The Harlot Masquerade: Part One: Marc Gafni

There is powerful mythic story of perception in the Babylonian Talmud. It is about Rabbi Hiyya and his misperceived wife.
Rabbi Hiyya bar Ashi3 was used to prostrating himself and utter the following prayer: “May the all-merciful One deliver me from the evil inclination.”
One day his wife overheard him and she said to herself, “What is he talking about? He has abstained from being with me sexually for the past two years. Why is he saying such things?”
Soon after, when he was studying in his garden, his wife disguised herself in Harlots costume and walked past him, back and forth.
“Who are you?” he asked her.
“I am Heruta (Heruta being the name of a well known prostitute who lived in the city) …”
Then she propositioned him. {He accepted the propisition}
{Before yielding} She requested of him, “Bring me that pomegranate, the one at the edge of the highest branch.”
He scrambled up the tree and brought it to her…
When he later returned home, he found his wife lighting the oven fire.
He , and got into the oven.
“What is this?” she asked him.
“I made love to another woman today,” he answered her.
“I was that woman,” she told him…

This is a Talmudic Textual Koan.

What does it mean?

marc gafni
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