Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (Part 1: The Question)

Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/5/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (Part 1: The Question). Sometimes a fish is just a fish, but sometimes it's a euphemism. Part 1 of this article presents the facts and the question. My answer will be forthcoming in Part 2 (God willing).

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The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

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Transcript

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Hello, I'm Rabbi Matt Schneewiss, and this is the audio version of the one-page article I wrote and published on my Substack at Rabbi Schneewiss.substack.com on June 5th, 2026. And the article is titled Bihalosha, Don't Cry Over Lost Fish Slash Forbidden Relations. Part one, the question. And just as a side note, before we start, I'm going to quote a lot of Gemara here. And because the Gemara does not um spell out every single thing, I have included a lot of explanatory text in the brackets. But I can't convey that in audio. So if you want to see what is exactly what the Gemara says and what I'm adding by way of explanation, then you'll have to actually consult the written version of the article. Okay. Things begin to go south in Bamidbar chapter 11. First, the Israelites complain, and Hashem responds with a conflagration. Next, the Asaf Suf, i.e. the rabble that left Egypt with him, instigates more complaining. Quote, from Ba Midbar 11, 4 through 5. And the Asaf Suf that was in their midst were seized with craving, and also the children of Israel wept again, saying, Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish that we would eat in Egypt, Chinan, for free, the cucumbers and the watermelons, and the leeks and the onions and the garlic. End quote. I'm sure you assumed that the fish mentioned in this complaint referred to actual fish. What else could it refer to? Turns out it's a machlocus disagreement. And a bizarre one at that. The Gemara and Yuma 75A states, quote, Rav and Shmuel disagree about the meaning of fish in the verse. We remember the fish that we would eat in Egypt for free. One said actual fish, and one said arryos, forbidden sexual relationships. End quote. Yes, you heard that right. One side maintains that fish means fish, but the other side thinks fish is a codeword for arryos. Why would they be crying about aryos? And what do aryos have to do with fish? Rashi explains, quote, araios, which had become forbidden to them in the wilderness upon receiving the Torah. And Daga fish alludes to sexual intercourse, as in the Yidigula Rove, may they multiply like fish, from Brahis 4816. End quote. Lest you think the Gemara leaves the Mahlokus at that, it does not. An extensive proof text analysis follows. Quote, the Gemara explains: the one who said fish bases his interpretation on that which is written, that we would eat, implying something they ate. And the one who said araios bases his interpretation on that which is written for free. Certainly the Israelite slaves were not given free fish by their oppressive taskmasters. The Gemara asks, According to the one who said Araios, isn't it written that we would eat? The Gemara answers, the Torah employed a euphemistic expression, as it is written in Mishlay 30, 20, quote, so is the way of an adulterous woman. She eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness. End quote. Eat and mouth are clearly sexual euphemisms in that context. And according to the one who said, Fish, what is the meaning of for free? The Gemara answers, The Israelites brought fish the fish from the river, which was ownerless property. As the master said, when the Jews drew water, Hakar Shbarhu prepared little fish for them in the water that swam into their jugs. The Gemara comments, granted, according to the one who said that they cried over actual fish, and that they were not promiscuous with Arios in Egypt, this is what is written in praise of the Jewish people in Sheerashirim 412, quote, A garden enclosed is my sister, the bride, a locked fountain, a sealed spring. End quote. This figurative language teaches that Jewish women were chaste. But according to the one who said that the Jewish people cried over Arios, what does a sealed spring mean? The Gemara answers, it means that they were not promiscuous with those relatives who were already forbidden to them by the seven No High commandments, which they observed in Egypt, but in the wilderness they cried over the additional Araios imposed upon them by the Torah. The Gemara asks further, granted, according to the one who said that they cried over the newly forbidden Araios, this is as it is written, quote, from Bamidborough 1110, and Moshe heard the people weeping for their families, end quote. They wept over quote unquote family matters because it became prohibited for them to cohabit with these with those relatives. But according to the one who said that they cried over fish, what is the meaning of weeping for their families? The Gemar ultimately concludes both this and that happened. They cried about the forbidden sexual relations, and they also cried because they no longer had the fish of Egypt. End quote. That's the end of the article. I decided to only publish uh part one of this article because my answer needs more work, and my insomnia flare up this week has left my brain sluggish. Part two will come next week or next year, as God wills it. How would you answer?