Две замечательные истории из книги Цви Зогара Rabbinic Creativity in the Modern Middle East

Первую историю описал в своих респонсах р. Аарон Бен-Шимон, с 1890 по 1921 главный раввин Каира:

It happened here [in Cairo] that a prostitute dedicated a parokhet [curtain] for the synagogue’s Ark of the Law from new cloth. However, this wicked woman wrote her name on it in gilded flagrant letters that were visible and readable from afar. And I told the heads of the community, may God preserve them, that this was very ugly and repulsive. All the more so, since this prostitute still practices her occupation, and there are, in our many sins, many Jewish young men who have become caught in her net. And so, if her despicable name is written on the holy curtain – why, then, when these [young men] are in synagogue, and they raise their eyes to the curtain and see her name, they will undoubtedly come to sinful thoughts even during the prayers. And so [by permitting such a curtain to hang on the Ark] we [the heads of the community] are leading the public to sin, God forbid, aside from the very thing itself being loathsome, i.e. having such a reminder of sin, lust and sordidness in the house of God.

Тем не менее, р. Бен-Шимон не запретил принять этот и другие подобные подарки:

It is proper for the gabbaim [officials] of congregations to care for the honor of their Maker. And if these wicked people [prostitutes] should dedicate a curtain, or a Torah, or decorations for the Torah, and so on – they [the gabbaim] should accept it from them on the condition that their name is not written or mentioned on the holy artefacts … and thus, when a certain prostitute dedicated a Torah to the synagogue, we accepted it, on the condition that her name was not written or mentioned … [and so we applied the principle that:]
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter” (Prov. 25.2).

Особенно доставляет в этом списке свиток Торы - вещь очень дорогая, которую и тогда, и сейчас могли позволить себя только очень состоятельные люди. Остается предположить, что молодых людей, у которых при взгляде на этот парохет могли возникнуть неблагочестивые мысли, было ну ооочень много.

Вторая история приключилась с главным раввином Александрии р. Хазаном, которого срочно вызвали в Порт-Саид по следующему делу:

On Sunday night, the second of the month of Nissan, I was passing by the bar owned by the woman Hannah Rosa, daughter of Qalman, in the ninth hour before midnight, and with me was David Avraham, may God preserve him. And we saw there Ze'ev Ben-Yonah, may God preserve him, sitting by the table and before him glasses of beer. And by his side was seated the maiden Hannah, daughter of Hayyim, and her mother also was sitting across from them. And they were drinking beer … and we came in together and sat drinking beer for half an hour or so. And the
aforementioned Ze'ev was flirting with the aforementioned maiden Hannah in a frivolous way. And while doing so, he took her hand under the table, and we heard these things said: “you are consecrated to me according to the Law of Moses and Israel” [= the Jewish betrothal formula].

Объясняя свой экстравагантный поступок, молодой человек заявил раввину:

I went there and sat with the girl, and I said to her, does she want to finish this business and get married to me? And she answered me: “why is marriage necessary? I am just as your wife, with no marriage!” and I said “this I know, but I want it to be with sanction [= halakhically permitted]”. And she said to me: “I will not take you as my husband, at all!”

Проще говоря, спать с ним девушка соглашалась, а вот замуж выходить решительно не хотела. Поскольку, помимо упомянутого Зеева, "флиртовала" и с другими мужчинами, включая "необрезанных" от которых регулярно получала подарки. (Зеев как раз ничего ей не дарил, на что она сильно обижалась). Более того, на суде Хана заявила, что когда Зеев надел ей кольцо, она сначала решила, что он, наконец, решил ей что-нибудь подарить.

Собственно, развеселое поведение девушки и стало причиной, почему уважаемый раввин все бросил и поспешил в Порт-Саид:

For the wayward girl is openly sitting in this licentious place and is quite content to be wanton … therefore I have hurried myself to reply as soon as possible, for if, God forbid, the betrothal was valid, and she has the halakhic status of a married woman – this should be
publicized so that no one will lapse with her.

Чем кончилось дело, Зогар не пишет. По идее, помолвку должны были признать недействительной. Но кто знает.