a flask of balsam oil, the rabbis analyzed verses containing spices describing the wanton behavior of men and women in the book of Amos and Isaiah. 

 I am embarrassed and sad to say that the Gemara proves that men’s behavior towards women has not changed enough over the course of history.

“On the topic of the sins of Jerusalem and the abundance that existed before its destruction (of the First Temple), Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: The people of Jerusalem were people of arrogance. They would couch their crude behavior in euphemisms. A person would say to another: On what did you dine today? Well-kneaded bread or bread that is not well-kneaded? On white wine or on black wine? Sitting on a wide divan or on a narrow divan? With a good friend or a bad friend? And Rav Ḥisda said: And all these allude to promiscuity. These are all euphemisms for different types of women. Well-kneaded bread refers to a woman who is not a virgin; white wine refers to a fair-complexioned woman; a wide divan refers to a fat woman; a good friend refers to a good-looking woman.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Today were all too familiar with a presidential proudly proclaiming that he could grab women’s private parts with impunity and be accused of sexual assault by over a dozen women while a current presidential candidate has been accused by one woman of sexually assaulting her. Movie producers. Television stars, and other men with power use their power over women to do what they will. On the college campus date is a real phenomenon. The MeToo movement has highlighted these crimes and demand our societal norms against women change.

The Rabbi’s teach that the First Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were exiled because of three sins one being sexual immorality (the other two were murder and adultery). That’s a lesson we should learn too.