## Sotah Daf 22b

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

וְעַד כַּמָּה — עַד אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין. אִינִי? וְהָא רַבָּה אוֹרִי! בְּשָׁוִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And until when** is it considered too premature for a scholar to issue halakhic rulings? It is **until forty years.** The Gemara asks: **Is that so? But didn’t Rabba issue rulings,** even though he lived for only forty years? The Gemara answers: It is permitted for a scholar who has not studied for so long to issue rulings **when** his knowledge reaches the level of the foremost scholar in his city and **they are equals.**


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

וּמַכּוֹת פְּרוּשִׁין וְכוּ׳. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן, שִׁבְעָה פְּרוּשִׁין הֵן: פָּרוּשׁ שִׁיכְמִי, פָּרוּשׁ נִקְפִּי, פָּרוּשׁ קִיזַּאי, פָּרוּשׁ מְדוּכְיָא, פָּרוּשׁ ״מָה חוֹבָתִי וְאֶעֱשֶׂנָּה״, פָּרוּשׁ מֵאַהֲבָה, פָּרוּשׁ מִיִּרְאָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ It states in the mishna: **And those who injure** themselves out of false **abstinence [*perushin*]** are people who erode the world. **The Sages taught: There are seven** pseudo-**righteous** people who erode the world: The **righteous of Shechem,** the self-**flagellating righteous,** the **bloodletting righteous,** the **pestle**-like **righteous,** the **righteous** who say: Tell me **what my obligation** is **and I will perform it,** those who are **righteous due to love,** and those who are **righteous due to fear.**


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

פָּרוּשׁ שִׁיכְמִי — זֶה הָעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה שְׁכֶם. פָּרוּשׁ נִקְפִּי — זֶה הַמְנַקֵּיף אֶת רַגְלָיו. פָּרוּשׁ קִיזַּאי — אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: זֶה הַמַּקִּיז דָּם לַכְּתָלִים. פָּרוּשׁ מְדוּכְיָא — אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר שֵׁילָא: דִּמְשַׁפַּע כִּי מְדוּכְיָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara explains: The **righteous of Shechem [*shikhmi*]; this is** one **who performs** actions comparable to the **action** of the people of **Shechem,** who agreed to circumcise themselves for personal gain (see Genesis, chapter 34); so too, he behaves righteously only in order to be honored. The self-**flagellating righteous; this is** one **who injures his feet,** as he walks slowly, dragging his feet on the ground in an attempt to appear humble, and injures his feet in the process. The **bloodletting righteous; Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says** that **this is** one **who lets blood** by banging his head **against the walls** because he walks with his eyes shut, ostensibly out of modesty. The **pestle**-like **righteous; Rabba bar Sheila says** that this is one **who** walks **bent over like** the **pestle** of a mortar.


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

פָּרוּשׁ ״מָה חוֹבָתִי וְאֶעֱשֶׂנָּה״. הָא מְעַלְּיוּתָא הִיא! אֶלָּא דְּאָמַר ״מָה חוֹבָתִי תּוּ וְאֶעֱשֶׂנָּה״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to the **righteous** one who says: Tell me **what my obligation** is **and I will perform it,** the Gemara asks: **Isn’t this virtuous** behavior, as he desires to be aware of his obligations? **Rather,** this is referring to one **who says:** Tell me **what further obligations** are incumbent **upon me and I will perform them,** indicating that he fulfills all of his mitzvot perfectly and therefore seeks additional obligations.


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

פָּרוּשׁ מֵאַהֲבָה, פָּרוּשׁ מִיִּרְאָה. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי וְרָבָא לְתַנָּא: לָא תִּיתְּנֵי פָּרוּשׁ מֵאַהֲבָה פָּרוּשׁ מִיִּרְאָה, דְּאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: לְעוֹלָם יַעֲסוֹק אָדָם בַּתּוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת אֲפִילּוּ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ, שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ בָּא לִשְׁמָהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The *baraita* also includes in the list of pseudo-righteous people those who are **righteous due to love** and those who are **righteous due to fear,** i.e., one who performs mitzvot due to love of their reward or due to fear of punishment. **Abaye and Rava said to the *tanna*** who transmitted this *baraita*: **Do not teach** in the *baraita*: Those who are **righteous due to love** and those who are **righteous due to fear, as Rav Yehuda says** that **Rav says: A person should always engage in Torah** study **and in** performance of **the mitzvot even if** he does **not** do so **for their own sake, as through** performing them **not for their own sake,** one **comes** to perform them **for their own sake.**


