Daat Emet
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
Daat Emet
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
  • Torah, Science & Ethics
    • Pamphlets
    • Scientific Errors in Torah
    • Religion & Ethics
    • Mitzvahs
    • Religion Caught in Its Own Net
  • Torah & Talmud
    • Weekly Portion
    • Torah Text
    • Talmud Issues
    • Daily Peppers
  • Questions & Answers
  • Who We Are
    • About Daat Emet
    • Our Supporters
    • Support Us
  • English
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • Yiddish
    • Français (French)
Two men who sleep naked, back to back, may recite the Shema
Home » Daily Peppers
Yaron Yadan 08/02/2009
Two men who sleep naked, back to back, may recite the Shema

One sage asked another: If two men sleep naked in the same bed, facing each other, they are forbidden to recite the Shema because each sees the other’s sexual organ. What is the rule if they sleep naked back to back, rear end to rear end? The answer: since they do not face each other’s sexual organs and do not see them, they are permitted to recite the Shema. The scholars wondered about this and noted: Even after their backs are turned, the cheeks of their rear ends still touch each other. They were answered that the cheeks are not considered nakedness and that one is permitted to recite the Shema. (This translation was prepared in accordance with Rashi’s commentary. The are many other strange and different commentaries, and much ink has been spilled on this matter.)
(Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot 24a)

About the Author

ירון ידען View all posts by Yaron Yadan

ירון ידען (נולד בטבריה ב-8 בדצמבר 1961) הוא פעיל חברתי ומייסד ארגון "דעת אמת" העומד בראש מפלגת אור.

Additional Peppers
A woman who betrayed her husband and denies it must drink the holy waters to be examined

A woman who betrayed her husband and denies it must drink the holy waters to be examined

One who thought he heard the braying of a donkey but really heard a shofar has not fulfilled his obligation

One who thought he heard the braying of a donkey but really heard a shofar has not fulfilled his obligation

The hand of the priest was cut off after he threw the blood of a bird at the altar

The hand of the priest was cut off after he threw the blood of a bird at the altar

The anatomy of the female womb and blood in the ante-chamber

The anatomy of the female womb and blood in the ante-chamber

The fertilized eggs of a sick tereifah hen are permitted and the unfertilized are not

The fertilized eggs of a sick tereifah hen are permitted and the unfertilized are not

A woman who was widowed twice is in danger of having her third husband die, too

A woman who was widowed twice is in danger of having her third husband die, too

One who designated black and white doves for consumption and found that their places were switched

One who designated black and white doves for consumption and found that their places were switched

© 2016 כל הזכויות שמורות לדעת אמת.
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset