The Babylonian Talmud on Mental Impairment

Aramaic; quotations in Hebrew

The sages taught: Who is mentally impaired [shoteh]? One who goes out alone at night. One who spends the night in the graveyard. One who tears his clothing.

It has been said [by an amora]: R. Huna said: [This applies only] as long as all of them, [i.e., the described behaviors, can be observed] together. R. Yoḥanan said: [One is regarded as mentally disabled] even by [observing] only one of them. This [applies] if one does them in an unsound way, [because then] even one [of the behaviors] is also [proof]. If one does them not in an unsound way, even all of them [prove] nothing?

When actually [it is a case where] one does [one of] them in an unsound way, [e.g.,] one who spends the night in the graveyard, one might say: he has done so in order that a demon of impurity might rest upon him. [Regarding] one who goes out alone at night, one might say: he was seized with gyndropos [a demon; see Greek, kunanthropos].¹ [Regarding] one who tears his garment, one might say: he was lost in thought.

But as soon as one does them all, one is regarded like [an ox] who gored an ox, a donkey, and a camel, and becomes [thereby] a mu‘ad [i.e., a known gorer] with regard to all [animals].