## Sotah Daf 22a

###### Sotah 22a:1
[Sotah 22a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:1)

שֶׁקָּרָא וְשָׁנָה וְלֹא שִׁימֵּשׁ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
is one **who read** the Written Torah **and learned** the Mishna **but did not serve Torah scholars** in order to learn the reasoning behind the *halakhot*. Since he believes himself knowledgeable, he issues halakhic rulings, but due to his lack of understanding he rules erroneously and is therefore considered wicked. His cunning is in his public display of knowledge, which misleads others into considering him a true Torah scholar.


###### Sotah 22a:2
[Sotah 22a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:2)

אִתְּמַר: קָרָא וְשָׁנָה וְלֹא שִׁימֵּשׁ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי זֶה עַם הָאָרֶץ. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר: הֲרֵי זֶה בּוּר. רַבִּי יַנַּאי אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי זֶה כּוּתִי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It was stated:** With regard to one who **read** the Written Torah **and learned** the Mishna **but did not serve Torah scholars, Rabbi Elazar says: This** person **is an ignoramus. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: This** person **is a boor. Rabbi Yannai says: This** person **is** comparable to **a Samaritan,** who follows the Written Torah but not the traditions of the Sages.


###### Sotah 22a:3
[Sotah 22a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:3)

רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר: הֲרֵי זֶה מָגוֹשׁ. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: מִסְתַּבְּרָא כְּרַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב, דְּאָמְרִי אִינָשֵׁי: רָטֵין מָגוֹשָׁא וְלָא יָדַע מַאי אָמַר, תָּנֵי תַּנָּא וְלָא יָדַע מַאי אָמַר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov says: This** person **is** comparable to **a sorcerer [*magosh*],** who uses his knowledge to mislead people. **Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is reasonable to** accept the opinion of **Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov, as people say** proverbially: **The sorcerer chants and does not know what he is saying;** so too, **the *tanna* teaches** the Mishna **and does not know what he is saying.**


###### Sotah 22a:4
[Sotah 22a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:4)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אֵיזֶהוּ עַם הָאָרֶץ? כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ קוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שַׁחֲרִית וְעַרְבִית בְּבִרְכוֹתֶיהָ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין. בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ צִיצִית בְּבִגְדוֹ. רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן בֶּן יוֹסֵף אָמַר: כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בָּנִים וְאֵינוֹ מְגַדְּלָן לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: אֲפִילּוּ קוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה וְלֹא שִׁימֵּשׁ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים — זֶהוּ עַם הָאָרֶץ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **The Sages taught: Who is an ignoramus [*am ha’aretz*]?** It is **anyone who does not recite *Shema*** in the **morning and evening with its blessings;** this is **the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say:** It is **anyone who does not don phylacteries. Ben Azzai says:** It is **anyone who does not have ritual fringes on his garment. Rabbi Yonatan ben Yosef said:** It is **anyone who has sons and does not raise them to study Torah. *Aḥerim* say: Even if one reads** the Written Torah **and learns** the Mishna **but does not serve Torah scholars, he is an ignoramus.**


###### Sotah 22a:5
[Sotah 22a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:5)

קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁנָה — הֲרֵי זֶה בּוּר, לֹא קָרָא וְלֹא שָׁנָה — עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״וְזָרַעְתִּי אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה זֶרַע אָדָם וְזֶרַע בְּהֵמָה״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
If one **read** the Written Torah **but did not learn** the Mishna, **he is a boor. With regard to** one who **did not read and did not learn** at all, **the verse states:** “Behold, the days come, says the Lord, **and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast”** (Jeremiah 31:26). One who has not studied at all is comparable to a beast.


