[Avodah] Gid ha'nasheh

[Chaim Tatel]

When I was studying Zoology in college back in the 70s, I did some research
on Yaakov’s battle with the malach.

The big question I had was “why should Yaakov Avinu get hit in the gid
hanasheh (sciatic nerve)? Why not somewhere else in the body?”


As I learned in my Anatomy and Physiology class, there are several nerves
that branch off from the sciatic nerve. One of these is the pudendal nerve.
This is one of the nerves responsible for sexual function (and other
actions).

Current research follows:

The pudendal nerve is found in the pelvis. It is the biggest division of
the pudendal plexus (a network of nerves) and is located behind the
sacrospinous ligament, near the tailbone. The nerve extends from the sacral
plexus, through the pudendal canal, the perineum, and the gluteal area.
These are structures located near the genital, rectal, and gluteal
(buttock) regions.

(see: https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/pudendal-nerve)


The peripheral nerves supply the bladder, anal canal, and perineal skin.
The pudendal nerve is the primary somatic nerve to this region. Motor
fibers in the pudendal nerve innervate the bulbocavernosus muscle, external
urethral sphincter, external anal sphincter, and pelvic floor muscles.


(see: www.humanneurophysiology.com/sacralmonitoring.htm)



I also remember that one of the meforshim (commentators) on Chumash had a
similar answer. (Sorry, I can’t remember where I saw this, it’s been over
40 years).



At any rate, it makes sense that Yaakov would be hit there, as a reminder
that his marriage to Rachel after his marriage to her sister Leah would not
hold up when he entered Eretz Yisrael. (not long after this episode, Rachel
died in childbirth of Binyamin).



Aside from feeling the psychological pain of Rachel’s death, perhaps Yaakov
also had to feel physical pain.

Chaim Tatel
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20171130/46342e18/attachment.html>