Sotah 2:1 - 2:2

היה מביא – the husband.

את מנחתה – as it is written (Numbers 5:15): “[The man shall bring his wife to the priest.] And he shall bring as an offering for her [one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour].”

בכפיפה מצרית – a basket made from palm bark [from] the soft that grew around the palm tree.

כדי ליגעה – that she should confess [her sin of adultery] and not blot out the Name [of God] on the [bitter] waters. And according to the one who says that at the beginning, they would cause her to drink [the bitter waters], and afterwards bring her meal offering, even though the Name [of God] was blotted out, from when she hired, in order that she would confess and not die a disgraced–disfigured death, and even though the scroll was blotted out, if she said, “I am ritually impure,” she does not drink [the waters of bitterness].

תחלתן וסופן בכלי שרת – not in actual vessels dedicated to Temple service–sacred vessels is spoken of for a person does not bring his meal-offering from the midst of his home in sacred vessels but rather in women’s work baskets of silver or of gold which are appropriate for use as sacred vessels.

וזו בכפיפה מצרית – And this is in a basket made of palm-twigs for it is not appropriate to make from it sacred vessels for it is similar to (Malachi 1:8): “Just offer it to your governor.”

כל המנחות טעונות שמן ולבונה – In the Gemara (Tractate Sotah 14b), the objection is raised: But this is the meal offering of sin-offering, as it is written about it (Leviticus 5:11): “he shall not add oil to it or lay frankincense on it, [for it is a sin offering].” But, that which we teach [in this Mishnah]: "כל המנחות באות חטים" –”All meal offerings derive from wheat,” is difficult, for this meal offering of the Omer comes from barley. And the Gemara (Talmud Sotah 14b) resolves the difficulty – one should not teach anything singly but rather, wrapped up–combined and it is taught and this is what it said: all of the meal offerings require oil and frankincense–"כל המנחות טעונות שמן ולבונה", but those that don’t require oil and frankincense come from wheat and the sin meal-offering comes from sifted fine flour, even though it does not require oil and frankincense, it comes from wheat and sifted fine flour.

And it comes from grits–unsifted flour, and this does not require oil or frankincense and comes from barley and is derived from flour.

גרש – it is sifted and winnowed in thirteen sieves like a kind of fine sifted flour with wheat.

קמח – everything is combined like it is grinded.

היה מביא – the Kohen.

פיילי – a cup in the Greek language (see Talmud Sotah 15b).

מן הכיור – as it is written (Numbers 5:17): “[The priest shall take] sacral water [in an earthenware vessel],” but there is nothing sacred other than that which was sanctified in a utensil.

כשם שממעט – Rabbi Yehuda, in the writing of the scroll (see Tractate Sotah, Chapter 2, Mishnah 3), further on in our Mishnah, so he lessens here [the amount of] the water, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

מקום היה שם – amidst the rest of the floor of the Temple.

וטבעת קבועה בה – to grab hold of the its ring and to lift it from the rest of the floor which was all of marble flagstone.

כדי שיראה – he has to place in it a measure that will be seen and recognized on the face of the water.

ונתן אל המים – since it is not written: “and place it in the water,” but rather (Numbers 5:17): “[the priest shall put it] into the water,” implying that it should not be absorbed into it.