(16) And Elisha said, “At this season next year, you will be embracing a son.” She replied, “Please, my lord, agent of God, do not delude your maidservant.”

Every kiss is for promiscuity except for three: A kiss of greatness; a kiss of reunion; a kiss of parting. A kiss of greatness – “Samuel took the flask of oil, poured onto his head, and kissed him” (I Samuel 10:1). A kiss of reunion – “He went and he met him at the mountain of God and he kissed him” (Exodus 4:27). A kiss of parting – “Orpa kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:14). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: A kiss of kinship as well, as it is stated: “Jacob kissed Rachel,” who was his relative.

Why was the portion of forbidden sexual relations juxtaposed to the portion of “[you shall be] holy”? It is to teach you that everywhere that you find restraint from forbidden sexual relations, you find holiness. This is consistent with another statement of Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi, who said: Anyone who restrains himself from forbidden sexual relations is called holy.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A man has a small organ used in sexual relations. If he starves the organ, and does not overindulge, it is satiated; however, if he satiates the organ and overindulges in sexual relations, it is starving

A certain heretic said to Rav Kahana: You say that it is permitted for a menstruating woman to seclude herself with a man, i.e., her husband. Is it possible to set fire to chips of kindling and not have them blaze and burn? How can the couple be relied upon not to engage in sexual intercourse? Rav Kahana said to him: The Torah testifies concerning us that we are “set about with lilies,” as the Jewish people do not breach even a fence made of lilies.

“Suga ba-shoshanim” [fenced in by lilies]: these are words of Torah, which are as soft as lilies. How many mitzvot and details are in Torat Kohanim [Vayikra], how many leniencies and stringencies… are in Torat Kohanim. Rabbi Levi said, in the way of the world, a man marries a woman…He comes to have relations with her, and she says to him, I saw something like a red lily, and he immediately separates from her. What caused him not to come near her? What iron wall is between them, or what iron pillar is between them, or what snake bit him, or what scorpion stung him, that he not come near her? Words of Torah, that are soft as a lily, as it is said regarding her, “to a woman in the nidda of her ritual impurity, do not come close” (Vayikra 18:19)

For since the unmarried woman is prohibited, as I have written. On the contrary! If she were to immerse, there would be a stumbling block with her: For they would be lenient with a woman who is prohibited, since she is only prohibited rabbinically.

(6) Not even one of you shall come near anyone of his own flesh to uncover nakedness...

Because it is written "a man," I might think that a man is being exhorted against illicit relations with a woman. Whence do I derive the same for a woman vis-à-vis a man? From "You (plural) shall not draw near."

Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Bun said, “not to come near” is “not to uncover.”

Rabbi Pedat said: The Torah only prohibited intimacy that involves engaging in prohibited sexual relations, as it is stated: “None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness” (Leviticus 18:6). ...Ulla said: Even any intimacy is prohibited with a woman with whom he is forbidden to engage in sexual relations due to the reason formulated as an adage: Go around, go around, and do not approach the vineyard, they say to the nazirite.

Based on careful reading of the Talmud, the matter is not so, that closeness that does not entail sexual relations, like hugging or kissing, would violate a Torah prohibition and be punishable by lashes …and it is further known from [the sages’] practice in the Talmud that if they considered this baraita [the Sifra] to be true, and the words of Rabbi Pedat disagreed with it, the masters of the gemara would have cited [the baraita] as a refutation against him…and since they did not do thus, we understand from them that they consider this prohibition rabbinic…rather, the verse is a mere asmachta [mnemonic].

"You shall not approach to uncover her nakedness" - I only know of nakedness. From where [do we know] not to approach? [Hence] we learn to say, "To a woman, while in her menstrual impurity, you shall not approach to uncover her nakedness." I only know about a menstruant, that she is [forbidden] with, do not approach and with, do not reveal. From where [do we know] about all of the sexual prohibitions, that they are [forbidden] with, do not approach and with, do not reveal? [Hence] we learn to say, "you shall not approach to uncover." "I am the L–rd," the Judge, to exact punishment and trusted to reward.

What fence did the Torah make to her words? It is stated, And thou shalt not approach unto a woman … as long as she is impure by her uncleanness. It might be supposed that he may embrace or kiss her, or engage with her in frivolous talk; the text therefore declares, Thou shalt not approach. It might be further supposed that he may sleep with her if she is clothed in the one bed; the text therefore declares, Thou shalt not approach.

