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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Sotah 1:4 - 1:5

The Mishnah Yomi for Tuesday, May 7, 2024 is Sotah 1:4 - 1:5

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Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 1 Mishnah 4

סוטה פרק א׳ משנה ד׳

4
The mishna details the next stage of the process. They would bring her up to the Sanhedrin that was in Jerusalem, and the judges would threaten her in order that she admit her sin. And this was done in the manner that they would threaten witnesses testifying in cases of capital law. In those cases, the judges would explain to the witnesses the gravity of their testimony by stressing the value of human life. Here too, the judges would attempt to convince the woman to admit her sin, to avoid the loss of her life. And additionally, the judge would say to her: My daughter, wine causes a great deal of immoral behavior, levity causes a great deal of immoral behavior, immaturity causes a great deal of immoral behavior, and bad neighbors cause a great deal of immoral behavior. The judge encouraged her to admit her sin by explaining to her that he understands that there may have been mitigating factors. The judge then continues: Act for the sake of His great name, so that God’s name, which is written in sanctity, shall not be erased on the water. If the woman admits to having committed adultery, the scroll upon which the name of God is written will not be erased. And additionally, the judge says in her presence matters that are not worthy of being heard by her and all her father’s family, in order to encourage her to admit her sin, as the Gemara will explain.
הָיוּ מַעֲלִין אוֹתָהּ לְבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וּמְאַיְּמִין עָלֶיהָ כְדֶרֶךְ שֶׁמְּאַיְּמִין עַל עֵדֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. וְאוֹמְרִים לָהּ, בִּתִּי, הַרְבֵּה יַיִן עוֹשֶׂה, הַרְבֵּה שְׂחוֹק עוֹשֶׂה, הַרְבֵּה יַלְדוּת עוֹשָׂה, הַרְבֵּה שְׁכֵנִים הָרָעִים עוֹשִׂים. עֲשִׂי לִשְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁנִּכְתַּב בִּקְדֻשָּׁה, שֶׁלֹּא יִמָּחֶה עַל הַמָּיִם. וְאוֹמְרִים לְפָנֶיהָ דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵינָהּ כְּדַאי לְשׁוֹמְעָן, הִיא וְכָל מִשְׁפַּחַת בֵּית אָבִיהָ:
ד׳

היו מעלים אותה לב"ד הגדול – as it is written concerning the woman suspected by her husband of having been unfaithful (Numbers 5:30): “And the priest shall carry out all of this ritual (i.e., Torah) with her,” and it is written there (Deuteronomy 17:11): “You shall act in accordance with the instructions (i.e., Torah) given you.” Just as there it takes place in the High Jewish Court, so here too, in the High Jewish Court.

ומאיימין עליה – in order that she will confess.

הרבה ילדות עושה – and causes to give birth to moral corruption.

דברים שאינן כדאי לשומען – which is not appropriate to hear these things that they say in her presence from the deeds of the righteous people such as Judah who admitted and was not ashamed for the incident with Tamar. Reuven admitted and was not ashamed with the episode of Bilhah.

היו מעלין אותה לב״ד הגדול. דכתיב בסוטה (שם) ועשה לה הכהן את כל התורה הזאת, וכתיב התם (דברים י״ז:י״א) ע״פ התורה אשר יורוך, מה להלן בב״ד הגדול אף כאן בב״ד הגדול:

ומאיימין עליה. כדי שתודה:

הרבה ילדות עושה. וגורם לילדה שתבא לידי קלקול:

דברים שאינן כדאי לשומען. שאינה ראויה לשמוע אותן הדברים שאומרים לפניה ממעשיהן של צדיקים, כגון יהודה הודה ולא בוש במעשה תמר, ראובן הודה ולא בוש במעשה בלהה:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 1 Mishnah 5

