Libels about the Talmud are almost as old as the Talmud itself, and have been used as a justification for centuries of Jew-hate. Misquoting Talmudic texts or taking them out of context is an age-old method used to incite antisemitism.
In fact, most people do not even know what the Talmud is: the textual record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and structured as commentary on the Mishnah with stories interwoven.
The libels continue to this very day and are being disseminated online by the worst of the worst.
The supposed quotes and meaning behind them that we are seeing these days come from a Third Reich book: Unmoral im Talmud (translation: Immorality In The Talmud) By Nazi Alfred Rosenberg.
I have decided to publish this new series as an online, easy-to-find record for fighting these libels. The responses are primarily based on those given by Rabbi Yisrael M. Eliashiv, who goes by the name Shevereshtus on Twtter/X, but in some cases also other sources. Each post will deal with one of the libels.
Avodah Zara 36b: Gentile “Goy” girls are in a state of niddah (filth) from birth
This is another fake translation and something taken out of context.
The actual quote is:
Rabbi Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says: They decreed upon their daughters that they should be classified as menstruating women from the time they are in their cradle, i.e., they decreed that from when they are young, gentile women are always considered to be menstruating.
“Niddah” is basically a menstruating woman. Jewish law forbids sexual relations while a woman is a niddah and until she immerses in the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath), and the rabbis prescribe a number of additional regulations.
Non-Jewish girls are considered niddah from birth. So is the status of any non-Jewish woman who is unmarried, and Jewish women for nearly half a month. It has nothing to do with “filth” at all.
Since the punishment for having sexual relations with any niddah is severe in Jewish law, the Rabbis decreed that non-Jewish women are considered to be in a state of niddah so as to deter Jewish men from having relations with them for fear of this severe punishment. This is just one example of how the Torah is against intermarriage.
