Mishnah Sotah · chapter 2

Tap any Hebrew word to trace it to its Jastrow dictionary entry.

1. 1

   הָיָה מֵבִיא אֶת מִנְחָתָהּ בְּתוֹךְ כְּפִיפָה מִצְרִית וְנוֹתְנָהּ עַל יָדֶיהָ כְּדֵי לְיַגְּעָהּ. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת תְּחִלָּתָן וְסוֹפָן בִּכְלִי שָׁרֵת, וְזוֹ תְּחִלָּתָהּ בִּכְפִיפָה מִצְרִית וְסוֹפָהּ בִּכְלִי שָׁרֵת. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת טְעוּנוֹת שֶׁמֶן וּלְבֹנָה, וְזוֹ אֵינָהּ טְעוּנָה לֹא שֶׁמֶן וְלֹא לְבֹנָה. כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת בָּאוֹת מִן הַחִטִּין, וְזוֹ בָאָה מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִין. מִנְחַת הָעֹמֶר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבָּאָה מִן הַשְּׂעוֹרִין הִיא הָיְתָה בָאָה גֶרֶשׂ, וְזוֹ בָאָה קֶמַח. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמַּעֲשֶׂיהָ מַעֲשֵׂה בְהֵמָה, כָּךְ קָרְבָּנָהּ מַאֲכַל בְּהֵמָה:

   [The husband] brings her meal-offering in a basket of palm-twigs and places it upon her hands in order to weary her. With all other meal-offerings, their beginning and their end are in ministering vessels; but with this, its beginning is in a basket of palm-twigs and its end in a ministering vessel. All other meal-offerings require oil and frankincense, but this requires neither oil nor frankincense. All other meal-offerings come from wheat, but this comes from barley. The meal-offering of the Omer, although it comes from barley, was in the form of sifted flour; but this comes from unsifted flour. Rabban Gamaliel says: just as her actions were the actions of an animal, so her offering [consisted of] animal's fodder.

2. 2

   הָיָה מֵבִיא פְיָלִי שֶׁל חֶרֶס חֲדָשָׁה, וְנוֹתֵן לְתוֹכָהּ חֲצִי לֹג מַיִם מִן הַכִּיּוֹר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, רְבִיעִית. כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמְּמַעֵט בַּכְּתָב, כָּךְ מְמַעֵט בַּמָּיִם. נִכְנַס לַהֵיכָל וּפָנָה לִימִינוֹ, וּמָקוֹם הָיָה שָׁם אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה, וְטַבְלָא שֶׁל שַׁיִשׁ, וְטַבַּעַת הָיְתָה קְבוּעָה בָהּ. וּכְשֶׁהוּא מַגְבִּיהָהּ, נוֹטֵל עָפָר מִתַּחְתֶּיהָ וְנוֹתֵן כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּרָאֶה עַל הַמַּיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ה) וּמִן הֶעָפָר אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בְּקַרְקַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן יִקַּח הַכֹּהֵן וְנָתַן אֶל הַמָּיִם:

   [The priest] takes an earthenware bowl and pours half a log of water into it from the laver. Rabbi Judah says: a quarter [of a log]. Just as [Rabbi Judah] reduces the amount of writing, so he reduces the quantity of water. [Then the priest] enters the temple and turns to his right and there was a place there [on the floor] that was a cubit by a cubit, and a marble tablet, to which a ring was attached. When he would lift this up, he would take some dust from beneath it which he puts [into the bowl] so that it would be seen on top of the water; as it is said, “And of the dust that is on the floor of the Tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water” (Numbers 5:17).

3. 3

   בָּא לוֹ לִכְתֹּב אֶת הַמְּגִלָּה, מֵאֵיזֶה מָקוֹם הוּא כוֹתֵב, (במדבר ה) מֵאִם לֹא שָׁכַב אִישׁ וְגוֹ', וְאַתְּ כִּי שָׂטִית תַּחַת אִישֵׁךְ וְגוֹ'. וְאֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב וְהִשְׁבִּיעַ הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הָאִשָּׁה וְגוֹ'. וְכוֹתֵב יִתֵּן ה' אוֹתָךְ לְאָלָה וְלִשְׁבֻעָה וְגוֹ', וּבָאוּ הַמַּיִם הַמְאָרְרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּמֵעַיִךְ לַצְבּוֹת בֶּטֶן וְלַנְפִּל יָרֵךְ. וְאֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב וְאָמְרָה הָאִשָּׁה אָמֵן אָמֵן. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, לֹא הָיָה מַפְסִיק. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל עַצְמוֹ אֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב, אֶלָּא יִתֵּן ה' אוֹתָךְ לְאָלָה וְלִשְׁבֻעָה וְגוֹ' וּבָאוּ הַמַּיִם הַמְאָרְרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּמֵעַיִךְ וְגוֹ'. וְאֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב וְאָמְרָה הָאִשָּׁה אָמֵן אָמֵן:

