## Mishnah Sotah Chapter 4

###### Mishnah Sotah 4:1
[Mishnah Sotah 4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Sotah/r/4:1)

אֲרוּסָה וְשׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם, לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ה), אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׂטֶה אִשָּׁה תַּחַת אִישָׁהּ, פְּרָט לַאֲרוּסָה וְשׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם. אַלְמָנָה לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, גְּרוּשָׁה וַחֲלוּצָה לְכֹהֵן הֶדְיוֹט, מַמְזֶרֶת וּנְתִינָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַמְזֵר וּלְנָתִין, לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to **a betrothed woman** who secluded herself with another man after being warned by her betrothed, **and a widow waiting for her brother-in-law [*yavam*]** to perform levirate marriage who secluded herself with another man after being warned by her *yavam*, **they neither drink** the bitter water **nor collect** payment of their **marriage contracts.** The reason they are not entitled to payment of their marriage contracts is that the betrothed woman became forbidden to her betrothed or the widow became forbidden to her *yavam* due to her own actions of entering into seclusion with the paramour. And the fact that they do not drink the bitter water is **as it is stated:** “This is the law of jealousy, **when a wife, while under her husband, goes astray,** and is defiled” (Numbers 5:29). The verse **excludes a betrothed woman and a widow awaiting her *yavam*;** since they are not yet married, neither is considered as “under her husband.” The mishna delineates cases where the woman’s marriage was prohibited in the first place: With regard to **a widow** who was married **to a High Priest,** or **a divorcée or *ḥalutza*** who was married **to a common priest,** or **a *mamzeret*** **or Gibeonite woman** who was married **to a Jew** of unflawed lineage, **or a Jewish woman** of unflawed lineage who was married **to a *mamzer* or a Gibeonite,** all of these women **neither drink** the bitter water **nor collect** payment of their **marriage contracts,** as the *sota* ritual applies only to permitted marriages.


###### Mishnah Sotah 4:2
[Mishnah Sotah 4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Sotah/r/4:2)

וְאֵלּוּ לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה. הָאוֹמֶרֶת טְמֵאָה אָנִי, וְשֶׁבָּאוּ לָהּ עֵדִים שֶׁהִיא טְמֵאָה, וְהָאוֹמֶרֶת אֵינִי שׁוֹתָה. אָמַר בַּעְלָהּ אֵינִי מַשְׁקָהּ, וְשֶׁבַּעְלָהּ בָּא עָלֶיהָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, נוֹטֶלֶת כְּתֻבָּתָהּ וְלֹא שׁוֹתָה. מֵתוּ בַעֲלֵיהֶן עַד שֶׁלֹּא שָׁתוּ, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה וְלֹא שׁוֹתוֹת. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And the following** women **neither drink** the bitter water **nor collect** payment of their **marriage contracts:** A woman **who** confesses and **says: I am defiled, and** a woman **with regard to whom witnesses came** and testified **that she is defiled, and** a woman **who says: I will not drink** the bitter water, even if she does not confess her guilt. However, a woman whose **husband said: I will not have** her **drink, and** a woman **whose husband engaged in sexual intercourse with her on the way** to the Temple, **collect** payment of their **marriage contracts** even though **they do not drink** the bitter water, as it is due to the husbands that they do not drink. If **the husbands** of *sota* women **died before** their wives **drank** the bitter water, **Beit Shammai say: They collect** payment of their **marriage contracts and they do not drink** the bitter water. **And Beit Hillel say: They either drink** the bitter water **or they do not collect** payment of **their marriage contracts.**


###### Mishnah Sotah 4:3
[Mishnah Sotah 4:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Sotah/r/4:3)

מְעֻבֶּרֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וּמֵינֶקֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, יָכוֹל הוּא לְהַפְרִישָׁהּ וּלְהַחֲזִירָהּ לְאַחַר זְמַן. אַיְלוֹנִית וּזְקֵנָה וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ רְאוּיָה לֵילֵד, לֹא שׁוֹתוֹת וְלֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יָכוֹל הוּא לִשָּׂא אִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת וְלִפְרוֹת וְלִרְבּוֹת הֵימֶנָּה. וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַנָּשִׁים, אוֹ שׁוֹתוֹת אוֹ לֹא נוֹטְלוֹת כְּתֻבָּה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**A woman who was pregnant** with the child **of another** man at the time of her marriage **and a woman who was nursing** the child **of another** man at the time of her marriage **neither drink** the bitter water **nor collect** payment of their **marriage contracts.** This is because by rabbinic law they may not marry for twenty-four months after the baby’s birth, and therefore these also constitute prohibited marriages. This is **the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: He can separate** from **her, and remarry her after** the **time** of twenty-four months has elapsed, and therefore these are considered permitted marriages, and the women can drink the bitter water. **A sexually underdeveloped woman** who is incapable of bearing children **[*ailonit*], and an elderly woman, and** a woman **who is incapable of giving birth** for other reasons, **neither collect** payment of their **marriage contracts nor drink** the bitter water, as marrying a woman who cannot give birth constitutes a violation of the mitzva to be fruitful and multiply. **Rabbi Elazar says: He can marry another woman and procreate through her;** therefore, these are considered permitted marriages, and women in these categories can drink the bitter water. **And all other women either drink** the bitter water **or do not collect** payment of their **marriage contracts.**


###### Mishnah Sotah 4:4
[Mishnah Sotah 4:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Sotah/r/4:4)

אֵשֶׁת כֹּהֵן שׁוֹתָה וּמֻתֶּרֶת לְבַעְלָהּ. אֵשֶׁת סָרִיס שׁוֹתָה. עַל יְדֵי כָל עֲרָיוֹת מְקַנִּין, חוּץ מִן הַקָּטָן, וּמִמִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ אִישׁ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The wife of a priest drinks, and if she is found to be innocent of adultery, she **is permitted to her husband. The wife of a eunuch** also **drinks.** A husband **can issue a warning** to his wife forbidding her to seclude herself with any man, even **with regard to all those** men **with whom relations are forbidden,** e.g., her father or brother, with the **exception of a minor and of one who is not a man,** i.e., in a situation where a man suspects his wife of bestiality.


###### Mishnah Sotah 4:5
[Mishnah Sotah 4:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Mishnah%20Sotah/r/4:5)

וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁבֵּית דִּין מְקַנִּין לָהֶן, מִי שֶׁנִּתְחָרֵשׁ בַּעְלָהּ אוֹ נִשְׁתַּטָּה, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה חָבוּשׁ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין. לֹא לְהַשְׁקוֹתָהּ אָמְרוּ, אֶלָּא לְפָסְלָהּ מִכְּתֻבָּתָהּ. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, אַף לְהַשְׁקוֹתָהּ, לִכְשֶׁיֵּצֵא בַעְלָהּ מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין יַשְׁקֶנָּה:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And these** are the women **to whom the court issues a warning** in place of their husbands: **One whose husband became a deaf-mute or became an imbecile, or was incarcerated in prison.** The Sages **said** that the court warns her **not** in order **to have her drink** the bitter water if she disobeys the warning, **but** in order **to disqualify her from** receiving payment of **her marriage contract. Rabbi Yosei says:** The court’s warning **also** serves **to have her drink,** and **when her husband is released from prison he has her drink.**