An Arab Woman Accused of Licentiousness
Rabbah bar Bar Ḥanah said: One time I was walking behind R. Ukva. I saw an Arab woman who was sitting, casting her spindle, and spinning a red [thread] opposite her face. Once she saw us, she tore the spindle [from the thread] and threw it down. She said to me, “Young man, give me [the] spindle.” R. Ukva made a comment about her, [noting that she provided an example of one of the types of promiscuity mentioned in the Mishnah.] What did he say about her? [Which one of the cases in the Mishnah did he mention?] Ravina said: He said about her [that she was an example of a woman who licentiously] spins in the marketplace. The rabbis said: He said about her [that she was an example of a woman who licentiously] speaks with every man.
Notes
Words in brackets appear in the original translation.
Credits
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.