The Topography of Valor: A Lomdish Analysis of I Samuel 17

Sugya Map & Snapshot

The Conceptual Map

The confrontation in I Samuel 17:1-58 is not merely a military skirmish; it is a metaphysical and halachic turning point in early Israelite history. To understand this sugya, we must map its primary coordinates:

• The Core Issue: The transition of the charizah (the thread of divine legitimacy) from the tragic, defensive monarchy of Saul to the charismatic, offensive dynasty of David.
• The Nafka Mina (Practical Halachic/Theological Ramifications):
  1. Gidrei Milchemet Mitzvah vs. Reshut: How does this battle define the halachic parameters of individual endangerment for communal salvation?
  2. Yuchsin (Genealogy): The legal status of David’s Moabite lineage, which is put on trial by Saul’s court mid-battle.
  3. The Nature of Miracles: Does halacha require conventional military preparation (hishtadlut), or does David’s rejection of Saul’s armor establish a precedent for pure bitachon (trust in God)?
• Primary Sources: I Samuel 17:1-58, Sanhedrin 95b, Sotah 42b, and I Chronicles 11:13.

Text Snapshot

Consider the opening verses of our sugya:

וַיַּאַסְפוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־מַחֲנֵיהֶם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיֵּאָסְפוּ שֹׂכֹה אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בֵּין־שׂוֹכֹה וּבֵין־עֲזֵקָה בְּאֶפֶס דַּמִּים׃ “The Philistines assembled their forces for battle; they massed at Socoh of Judah, and encamped at Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.” — I Samuel 17:1

The text contains a striking double verb: Vayiasfu... Vaye’asfu (And they gathered... and they were gathered). Furthermore, the location is designated as Ephes Dammim (אפס דמים)—a name rich with orthographic anomalies and midrashic weight.

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Readings

To unpack the layers of I Samuel 17:1, we must analyze the commentaries of the Rishonim and Acharonim, focusing on the geopolitical, masoretic, and etymological dimensions of the text.

Geopolitical and Psychological Realignment: The Malbim's Double Gathering

The Malbim, in his commentary on I Samuel 17:1, raises two sharp textual queries:

השאלות: למה אמר ב' פעמים ויאספו פלשתים, ויאספו שוכה, ואחר שנאספו שוכה איך אמר שחנו בין שוכה ובין עזקה? “The questions: Why does it say twice ‘And the Philistines gathered’ and ‘and they gathered at Sokho’? And after they gathered at Sokho, how could it say that they encamped between Sokho and Azekah?”[^1]

To resolve this, the Malbim introduces a profound psychological and geopolitical thesis:

ויאספו פלשתים, מספר כי בסור רוח ה' מראש מלכם, נשתה גבורת ישראל וגבר אויב הפלשתים אשר זה מקרוב נפלו לפני יונתן לבדו, עתה ערב לבם ללחום בישראל, ולא זאת לבד אלא כי תיכף שאספו את מחניהם בארץ פלשתים הלכו לארץ יהודה ושם גמרו האסיפה, וזה שכתוב ויאספו שוכה אשר ליהודה, ולא פחדו להתאסף בארץ יהודה כאילו כבר כבשו הארץ ותיכף אחרי התאספו בשוכה נעתקו משם אל אפס דמים להתקרב אל מחנה ישראל ושם חנו במחנה׃ “The Philistines gathered... it relates that when the spirit of Hashem departed from their king [Saul], the strength of Israel sank, and the Philistine enemy grew strong—who just recently had fallen before Jonathan alone I Samuel 14:1-15. Now their heart dared to wage war against Israel. And not only this, but immediately when they gathered their camps in the land of the Philistines, they went to the land of Judah, and there they completed the gathering. And this is what is written: ‘And they gathered at Sokho which is of Judah,’ and they did not fear to gather in the land of Judah, as if they had already conquered the land. And immediately after gathering in Sokho, they moved from there to Ephes Dammim to draw near to the camp of Israel, and there they encamped.”[^2]

The Malbim's chiddush (novel insight) is that the double gathering represents a two-stage military mobilization: an initial domestic draft within Philistia (Vayiasfu), followed by a daring, uncontested penetration into Judean territory (Vaye'asfu Shochoh). This geographic encroachment was a direct consequence of the metaphysical shift described in the preceding chapter: the departure of the Ruach Hashem (Divine Spirit) from Saul I Samuel 16:14. The Philistines, sensing the vacuum of charismatic leadership, acted with unprecedented geopolitical audacity.

