Rabbi Kook

One may put a clump of salt into an oil lamp so that it will give light and kindle well. One may put mud or pottery under the oil lamp so that it will lessen the light.

There is no prohibition of the ways of the Emorites if one puts the stem of a berry or broken glass in a pot so that it will cook faster, but the Rabbis forbade broken glass because of the possibility of danger.

One who breaks eggs on the wall in a manner that the live chicks will see is in violation of following the ways of the Emorites

One who says: “I will drink and leave over” is in violation of the prohibition of following the ways of the Emorites.

Is it so that whatever remedy that does not have a medical basis is forbidden due to the prohibition of “the ways of the Emorites”? Doesn’t it say in a baraita: For a tree whose fruit are dropping, one should color it with red paint and lean rocks against it? I understand that the rocks are to weaken the strength of the tree (as the fruit fall because they are too robust), but what is the logic behind the remedy of painting it red? The answer is that this is done so that people can see the problem and pray on its behalf. This is similar to the idea that a leper is supposed to call “I am impure, I am impure,” which is an example of letting the public know about one’s anguish so that many will ask for mercy for him.

Abaye and Rava both say: Any practice that is effective medically does not fall under the prohibition of following the ways of the Emorites.

[The Rabbis allowed a woman to have some adornments when she is a nida,] so that she not be disgusting in her husband’s eyes. It is as it says in a baraita: “The woman with a flow – b’nidata (should be pushed off)” (Vayikra 15:33). The early elders said that a nida should not apply eye makeup or rouge and should not wear colorful garments. This continued until Rabbi Akiva came and taught: If so, you will bring her to disdain in her husband’s eyes, and it may turn out that he will divorce her. So what do we learn from the above pasuk? She shall remain in her state of nida until she goes into [the] water [of a mikveh].

Whenever the Rabbis said that something is forbidden because of marit ayin (it looks to others as if he is doing something forbidden), it is forbidden to do so even in a room within another room [and no one is present].

Why [in the description of the spoils of the war against Midian] does it mention the jewelry that is worn on the external parts of the body along with the jewelry that is worn on the body’s covered parts? It is to teach you that whoever stares at a woman’s small finger is as if he stares at her most private parts.