Q&A: A Question on Rashi
A Question on Rashi
Question
In honor of Rabbi Michi, may he live long and well, greetings,
Sanhedrin 100: Rashi, s.v. “not to have intercourse in an unnatural manner” — “for it is not proper for a person to deviate from his usual way, and this is what he meant by ‘from its ear.’”
I did not understand Rashi’s intent.
Many thanks,
Answer
Look earlier in the passage. A quotation from the book of Ben Sira is brought there, and they want to explain that at root his intention was not the ear-flap of a fish, but rather not to behave in a way that is unnatural, and the intent is intercourse in an unnatural manner. “And this is what he meant by ‘its ear.’”
Discussion on Answer
Peeling the skin starting from the ear is doing something in an unnatural way. And about that the Talmud explains that the intent is to hint at intercourse in an unnatural manner.
Rashi wrote earlier that peeling the skin from the ear is the normal way.
Indeed, and that requires further investigation. Were I not hesitant, I would have said that it should read: “It is not the way of a fish to begin being skinned from its ear.”
But what connection is there between “its ear” and intercourse in an unnatural manner?