Early in Brakhot, we learned that we shouldn't enter ruins because, among other reasons, we may be suspected of engaging in prostitution. And here we have it again! You can' wear tefillin in the bathroom, and if you need to relieve yourself, one suggestion is to leave it on the side of the road. But beware! Don't leave it on the side closer to the public pass-way, lest a prostitute picks it and goes to the Beit Midrash and says "hey! here's so-and-so's tefillin, which he gave to me as a wage for my work."
I wonder why our rabbis were so worried about the suspicion of prostitution. Was this an epidemic problem among the medieval Jews? It's so interesting when you think about this in light of the allegations of sexual misconduct among religious leaders in today's world.
I wonder why our rabbis were so worried about the suspicion of prostitution. Was this an epidemic problem among the medieval Jews? It's so interesting when you think about this in light of the allegations of sexual misconduct among religious leaders in today's world.
I don't know how real the problem was, especially in this case where the story of the talmid chacham whose tefillin was stolen by a prostitute sounds much more like an urban myth than a real ma'aseh. Doesn't mean the fear wasn't real though, of course.
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