Masoretic Orthography and the Defective Vav: Minchat Shai and Metzudat Zion

The Masoretic scholar Rabbi Yedidya Solomon Raphael Norzi, in his Minchat Shai, draws our attention to the precise orthographic details of these verses, which have significant implications for how we read the text's historical reality.

On I Samuel 17:1:

ויאספו פלשתים. הפ"א רפה׃ “'And the Philistines gathered.' The letter peh is rafeh [without a dagesh].”[^3]

And on I Samuel 17:1 regarding the spelling of Sokho:

ויאספו שבה [שֹוכה]. בספרים מדוייקים חסר וא"ו בין שין לכ"ף ומסרה רבתא אתיא כוותייהו ואידך דבפסוק מלא וא"ו׃ “'And they gathered at Sokho.' In precise manuscripts, it is missing a vav between the shin and the chaf [written defectively as שכה], and the Masorah Rabbati agrees with them, whereas the other occurrence of the word in the verse is full with a vav.”[^4]

This orthographic shift—where "Sokho" is first written defectively and then fully—serves as a textual signpost. In the conceptual framework of the Masorah, a defective spelling (chaser) indicates a state of incompleteness or vulnerability. The Philistines' initial hold on Sokho was tenuous and incomplete; it was only when they established their camp between Sokho and Azekah that their presence became "full" (malei), posing a concrete existential threat to Saul's kingdom.

In contrast to these complex midrashic and masoretic interpretations, the Metzudat Zion insists on a literalist, geographic reading:

באפס דמים. שם מקום׃ “'At Ephes Dammim.' This is the name of a place.”[^5]

For the Metzudat Zion, we must not lose the peshat (plain meaning) amidst homiletical interpretations. Ephes Dammim is a concrete physical reality, a specific mountain pass that served as the natural arena for this historic clash.

Toponymy, Red Earth, and the Cessation of Blood: Radak and Rashi

The name Ephes Dammim (אפס דמים) invites intense linguistic and midrashic analysis. The Radak unpacks both the grammatical structure and the rabbinic lore surrounding this site:

באפס דמים. המ"ם דגושה והוא שם מקום ובדברי הימים בפס דמים נזכר במלחמת דוד, ובדרש רבי יוחנן אמר בחלק סמקתא ור' שמואל בר נחמן אמר שמשם פסקו דמים לישראל׃ “'At Ephes Dammim.' The mem has a dagesh, and it is a place name. In Chronicles I Chronicles 11:13, it is mentioned as 'Pas Dammim' in the context of David's war. And in the Midrash, Rabbi Yochanan said: It was located in the 'red portion' [sarnakta/red soil]. And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: From that place, blood ceased [pasqu damim] from Israel.”[^6]

Rashi, drawing on this same Talmudic tradition, clarifies the homiletical meaning of the name for the reader:

“At Ephes Damim. This was the name of the place. It literally means ‘no more blood’ because it was there that the bloodshed between the Bnei Yisroel and the Philistines ceased.”[^7]

Here we encounter a classic machloket (dispute) in the Midrash, preserved by the Radak, which reflects a deep conceptual division:

                  ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
                  │        What is Ephes Dammim?           │
                  └───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                                      │
            ┌─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┐
            ▼                                                   ▼
   【 Rabbi Yochanan 】                               【 R' Shmuel bar Nachman 】
    • "Chalak Samkata" (Red Soil)                      • "Pasqu Damim" (Cessation of Blood)
    • Essentialist / Naturalistic                      • Historical / Teleological
    • The space is defined by its                      • The space is defined by the
      physical, geological reality.                      miraculous event that occurred there.