###### Sotah 22a:6
[Sotah 22a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:6)

״יְרָא אֶת ה׳ בְּנִי וָמֶלֶךְ עִם שׁוֹנִים אַל תִּתְעָרָב״, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: אֵלּוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹנִים הֲלָכוֹת. פְּשִׁיטָא! מַהוּ דְּתֵימָא — שׁוֹנִין בְּחֵטְא, וְכִדְרַב הוּנָא. דְּאָמַר רַב הוּנָא: כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָבַר אָדָם עֲבֵירָה וְשָׁנָה בָּהּ — הוּתְּרָה לוֹ, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The verse states: **“My son, fear the Lord and the king; and meddle not with those who are repeating”** (Proverbs 24:21). **Rabbi Yitzḥak says: These are** individuals **who repeatedly learn** the ***halakhot*** but do not know the reasons behind them. The Gemara asks: **Isn’t** that **obvious?** How else could the verse be understood? The Gemara answers: He states this **lest you say** that the verse is referring to individuals who **repeatedly** commit **sins, and** this is **in accordance with** the words of **Rav Huna, as Rav Huna says: Once a person committed a transgression and repeated it,** in his eyes **it became permitted for him.** Since the verse could be interpreted in this manner, Rabbi Yitzḥak **teaches us** that the verse is referring to those who learn without understanding.


###### Sotah 22a:7
[Sotah 22a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:7)

תָּנָא: הַתַּנָּאִים — מְבַלֵּי עוֹלָם. מְבַלֵּי עוֹלָם סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ?! אָמַר רָבִינָא: שֶׁמּוֹרִין הֲלָכָה מִתּוֹךְ מִשְׁנָתָן. תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: וְכִי מְבַלֵּי עוֹלָם הֵן? וַהֲלֹא מְיַישְּׁבֵי עוֹלָם הֵן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲלִיכוֹת עוֹלָם לוֹ״! אֶלָּא, שֶׁמּוֹרִין הֲלָכָה מִתּוֹךְ מִשְׁנָתָן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It was taught** in a *baraita*: **The *tanna’im*,** who recite the tannaitic sources by rote, **are** individuals **who erode the world.** The Gemara is puzzled by this statement: **Could** it **enter your mind** that they are individuals **who erode the world? Ravina says:** This statement is referring to those **who issue halakhic rulings based** on **their** knowledge of ***mishnayot*. This is also taught** in a *baraita*: **Rabbi Yehoshua said: Are they** individuals **who erode the world? Aren’t they settling the world, as it is stated: “His ways [*halikhot*] are eternal”** (Habakkuk 3:6)? The Sages read the term *halikhot* as *halakhot*, inferring that one who learns *halakhot* attains eternal life. **Rather,** this is referring to those **who issue halakhic rulings based** on **their** knowledge of ***mishnayot*.**


###### Sotah 22a:8
[Sotah 22a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:8)

אִשָּׁה פְּרוּשָׁה וְכוּ׳. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּתוּלָה צַלְיָינִית, וְאַלְמָנָה שׁוֹבָבִית, וְקָטָן שֶׁלֹּא כָּלוּ לוֹ חֳדָשָׁיו — הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מְבַלֵּי עוֹלָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna states that **an abstinent woman** is among those who erode the world. **The Sages taught: A maiden who prays** constantly, **and a neighborly [*shovavit*] widow** who constantly visits her neighbors, **and a child whose months** of gestation **were not completed,** all **these are** people **who erode the world.**


###### Sotah 22a:9
[Sotah 22a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:9)

אִינִי? וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: לָמַדְנוּ יִרְאַת חֵטְא מִבְּתוּלָה, וְקִיבּוּל שָׂכָר מֵאַלְמָנָה. יִרְאַת חֵטְא מִבְּתוּלָה — דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן שַׁמְעַהּ לְהַהִיא בְּתוּלָה דְּנָפְלָה אַאַפַּהּ וְקָאָמְרָה: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, בָּרָאתָ גַּן עֵדֶן וּבָרָאתָ גֵּיהִנָּם, בָּרָאתָ צַדִּיקִים וּבָרָאתָ רְשָׁעִים. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּשְׁלוּ בִּי בְּנֵי אָדָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Is that so? But didn’t Rabbi Yoḥanan say: We learned** the meaning of **fear of sin from a maiden, and** the significance of **receiving** divine **reward from a widow.** The meaning of **fear of sin** can be learned **from a maiden, as Rabbi Yoḥanan heard a certain maiden who fell on her face** in prayer, **and she was saying: Master of the Universe, You created the Garden of Eden and You created Gehenna, You created** the **righteous and You created** the **wicked. May it be Your will that men shall not stumble because of me** and consequently go to Gehenna.