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

אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: דְּמִטַּמְּרָא מִטַּמְּרָא, וּדְמִגַּלְּיָא מִגַּלְּיָא, בֵּי דִינָא רַבָּה לִיתְפְּרַע מֵהָנֵי דְּחָפוּ גּוּנְדֵי. אֲמַר לַהּ יַנַּאי מַלְכָּא לִדְבֵיתֵיהּ: אַל תִּתְיָרְאִי מִן הַפְּרוּשִׁין, וְלֹא מִמִּי שֶׁאֵינָן פְּרוּשִׁין, אֶלָּא מִן הַצְּבוּעִין שֶׁדּוֹמִין לִפְרוּשִׁין, שֶׁמַּעֲשֵׂיהֶן כְּמַעֲשֵׂה זִמְרִי וּמְבַקְּשִׁין שָׂכָר כְּפִנְחָס.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:** That **which is hidden is hidden, and** that **which is revealed is revealed,** but in Heaven everything is known, and **the great court** in Heaven **will exact payment from those who wear the cloak** of the righteous but are in fact unworthy. The Gemara relates: **King Yannai said to his wife** before he died: **Do not be afraid of the Pharisees [*perushin*], and neither** should you fear **from those who are not Pharisees,** i.e., the Sadducees; **rather,** beware **of the hypocrites who appear like Pharisees, as their actions are like the act of** the wicked **Zimri and they request** a **reward like** that of the righteous **Pinehas** (see Numbers, chapter 25).


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

**מַתְנִי׳** רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: אֵין זְכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמָּרִים. וְאִם אַתָּה אוֹמֵר הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בַּמַּיִם הַמְאָרְרִין — מַדְהֶה אַתָּה אֶת הַמַּיִם בִּפְנֵי כׇּל הַנָּשִׁים הַשּׁוֹתוֹת. וּמוֹצִיא אַתָּה שֵׁם רַע עַל הַטְּהוֹרוֹת שֶׁשָּׁתוּ, שֶׁאוֹמְרִים: טְמֵאוֹת הֵן, אֶלָּא שֶׁתָּלְתָה לָהֶן זְכוּת. רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמְאָרְרִים, וְאֵינָהּ יוֹלֶדֶת וְאֵינָהּ מַשְׁבַּחַת, אֶלָּא מִתְנַוְּונָה וְהוֹלֶכֶת, לְסוֹף הִיא מֵתָה בְּאוֹתָהּ מִיתָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **Rabbi Shimon says: Merit does not delay** the punishment **of the bitter water** of a *sota*, **and if you say** that **merit does delay** the punishment **of the water that causes the curse,** as stated earlier by the Rabbis (20a), **you weaken [*madhe*]** the power of **the** bitter **water before all the women who drink** the water, who will no longer be afraid of it, as they will rely on their merit to save them. **And you defame the untainted women who drank** the water and survived, **as** people **say: They are defiled but** it is their **merit that delayed** the punishment **for them. Rabbi** Yehuda HaNasi **says: Merit delays** the punishment **of the water that causes the curse, but** a woman whose punishment is delayed **does not give birth and does not flourish; rather, she progressively deteriorates. Ultimately she dies by the same death** as a *sota* who dies immediately.


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

נִטְמֵאת מִנְחָתָהּ עַד שֶׁלֹּא קָדְשָׁה בִּכְלִי — הֲרֵי הִיא כְּכׇל הַמְּנָחוֹת, וְתִפָּדֶה. וְאִם מִשֶּׁקָּדְשָׁה בִּכְלִי — הֲרֵי הִיא כְּכׇל הַמְּנָחוֹת, וְתִשָּׂרֵף. וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁמִּנְחוֹתֵיהֶן נִשְׂרָפוֹת:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ If **the meal-offering** of the *sota* **is rendered impure before it has been sanctified in the** service **vessel, its** status **is like** that of **all the** other **meal-offerings** that are rendered impure before being sanctified in a service vessel, **and it is redeemed. But if** it is rendered impure **after it has been sanctified in the** service **vessel, its** status **is like** that of **all the** other **meal-offerings** that are rendered impure after being sanctified in a service vessel, **and it is burned. And these are** the *sota* women **whose meal-offerings are burned** if they have already been sanctified in a service vessel: