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Perek 6

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 6 Mishnah 1

סוטה פרק ו׳ משנה א׳

1
In the case of one who warned his wife not to seclude herself with a particular man and she subsequently secluded herself with the man she was warned about, even if he heard about it from a flying bird, or any other source whatsoever, he must divorce his wife. However, he must still grant her the money accorded to her by her marriage contract because there is no actual proof of her seclusion with the man in question. This is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer, who, as quoted in the first mishna of the tractate (2a), holds that there is no necessity for witnesses to testify with regard to the seclusion, and the woman becomes forbidden to her husband even in the absence of witnesses, by the husband’s word alone. Rabbi Yehoshua disagrees, as he did in the mishna (2a), and says: He does not divorce his wife in the absence of witnesses until the gossiping women who sit and spin thread by the light of the moon begin to discuss her behavior, as they share the gossip of the town. The Gemara earlier (6b) taught that a woman whose infidelity became subject to this public discussion can no longer be tested by the bitter water of a sota. Consequently, she must get divorced.

מִי שֶׁקִּנֵּא לְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְנִסְתְּרָה, אֲפִלּוּ שָׁמַע מֵעוֹף הַפּוֹרֵחַ, יוֹצִיא וְיִתֵּן כְּתֻבָּה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁיִּשְׂאוּ וְיִתְּנוּ בָהּ מוֹזְרוֹת בַּלְּבָנָה:

א׳

משקינא לה ונסתרה אפילו שמע מעף הפורח that she retired under suspicious circumstances–secluded herself,

יוציא ויתן כתובה – he should divorce her and provide her Ketubah settlement. Rabbi Eliezer, according to his reasoning who said in the first chapter (Tractate Sotah, Chapter 1, Mishnah 1), that a married woman’s retirement with a man under suspicious circumstances does not require testimony and even a slave and even a maid-servant are believed, that is (identical with) a flying bird for a married woman’s retirement with a man under suspicious circumstances is compared through close analogy of Biblical verses to ritual defilement and everyone is believed regarding her. Therefore, if she retired with a man under suspicious circumstances and he does not want to have to cause her to drink [the bitter waters], he should divorce her and provide her with her Ketubah settlement.

רבי יהושע אומר עד שישאו ויתנו בה מוזרות בלבנה – women who spin by the light of the moon. Rabbi Yehoshua, according to his reasoning, who said that we cause her to drink [by the testimony] of two [witnesses]. However, when they (i.e., the women twisting yarn) speak of her by [the light of] the moon, the matter is ugly licentiousness, and she should be divorced for even water, moreover, does not examine her as it is taught in the first chapter. But she is ritually pure, and women twisting yarn by moonlight should be talking about her. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehoshua.

מי שקינא לאשתו ונסתרה אפילו שמע מעוף הפורח. שנסתרה:

יוציא ויתן כתובה. ר׳ אליעזר לטעמיה דאמר בפ״ק סתירה לא בעיא עדות ואפילו עבד ואפילו שפחה נאמנים דהיינו נמי כעוף הפורח, דאתקש סתירה לטומאה דכולהו מהימני בה, הלכך נאסרה עליו. ואם אינו רוצה להשקותה יוציא ויתן כתובה:

רבי יהושע אומר עד שישאו ויתנו בה מוזרות בלבנה. נשים הטוות לאור הלבנה. רבי יהושע לטעמיה דאמר משקה על פי שנים. מיהו משישאו ויתנו בה מוזרות בלבנה בפריצותה מכוער הדבר ותצא, דהא אפילו מיא תו לא בדקי לה כדתניא בפ״ק, וטהורה היא, ולא שישאו ויתנו בה מוזרות בלבנה. והלכה כרבי יהושע: