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There are numerous places where the Talmud discusses some very personal facts about certain rabbis. For example, Baba Metziah 84a has a discussion about the size of rabbis' sex organ. How did the rabbis know such personal matters, and why is the discussin of anyone's private affairs important to have been written in the Talmud for all to read?

DanF
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  • Perhaps they aren't literally true? Then you don't need to know how they knew it. – Double AA Apr 25 '14 at 15:31
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    I believe Ben Ish Chai offers an understanding of the word their, (which literally just means 'limb'), as meaning arm. – Baby Seal Apr 25 '14 at 15:49
  • Presumably, just as today, Jewish men went to mikveh together. – Tatpurusha Apr 25 '14 at 16:43
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    Would appreciate broader answers. There are many other places where other personal matters are discussed. – DanF Apr 25 '14 at 16:45
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    There's a story about a student who followed his rabbi around all the time, and even lay under the bed while the rabbi was having relations with his wife. (While he was criticized for doing so, and this is an extreme case, it's indicative of the environment.) – Shmuel Apr 25 '14 at 19:48
  • Re Mikvah: There are definitely mentions of rabbis going to the bathhouses together. Finally, I'm pretty sure privacy wasn't as big a deal back then as it was today, what with Greek athletes competing naked, and people living in much closer quarters, etc. – Shmuel Apr 25 '14 at 19:49
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    @BabySeal In fact, that word is used in other contexts to specifically refer to an arm. In the context, this interpretation also makes sense, as the gemara is discussing that these rabbis were overweight. – Fred Apr 27 '14 at 05:01
  • In Bava Metzia 84a, איבריה means "his limb" and could mean his penis (Tosfos) or it also could mean his thigh or bicep (Ritva). According to Tosfos Rabbeinu Peretz, it means the amount of food he usually ate. – ezra Feb 12 '18 at 19:21
  • I think that more examples would be helpful. It is not surprising generally that some people know personal information about other people. I know personal information about some people, and there are people who know personal information about me... – Chaim Feb 12 '18 at 20:07

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Tosafos addresses the second half of your question regarding Bava Metzia 84a.

אמר רבי יוחנן איבריה דרבי ישמעאל כו' אלו דברים נכתבו שלא להוציא לעז על בני אדם שהם כך

These matters were written so people will not slander people who are [big] like this. (Kollel Iyun Hadaf translation)

Alex
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  • +1. I will try to look at that page. The explanation seems somewhat counter-intuitive. I would think that revealing such information may cause people to mock and embarrass them. – DanF Feb 12 '18 at 19:46
  • @DanF It seems that Tosafos doesn't mean "slander" as in "mock and embarrass," but (as in the Gemara there, אמרה להו ההיא מטרוניתא בניכם אינם שלכם) to call their parentage of their children into question - i.e., "how could someone so fat be able to be intimate with his wife?" – Meir Sep 15 '20 at 00:44