   He now comes to write the scroll.From what place [in Scripture] does he write? From “If no man has lain with you … but if you have gone astray while married to your husband” (Numbers 5:19-20). He does not write, “Then the priest shall cause the woman to swear” (v., but continues, “May the Lord make you a curse and an imprecation … And may this water that induces the spell enter your body make your belly swell, and your thigh to sag.” (vs. 21-22) He does not write “And the woman shall say, ‘amen, amen’” (vs.. Rabbi Yose says: he makes no omissions. Rabbi Judah says: he writes nothing except, ““May the Lord make you a curse and an imprecation … And may this water that induces the spell enter your body make your belly swell, and your thigh to sag.” (vs. 21-2 He does not write “And the woman shall say, ‘amen, amen’” (vs..

4. 4

   אֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב לֹא עַל הַלּוּחַ וְלֹא עַל הַנְּיָר וְלֹא עַל הַדִּפְתְּרָא, אֶלָּא עַל הַמְּגִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) בַּסֵּפֶר. וְאֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב לֹא בְקוֹמוֹס וְלֹא בְקַנְקַנְתּוֹם וְלֹא בְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁרוֹשֵׁם, אֶלָּא בִדְיוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) וּמָחָה, כְּתָב שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְהִמָּחֵק:

   He writes neither on a [wooden] tablet nor on papyrus nor on rough parchment but on a [parchment] scroll, as it is said, “In a scroll” (Numbers 5:23). Nor does he write with a [preparation of] gum or sulphate of copper or with anything which makes an impression [on the parchment] but with ink, as it is said, “And he will blot it out” (ibid.) writing which is capable of being blotted out.

5. 5

   עַל מַה הִיא אוֹמֶרֶת אָמֵן אָמֵן. אָמֵן עַל הָאָלָה, אָמֵן עַל הַשְּׁבוּעָה. אָמֵן מֵאִישׁ זֶה, אָמֵן מֵאִישׁ אַחֵר. אָמֵן שֶׁלֹּא שָׂטִיתִי אֲרוּסָה וּנְשׂוּאָה וְשׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם וּכְנוּסָה, אָמֵן שֶׁלֹּא נִטְמֵאתִי. וְאִם נִטְמֵאתִי, יָבֹאוּ בִי. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, אָמֵן שֶׁלֹּא נִטְמֵאתִי, אָמֵן שֶׁלֹּא אֶטָּמֵא:

   To what does she respond “Amen, amen”?“Amen” over the curse and “amen” over the oath; “Amen” with respect to this man and “amen” with respect to any other man. “Amen” that I did not go astray as a betrothed girl or married woman or a shomeret yavam or a woman taken into [her yavam’s] house. “Amen” that I have not been defiled and if I have, may [these curses] come upon me. Rabbi Meir says: “Amen” that I have not been defiled and the “amen” that I will not become defiled in the future.

6. 6

   הַכֹּל שָׁוִין שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַתְנֶה עִמָּהּ לֹא עַל קֹדֶם שֶׁתִּתְאָרֵס וְלֹא עַל מֵאַחַר שֶׁתִּתְגָּרֵשׁ. נִסְתְּרָה לְאַחֵר וְנִטְמֵאת וְאַחַר כָּךְ הֶחֱזִירָהּ, לֹא הָיָה מַתְנֶה עִמָּהּ. זֶה הַכְּלָל, כֹּל שֶׁתִּבָּעֵל וְלֹא הָיְתָה אֲסוּרָה לוֹ, לֹא הָיָה מַתְנֶה עִמָּהּ:

   All agree that he cannot make a stipulation with her with regard to the time before she was betrothed or after she is divorced. If she secludes herself [with the man about whom she was warned, but after being divorced] and was defiled and subsequently [her husband] took her back, he cannot make a stipulation with her [in regard to this]. This is the general rule: any with whom she has intercourse and was not prohibited to him [at that time] the husband cannot make a stipulation on this.