Question: A husband who is knowledgeable in medicine and his wife is in nidda and ill, but there are reputable doctors in the city who are as knowledgeable as he is or more [in medicine], can the husband take her pulse?…Response: It stands to reason that it is prohibited. For one, for it is possible that any closeness is prohibited on a Torah level…

The 353rd mitzva is that [God] prohibited us from coming close to any of these arayot, even without sexual relations. Such as hugging and kissing, and similar promiscuous acts. And He, may He be elevated, said in prohibiting this: “Each man to any of his flesh relatives, do not come close [plural] to uncover nakedness” (Vayikra 18:6). As if to say “do not to come close” to them with a closeness that will lead to sexual relations. And the language of the Sifra is…

(19) A niddah may perform any task which a wife would perform for her husband except washing his face, hands, and feet, pouring him a drink, and spreading out his bed in his presence. [These were forbidden as] decrees, lest they come to sin. For this reason, she should not eat with him from the same plate, nor should he touch her flesh, lest this lead to sin.

(6) When a man embraces or kisses any of the women forbidden to him as ariyot despite the fact that his heart does not disturb him concerning the matter, e.g., his adult sister, his mother's sister, or the like, it is very shameful. It is forbidden and it is foolish conduct. [This applies] even if he has no desire or pleasure at all. For one should not show closeness to a woman forbidden as an ervah at all, whether an adult or a minor, except a woman to her son and a father to his daughter.

“The Cohen puts his hands under hers and performs the weave.” Does the Cohen put his hands under hers? Is that not objectionable? He brings a kerchief. Does that not separate? He brings an elderly Cohen. You may even say, a young man, since bad inclinations do not happen at that hour.

Even though regarding the prohibition of “coming close” the Torah explained “don’t come close to uncovering nakedness,” which proves that coming close without intent for uncovering nakedness is permitted, in any case, a person must take care regarding any sort of closeness: “‘Go, go,’ we say to the nazirite. ‘Around, around! Do not come close to the vineyard.’”

For it might be that the “coming close” to a married woman or to [one of] the arayot is prohibited, even not in a desirous manner, at any rate rabbinically…For since according to Rambam anything that is in the manner of desirous affection is prohibited on a Torah level, even [for] someone who does not act out of desirous affection, in any case there is a real concern of stumbling…It is fitting to prohibit closeness since, when his thinking is inclined toward desire, it would be a Torah prohibition, God forbid.

If a person is told: Transgress this prohibition and you will not be killed, he may transgress that prohibition and not be killed, because the preserving of his own life overrides all of the Torah’s prohibitions. This is the halakha concerning all prohibitions except for those of idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, and bloodshed.

Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: There was an incident involving a certain man who set his eyes upon a certain woman and passion rose in his heart, to the point that he became deathly ill. And they came and asked doctors what was to be done with him. And the doctors said: He will have no cure until she engages in sexual intercourse with him. The Sages said: Let him die, and she may not engage in sexual intercourse with him. The doctors said: She should at least stand naked before him. The Sages said: Let him die, and she may not stand naked before him. The doctors suggested: The woman should at least converse with him behind a fence in a secluded area, so that he should derive a small amount of pleasure from the encounter. The Sages insisted: Let him die, and she may not converse with him behind a fence...But according to the one who says that she was unmarried, what is the reason for all this opposition? ...Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Ika, says: This is so that the daughters of Israel should not be promiscuous with regard to forbidden sexual relations.

For Ravin, who said ‘aside from idolatry and illicit sexual relations and bloodshed,’ in all Torah prohibitions of giluy arayot we say yehareg ve’al ya’avor, and thus is proved in Sanhedrin (75a)…And certainly these matters [prohibited to the lustful man in the story] are not sexual relations themselves, but one transgresses through them ‘do not come close to uncover nakedness,’ which is a prohibition of giluy arayot.

Rema: ...it is permitted for him to take her pulse if there is not another doctor, and she need him, and there is danger in her illness

…According to Rambam, for whom touching an erva is prohibited on a Torah level, here, even though it is a case of saving a life, it is possible that it would be prohibited [for the husband to take his wife’s pulse], since it is an accessory to giluy arayot. And this requires further study.