סוטה פרק א׳ משנה ה׳

5
If after the judge’s warning she says: I am defiled, she writes a receipt for her marriage contract. That is, she writes a receipt indicating that she has no claims on her husband with regard to the sum written in her marriage contract, as a woman who admits to adultery forfeits her right to this payment. And she is then divorced from her husband. But if after the warning she maintains her innocence and says: I am pure, they bring her up to the Eastern Gate, which is at the opening of the Gate of Nicanor, because three rites were performed there: They give the sota women the bitter water to drink, and they purify women who have given birth (see Leviticus 12:6–8), and they purify the lepers (see Leviticus 14:10–20). The mishna continues describing the sota rite. And the priest grabs hold of her clothing and pulls them, unconcerned about what happens to the clothing. If the clothes are torn, so they are torn; if the stitches come apart, so they come apart. And he pulls her clothing until he reveals her heart, i.e., her chest. And then he unbraids her hair. Rabbi Yehuda says: If her heart was attractive he would not reveal it, and if her hair was attractive he would not unbraid it.
אִם אָמְרָה טְמֵאָה אָנִי, שׁוֹבֶרֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ וְיוֹצֵאת. וְאִם אָמְרָה טְהוֹרָה אָנִי, מַעֲלִין אוֹתָהּ לְשַׁעַר הַמִּזְרָח שֶׁעַל פֶּתַח שַׁעַר נִקָּנוֹר, שֶׁשָּׁם מַשְׁקִין אֶת הַסּוֹטוֹת, וּמְטַהֲרִין אֶת הַיּוֹלְדוֹת, וּמְטַהֲרִין אֶת הַמְּצֹרָעִים. וְכֹהֵן אוֹחֵז בִּבְגָדֶיהָ, אִם נִקְרְעוּ נִקְרָעוּ, אִם נִפְרְמוּ נִפְרָמוּ, עַד שֶׁהוּא מְגַלֶּה אֶת לִבָּהּ, וְסוֹתֵר אֶת שְׂעָרָהּ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִם הָיָה לִבָּהּ נָאֶה, לֹא הָיָה מְגַלֵּהוּ. וְאִם הָיָה שְׂעָרָהּ נָאֶה, לֹא הָיָה סוֹתְרוֹ:
ה׳

שוברת כתובתה – she writes a receipt on her Ketubah–marriage contract: “I have run about as a prostitute–been unfaithful and I have lost [the right to] my Ketubah in order that she would not be able to return and claim her Ketubah from him, but in a place where they do not write a Ketubah, but rather rely upon a condition of the Jewish court, is where she writes a receipt, but in a place where they write a Ketubah, she tears up her Ketubah and does not write a receipt.

מעלין אותה לשער המזרח – they bring her up and take her down in order to tire her so that perhaps her mind will become insane and she will confess.

שעל פתח שער נקנור – a man whose name is Nicanor who brought doors to that opening from Alexandria of Egypt and miracles occurred for him and it is called the Gate of Nicanor in his name as we state in [Tractate] Yoma [38a].

ששם משקין את הסוטות – since we require “before God.”

ומטהרין את היולדות – in order that they will stand on top of their sacrifices and the same law applies regarding men and women with a flux which require a sacrifice.

ומטהרין את המצורע – as it is written (Leviticus 14:11): “These shall be presented before the LORD [with the man to be cleansed at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting] by the priest who performs the cleansing.”

אוחז בבגדיה – at their front of the neck.

אם נקרעו – he does not suspect and if they were torn, he does not suspect for the rending of garments is greater than rending, which was rent into many torn pieces. Another language: tearing from the sides is tearing by length.

עד שמגלה את לבה – as it is written (Numbers 5:18): “[the priest] shall bare the woman’s head.” I don’t know anything other than her head; her body – from where? The inference teaches us: “the woman.” If so, what is the inference concerning “her head?” It teaches that he cuts her hair.

רבי יהודה אומר כו' – perhaps she goes out innocent and the young priests become jealous of her for they saw that her heart was pleasant and her beautiful hair, but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.

שוברת כתובתה. כותבת שובר על כתובתה, זניתי ואבדתי כתובתי כדי שלא תוכל לחזור ולתבוע כתובתה ממנו. ובמקום שאין כותבין כתובה אלא סומכין על תנאי ב״ד הוא שכותבת שובר, אבל במקום שכותבים כתובה, מקרעת כתובתה ואינה כותבת שובר:

מעלין אותה, לשער המזרח. מעלין ומורידין אותה, כדי ליגעה אולי תטרוף דעתה ותודה:

שעל פתח שער נקנור. אדם ששמו נקנור שהביא דלתות לאותו פתח מאלכסנדריא של מצרים ונעשו לו נסים ונקרא שער נקנור על שמו כדאמרינן ביומא [לח.]:

ששם משקין את הסוטות. דבעינן לפני ה׳:

ומטהרין את היולדות. כדי שיעמדו על גבי קרבנן. וה״ה זבין וזבות הטעונים קרבן:

ומטהרין את המצורעים. כדכתיב (ויקרא י״ד:י״א) והעמיד הכהן המטהר וכו׳ לפני ה׳:

אוחז בבגדיה. בבית הצואר שלהן:

אם נקרעו. אינו חושש, ואם נפרמו אינו חושש. פרימה גדולה מקריעה שנקרע לקרעים הרבה. לשון אחר, פרימה מן הצדדין קריעה באורך:

עד שמגלה את לבה. דכתיב (במדבר ה׳:י״ח) ופרע את ראש האשה, אין לי אלא ראשה גופה מנין. ת״ל האשה, א״כ מה ת״ל את ראש, מלמד שסותר את שערה:

רבי יהודה אומר כו׳ שמא תצא זכאה ויתגרו בה פרחי כהונה שראו לבה נאה ושערה נאה. ואין הלכה כר״י:

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