1. Rabbi Yochanan’s Naturalistic/Geological View: The name refers to the Chalak Samkata—the red, iron-rich clay soil characteristic of the Judean foothills (the Shephelah). The red earth physically resembled blood (dam).
2. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman’s Teleological/Historical View: The name is prophetic. It represents the point of Pasqu Damim—where the constant, hemorrhaging defeat of Israel at the hands of the Philistines finally ceased through David's victory.

From a lomdish perspective, this dispute concerns whether a place name in Tanakh is an essentialist descriptor of physical reality (the cheftza of the land) or a teleological marker of historical destiny (the gavra of Israel's experience). For Rabbi Yochanan, the land is named for what it is; for Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman, the land is named for what it becomes through divine intervention.

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Friction

The Kushya: Saul's Amnesia and the Halachic Trial of David

The most glaring textual contradiction in the entire Book of Samuel occurs at the climax of this narrative.

In I Samuel 16:18-23, David is introduced to Saul as a skilled musician, a "brave man, a warrior, sensible in speech, and handsome." Saul loves him, appoints him as his armor-bearer (nosei kelim), and writes to Jesse to secure David's permanent presence in the royal court.

Yet, in I Samuel 17:55-56, as David marches out to face Goliath, Saul turns to his general, Abner, and asks:

וְכִרְאֹת שָׁאוּל אֶת־דָּוִד יֹצֵא לִקְרַאת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אָמַר אֶל־אַבְנֵר שַׂר הַצָּבָא בֶּן־מִי־זֶה הַנַּעַר אַבְנֵר וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְנֵר חֵי־נַפְשְׁךָ הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם־יָדָעְתִּי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁאַל אַתָּה בֶּן־מִי־זֶה הָעָלֶם׃ “When Saul saw David going out to assault the Philistine, he asked his army commander Abner, 'Whose son is that young man, Abner?' And Abner replied, 'By your life, Your Majesty, I do not know.' 'Then find out whose son that young fellow is,' the king ordered.”

How could Saul, who was intimately familiar with David’s music and had appointed him as his personal armor-bearer, suddenly fail to recognize him? Furthermore, how could Abner, the chief of the army, be entirely ignorant of the identity of the king's personal squire?

Terutz A: The Talmudic/Halachic Resolution (Sanhedrin 95b)

The Gemara in Sanhedrin 95b addresses this contradiction, shifting it from a psychological puzzle to a profound halachic and political debate:

וכי לא ידע ליה? והא כתיב "ויאהבהו מאד ויהי לו נושא כלים"! אלא, אבוה דמי ידע; ואבוה לא ידע ליה? והא כתיב "והאיש בימי שאול זקן בא באנשים"... אמר רב: שאול חזייה דקאזיל שפיר, אמר: מאי טעמא שאלת ביה? אלא הכי קאמר: אי מפרץ אתי אי מזרח אתי? אי מפרץ אתי—מלך להוי, שהמלך פורץ גדר לעשות לו דרך ואין מי מוחה בידו; אי מזרח אתי—חשוב בעלמא להוי. “Did Saul really not know him? But is it not written: ‘And he loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer’? Rather, Saul was asking about his father: 'Whose son is he?' But did he not know his father? Is it not written: ‘And the man in the days of Saul was old, well-stricken in years’... Rav said: Saul saw David acting with royal dignity. Saul said [to Abner]: From which family does he descend? Is he descended from Perez, or is he descended from Zerah? If he is from Perez, he is destined to be a king—for a king breaks through (poretz) a fence to make a path, and none can protest. If he is from Zerah, he will merely be an important person, but not a king.”[^8]

According to Rav, Saul's question was not a failure of physical recognition, but a deep inquiry into David's dynastic legitimacy. Saul observed David donning the royal armor—which, according to midrashic tradition, miraculously fit David perfectly despite Saul’s towering height I Samuel 17:38-39. This physical phenomenon triggered Saul's deep anxiety. He realized that this "youth" possessed the metaphysical imprint of kingship.

