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Could someone translate the following:

בשעה שבא נחש על חוה. פשט המאמר הוא כמו שאמרו המפרשים ז"ל, דלא בא עליה ח"ו ביאה ממשית גופא בגופא, אלא ביאה מחשבית והטיל בה זוהמא בראיה, ואותה הזוהמא היתה הזרעה שלו, וכאשר נמצא כך במין העוף שמזדווג ומוליד בראיה בלבד, שהזכר רואה ומסתכל בנקבה.‏

It's from a commentary on the Talmud by Yosef Hayyim. Found it here. I was reading Shabbat 146a and wanted some extra explanation regarding it. However, the commentaries do not have English translations

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  • GGG, welcome to Mi Yodeya, and thanks for bringing your question here. This question would be a great deal more compelling if you'd include more information about what this passage is about, where you came across it, and why you want a translation of it. I replaced the image with the actual text to make the post more accessible to machine-based readers and search, and to make translation efforts easier. – Isaac Moses♦ Mar 3 at 15:30
  • @IsaacMoses, Thanks for the welcome and edits! I was reading Shabbat 146a and wanted some extra explanation regarding it. However, the commentaries do not have English translations – GGG Mar 3 at 15:36
  • Ben Ish Chay Ben Yehoyada. He explains tha the snake did'nt have a sexual intercourse with Chava but a thinking intercourse and this is its seed. He compares this with the intercourse between birds that is following the knowledge of the rav, made by gaze (glance). – kouty Mar 3 at 15:51
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Translation reads as follows:

בשעה שבא נחש על חוה. פשט המאמר הוא כמו שאמרו המפרשים ז"ל, דלא בא עליה ח"ו ביאה ממשית גופא בגופא, אלא ביאה מחשבית והטיל בה זוהמא בראיה, ואותה הזוהמא היתה הזרעה שלו, וכאשר נמצא כך במין העוף שמזדווג ומוליד בראיה בלבד, שהזכר רואה ומסתכל בנקבה.

At the time that the snake was intimate with Chavah - The simple explanation (p'shat) of this piece is like the commentators of blessed memory say, that the snake was not intimate with her G-d forbid through actual intercourse i.e. body on body, rather it was an intimacy of thought, he (the snake) cast a lustful urge (זוהמא) through sight, and it was this lustful urge of his that impregnated her. And we find this with a type of bird that mates and gives birth only by sight, that the male sees and looks at the female.

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  • Wonder what kind of bird he was thinking of – Double AA♦ Mar 3 at 16:20
  • Yep I was thinking that too?! – Dov Mar 3 at 16:33
  • Worth a question :-) – Dov Mar 3 at 16:33
  • @DoubleAA There’s a myth that peafowl don’t mate, I wonder if that’s what he meant – Joel K Mar 3 at 17:13

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