###### Sotah 22a:10
[Sotah 22a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:10)

קִיבּוּל שָׂכָר מֵאַלְמָנָה — דְּהָהִיא אַלְמָנָה דַּהֲוַאי בֵּי כְנִישְׁתָּא בְּשִׁיבָבוּתַהּ. כׇּל יוֹמָא הֲוָת אָתְיָא וּמְצַלָּה בֵּי מִדְרְשֵׁיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אֲמַר לַהּ: בִּתִּי, לֹא בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת בְּשִׁיבָבוּתִיךְ? אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: רַבִּי, וְלֹא שְׂכַר פְּסִיעוֹת יֵשׁ לִי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The significance of **receiving** divine **reward** can be learned **from a widow, as** there was **a certain widow in whose neighborhood there was a synagogue,** and despite this **every day she went and prayed in the study hall of Rabbi Yoḥanan.** Rabbi Yoḥanan **said to her: My daughter,** is there **not a synagogue in your neighborhood? She said to him: My teacher, don’t I attain a reward** for all **the steps** I take while walking to pray in the distant study hall?


###### Sotah 22a:11
[Sotah 22a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:11)

כִּי קָאָמַר, כְּגוֹן יוֹחָנִי בַּת רְטִיבִי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: **When it is stated** in the *baraita* that a maiden who prays constantly is one who erodes the world, it is referring, **for example,** to **Yoḥani bat Retivi,** who constantly prayed and pretended to be saintly but actually engaged in sorcery.


###### Sotah 22a:12
[Sotah 22a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:12)

מַאי ״קָטָן שֶׁלֹּא כָּלוּ לוֹ חֳדָשָׁיו״? הָכָא תַּרְגִּימוּ: זֶה תַּלְמִיד חָכָם הַמְבַעֵט בְּרַבּוֹתָיו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **What** is the meaning of **a child whose months** of gestation **were not completed? Here,** in Babylonia, **they interpreted this** as alluding to an imperfect, incomplete **Torah scholar who scorns his teachers.**


###### Sotah 22a:13
[Sotah 22a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/22a:13)

רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר: זֶה תַּלְמִיד שֶׁלֹּא הִגִּיעַ לְהוֹרָאָה וּמוֹרֶה. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַב הוּנָא אָמַר רַב: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״כִּי רַבִּים חֲלָלִים הִפִּילָה וַעֲצוּמִים כׇּל הֲרוּגֶיהָ״. ״כִּי רַבִּים חֲלָלִים הִפִּילָה״ — זֶה תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁלֹּא הִגִּיעַ לְהוֹרָאָה וּמוֹרֶה. ״וַעֲצוּמִים כׇּל הֲרוּגֶיהָ״ — זֶה תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְהוֹרָאָה וְאֵינוֹ מוֹרֶה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Abba says: This is a student who has not** yet **attained** the ability **to issue** halakhic **rulings, and** yet **he issues rulings** and is therefore compared to a prematurely born child. This is **as Rabbi Abbahu says** that **Rav Huna says** that **Rav says: What** is the meaning of that **which is written: “For she has cast down many wounded; and a mighty host are all her slain”** (Proverbs 7:26)? **“For she has cast down [*hippila*] many wounded”; this** is referring to **a Torah scholar who has not** yet **attained** the ability **to issue rulings, and** yet **he issues rulings. “And a mighty host [*ve’atzumim*] are all her slain”; this** is referring to **a Torah scholar who has attained** the ability **to issue rulings, but does not issue rulings** and prevents the masses from learning Torah properly.