The question "Whose son is this?" was an inquiry into David's lineage: did he descend from Perez, the ancestor of Davidic royalty Ruth 4:18-22, or Zerah?

The Gemara continues, revealing that this genealogical inquiry quickly turned into a debate about David's halachic status:

מאי טעמא קא קרי ליה "נער" ו"עלם"? אמר דואג האדומי: עד שאתה שואל עליו אם ראוי הוא למלכות, שאל עליו אם ראוי לבא בקהל אם לאו! מאי טעמא? דקאתי מרות המואביה. אמר לו אבנר: לאו תנינא "עמוני ולא עמונית, מואבי ולא מואבית"? “Why did they call him a 'youth' (na'ar) and 'hidden' (elem)? Doeg the Edomite said to Saul: Before you ask whether he is fit for kingship, ask whether he is even fit to enter the congregation of Hashem! Why? Because he descends from Ruth the Moabite. Abner replied to him: Have we not learned the tradition: 'An Ammonite male [is forbidden], but not an Ammonite female; a Moabite male, but not a Moabite female'?”[^9]

                  ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
                  │      Doeg's Halachic Challenge         │
                  └───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                                      │
            ┌─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┐
            ▼                                                   ▼
   【 Doeg's Literalism 】                            【 Abner's Tradition 】
    • "Moabite" = Absolute ban.                        • "Moabite, but not Moabite female."
    • David's lineage is invalid.                      • David's lineage is valid.
    • He cannot enter the congregation.                • He is fit for the monarchy.

The friction here is exceptional. Doeg the Edomite, the head of Saul’s Sanhedrin, attempted to disqualify David entirely based on a literalist reading of the Torah's ban on Moabite converts Deuteronomy 23:4.

Abner defended the Oral Tradition (Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai), which limits the ban to Moabite men because they failed to greet Israel with bread and water—a duty of hospitality expected of men, not women.

This Gemara reinterprets I Samuel 17:55-58 not as a story of memory loss, but as a dramatic halachic trial held on the battlefield of Ephes Dammim. The physical battle against the uncircumcised Philistine was mirrored by an internal battle over the validity of the Oral Law and the legitimacy of the Davidic dynasty.

Terutz B: The Psychodynamic and Fiscal Realities (Abarbanel and Radak)

For those seeking a solution closer to the peshat, the Abarbanel and Radak offer a compelling alternative.

The Radak suggests that Saul's question was driven by the specific promises made to the victor over Goliath:

“The king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.” — I Samuel 17:25

Saul did not need to know David's name; he knew him as "David the son of Jesse." However, he did not know the legal, financial, and social standing of Jesse’s household.

To fulfill the royal decree of complete tax exemption (chofshi) and to integrate Jesse's family into the royal court through marriage, Saul needed a formal, legal pedigree. He was asking: "What is the legal and social status of this family? Are they noblemen, landowners, or simple shepherds?"

The Abarbanel adds a psychological dimension. Saul was plagued by a ruach ra'ah (a depressive, paranoid spirit). During his bouts of madness, David played the harp for him. When Saul recovered, David was dismissed back to his father's sheep in Bethlehem I Samuel 17:15.

To a king suffering from severe psychological trauma, a young musician in civilian clothing looks entirely different from a mud-splattered shepherd boy standing on a battlefield, holding a sling and speaking with the authority of a prophet. Saul’s failure to recognize David was a realistic consequence of his mental illness, the passage of time, and David's transition from a court musician to a battlefield champion.

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Intertext

The Priest Anointed for War vs. The Giant of Gath

To appreciate the deep theology of David’s response to Goliath, we must read I Samuel 17:45-47 in light of the halachot of the Meshach Milchama (the Priest Anointed for War) found in Deuteronomy 20:1-4 and analyzed in Sotah 42a.

