 Others argue that the curse is a euphemism for a miscarriage or infertility.The potion also had to be mixed in an earthenware vessel; this may have been because the potion was regarded as a taboo which could be spread by contact, and therefore also made the vessel taboo, necessitating its subsequent destruction (as do the biblical rules concerning taboo animals, for any earthenware vessels into which such animals fall).However, the Talmud and Rashi explain that this vessel is chosen to contrast the woman's predicament with her behavior.