
A woman once approached Rabbi Akiva with a question: I had sex while still a girl under the age of three. May I marry a cohen? What are the issues under debate? On one hand I has sexual relations, and anyone who has sexual relations is a harlot — according to the laws of the Torah a harlot is forbidden to marry a cohen. On the other hand, since I had sexual relations before the age of three I am not considered a harlot. Rabbi Akiva answered her: You are not a harlot and you are permitted to a cohen since you had sexual relations under the age of three. She told Rabbi Akiva: Rabbi, I had sex many times before I reached the age of three and I even enjoyed it, like an infant whose finger you put in a plate of honey; the first time he objects, the second time he objects, but after he gets used to the sweet taste, the third time he licks his finger willingly. Thus, I too tasted of sexual relations and am to be considered a harlot. Rabbi Akiva answered her: If so, you are considered a harlot and are forbidden to marry a cohen. The scholars questioned this ruling and asked Rabbi Akiva: Since it has been established from the days of Moses our teacher, as tradition, that a girl under the age of three who had sexual relations is permitted to marry a cohen and is not considered a harlot, we should not draw a distinction between one who has had sex once and one who has had sex many times, and even one who enjoyed it is not considered a harlot. The scholars’ argument was correct and Rabbi Akiva gave an incorrect ruling to sharpen the scholars’ wits and test their attentiveness.
(Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Niddah 45a)