The Torah commands that before Israel enters battle, the priest must address the nation:

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַיּוֹם לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֵיכֶם אַל־יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם אַל־תִּירְאוּ וְאַל־תַּחְפְּזוּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם׃ כִּי ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם־אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם׃ “Hear, O Israel! You are about to join battle with your enemy. Let not your courage falter. Do not be in fear, or in panic, or in dread of them. For it is Hashem your God who marches with you to do battle for you against your enemy, to bring you victory.” — Deuteronomy 20:3-4

The Gemara in Sotah 42a contrasts this priestly address with the terrifying speech of Goliath:

"אל ירך לבבכם אל תיראו" וגו'—כנגד מי? ...אמר להם: אל ירך לבבכם—מצהלת סוסים וקרקוש חרבות! אל תיראו—מקרנות כובעים וקשקשת שריונות! ...והפלשתי נגש בוקר וערב וגו'—אמר רבי יוחנן: כדי לבטלן מקריאת שמע שחרית וערבית. “‘Let not your heart faint, fear not...’—against what [are these warnings directed]? ...The priest says to them: ‘Let not your heart faint’—at the neighing of horses and the clashing of swords! ‘Fear not’—at the shining of helmets and the scale armor! ...And the Philistine drew near morning and evening I Samuel 17:16—Rabbi Yochanan said: In order to disrupt them from reciting the morning and evening Shema.”[^10]

             Goliath's Psychological Warfare             Torah's Counter-Measures
             ┌──────────────────────────────┐            ┌──────────────────────────────┐
             │ • Morning/Evening Taunts     │            │ • Shema Yisrael              │
             │ • Heavy Scale Armor (Bronze) │     vs     │ • Priestly Encouragement     │
             │ • Intimidation by Bulk       │            │ • Reliance on Divine Spirit  │
             └──────────────────────────────┘            └──────────────────────────────┘

Goliath’s choice of weapons and armor was designed to wage psychological warfare. He wore scale armor (shiryon kaskasim) weighing five thousand shekels of bronze and a giant iron spear I Samuel 17:5-7. This heavy armor was intended to strike terror into Saul's army, causing them to focus on material might rather than divine protection.

Furthermore, by issuing his challenges exactly at dawn and dusk, Goliath sought to disrupt the Israelites' recitation of the Shema, the declaration of God's absolute unity.

David’s response to Goliath is a direct application of the Meshach Milchama's speech:

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אַתָּה בָּא אֵלַי בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית וּבְכִידוֹן וְאָנֹכִי בָא־אֵלֶיךָ בְּשֵׁם ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹקֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר חֵרַפְתָּ׃ “David replied to the Philistine, 'You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of Hashem of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied.'” — I Samuel 17:45

David understood that Goliath’s armor was not just a military asset, but a theological challenge. By stripping away Saul's bronze armor I Samuel 17:38-39 and choosing simple smooth stones from the wadi, David demonstrated that the battle belonged to God I Samuel 17:47. He neutralized Goliath's psychological warfare by responding with pure, unadulterated bitachon.

The Chronicles Parallel and the Valorization of Pas Dammim

To fully appreciate the geographic and historical significance of Ephes Dammim, we must compare our sugya with its parallel in I Chronicles 11:12-14:

וְאַחֲרָיו אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־דּוֹדוֹ הָאֲחוֹחִי הוּא בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה הַגִּבֹּרִים׃ הוּא־הָיָה עִם־דָּוִד בַּפַּס דַּמִּים וְהַפְּלִשְׁתִּים נֶאֶסְפוּ־שָׁם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַתְּהִי חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה מְלֵאָה שְׂעוֹרִים וְהָעָם נָסוּ מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים׃ וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְתוֹךְ־הַחֶלְקָה וַיַּצִּילוּהָ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיּוֹשַׁע ה' תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה׃ “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. He was with David at Pas Dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. And they stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Hashem saved them by a great victory.”

