Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the behavior of snakes to determine whether their venom could have contaminated certain vessels. It considers whether a snake would drink from already diluted wine, particularly if others are watching. The conclusion: Snakes don’t usually drink diluted wine, and especially not under observation.
But the Gemara presents an exception—an incident where a snake cleverly gathered water in its mouth, spat it into a wine jug to raise the level to the rim, and then drank that water.
The resolution:
“Wine that the snake itself diluted, it does drink. Wine that another diluted, it does not drink.”
This is about the instinct of disgust—a universal biological emotion across humans and animals, though the specifics may differ. Disgust is a protective instinct to avoid contamination and disease. Humans have a feature that goes beyond animal, instinct, and that is our intellect and imagination can create symbolic content and trans association.
Therefore, symbolically, we also find behaviors—especially sexual immorality—can evoke intense disgust. (See: “https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/gross-why-humans-are-hardwired-to-feel-disgustEw, gross! Why humans are hardwired to feel disgust. | National Geographic). This is why some people become physically nauseous when their sexual boundaries are violated.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word for something revolting is ga’al, which means something so loathsome that the body instinctively wants to vomited out. This is why the koshering process hag’alah where boiling water expels non-kosher taste absorbed in vessels, has the same Hebrew root. The Torah uses ga’al for both divine disgust and human rebellion (Vayikra 26:11, 26:15 ).
Returning to the snake: It is not disgusted by water from its own mouth, but is by other sources. Likewise, people often tolerate in themselves behaviors they would be disgusted by in others.
Our own leftovers are fine, someone else’s are gross. Our own body odor is tolerable, others’ are revolting.
So too, spiritually: What sins or moral failings that ought to disgust us but we accept because they originate within ourselves?
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com