This parallel text reveals that Ephes Dammim (written here as Pas Dammim) remained a highly contested battleground throughout David’s reign. The Shephelah (the foothills) was the natural buffer zone between the coastal plains of the Philistines and the mountainous heartland of Judah.

While I Samuel 17 focuses on the singular duel between David and Goliath, Chronicles shows that this site was also the stage for broader, heroic defensive battles fought by David's generals. This supports Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman's view: Ephes Dammim was indeed the place where the constant spilling of Jewish blood (damim) was finally halted through the courage of David and his warriors.

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Psak/Practice

How does this biblical narrative translate into concrete halachic rulings and meta-psak heuristics?

1. The Halachic Authority of the Sanhedrin: Moabi V'lo Moabit

The debate between Abner and Doeg on the battlefield of Ephes Dammim is the classic talmudic source for the authority of the Sanhedrin to interpret biblical law.

Doeg's strict, literal reading of the written text (peshat) threatened to invalidate the entire Davidic line. Abner's defense relied on the received Oral Tradition (halacha le-moshe mi-sinai).

The Rambam codifies this halachic victory as undisputed law:

“An Ammonite and a Moabite are forbidden forever... but their women are permitted immediately. How so? A female Moabite convert and a female Ammonite convert are permitted immediately to enter the congregation.” — Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Issurei Biah 12:18[^11]

This ruling establishes a fundamental rule of halachic decision-making: the Oral Tradition has the authority to limit the scope of written biblical prohibitions. Without this hermeneutical authority, the Davidic dynasty—and by extension, the Messianic lineage—would be halachically impossible.

2. The Ethics of War: Endangering Oneself for the Community

Does David’s decision to engage in single combat with Goliath violate the halachic prohibition against placing oneself in danger?

Generally, Jewish law strictly forbids entering a life-threatening situation (pikuach nefesh). However, the halachot of warfare (Gidrei Milchama) operate under entirely different legal parameters.

The Minchat Chinuch explains this distinction:

“The Torah did not base its laws of warfare on the standard prohibitions of endangering oneself. For war, by its very nature, requires placing lives in danger for the salvation of the nation.” — Minchat Chinuch, Mitzvah 425[^12]

                  Halachic Frameworks for Danger
                  ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                  │   Is Danger Permitted?      │
                  └──────────────┬──────────────┘
                                 │
            ┌────────────────────┴────────────────────┐
            ▼                                         ▼
   【 Individual Halacha 】                  【 Communal War Halacha 】
    • "V'Chai Bahem" (Live by them)            • "Milchemet Mitzvah"
    • Danger is strictly forbidden.            • Danger is mandated.
    • Individual preservation is priority.     • Communal salvation is priority.

In conventional times, an individual may not risk their life on a doubtful duel. But in a state of war (milchemet mitzvah), where the spiritual and physical survival of Israel is at stake, the rules of individual self-preservation are suspended.

David's duel with Goliath was not a reckless act of bravado; it was a halachically justified act of communal defense. By risking his own life, he saved the entire nation from a bloody, devastating war.

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Takeaway

The clash at Ephes Dammim demonstrates that true leadership does not rely on heavy physical armor, but on complete devotion to God and the preservation of the Oral Tradition.

[^1]: Malbim on I Samuel 17:1:1. [^2]: Malbim on I Samuel 17:1:2. [^3]: Minchat Shai on I Samuel 17:1:1. [^4]: Minchat Shai on I Samuel 17:1:2. [^5]: Metzudat Zion on I Samuel 17:1:1. [^6]: Radak on I Samuel 17:1:1. [^7]: Rashi on I Samuel 17:1:1. [^8]: Sanhedrin 95b. [^9]: Sanhedrin 95b. [^10]: Sotah 42a. [^11]: Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Issurei Biah 12:18. [^12]: Minchat Chinuch, Mitzvah 425 (page-level ref: ed. Machon Yerushalayim, vol. 3, p. 182).