## Sotah Daf 5b ###### Sotah 5b:1 [Sotah 5b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:1) ״וְלַשְׂאֵת וְלַסַּפַּחַת״, וְאֵין ״שְׂאֵת״ אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן גָּבוֹהַּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְעַל [כׇּל] הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל [כׇּל] הַגְּבָעוֹת הַנִּשָּׂאוֹת״, וְאֵין ״סַפַּחַת״ אֶלָּא טְפֵילָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״סְפָחֵנִי נָא אֶל אַחַת הַכְּהֻנּוֹת לֶאֱכֹל פַּת לָחֶם״. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **“And for a sore [*se’et*] and for a scab [*sappaḥat*]”** (Leviticus 14:56), **and *se’et*** means **nothing other** than **elevated, as it is stated: “And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up [*nissaot*]”** (Isaiah 2:14). **And *sappaḥat*** means **nothing other** than **an appendage, as it is stated** in the context of the curse given to the descendants of Eli: **“Put me [*sefaḥeni*], I pray of you, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread”** (I Samuel 2:36). They will have to be joined with another priestly family to receive their priestly gifts. One can therefore interpret the verses discussing leprosy as teaching that one who initially is arrogant, *se’et*, will eventually become a *sappaḥat*, diminished in stature. ###### Sotah 5b:2 [Sotah 5b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:2) אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: בֹּא וּרְאֵה כַּמָּה גְּדוֹלִים נְמוּכֵי הָרוּחַ לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּים אָדָם מַקְרִיב עוֹלָה — שְׂכַר עוֹלָה בְּיָדוֹ. מִנְחָה — שְׂכַר מִנְחָה בְּיָדוֹ. אֲבָל מִי שֶׁדַּעְתּוֹ שְׁפָלָה, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ הִקְרִיב כׇּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת כּוּלָּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה״. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין תְּפִלָּתוֹ נִמְאֶסֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה״. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Come and see how great the lowly in spirit are before the Holy One, Blessed be He. For when the Temple** was **standing, a person** would **sacrifice a burnt-offering** and **the merit of a burnt-offering would be his;** he would sacrifice **a meal-offering** and **the merit of a meal-offering would be his. But** with regard to **one whose spirit is lowly, the verse ascribes him** credit **as if he had sacrificed all the sacrificial offerings, as it is stated: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit”** (Psalms 51:19), indicating that one who is humble of spirit is regarded as if he offered all the “sacrifices of God.” **And not only** that, **but his prayer is not despised** by God, **as it is stated** at the end of that verse: **“A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”** ###### Sotah 5b:3 [Sotah 5b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:3) וְאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כׇּל הַשָּׁם אוֹרְחוֹתָיו בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה — זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בִּישׁוּעָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ אַרְאֶנּוּ בְּיֵשַׁע אֱלֹהִים״, אַל תִּקְרֵי ״וְשָׂם״, אֶלָּא ״וְשָׁם דֶּרֶךְ״. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi** also **says: Whoever appraises his ways in this world,** i.e., whoever carefully considers all his actions before deciding on the proper mode of conduct, **merits and sees the salvation of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “And to him that orders his way aright [*vesam derekh*] will I show the salvation of God”** (Psalms 50:23). **Do not read** it as **“*vesam*,”** “that orders”; **rather,** read it as ***vesham derekh*,** that appraises his way. ###### Sotah 5b:4 [Sotah 5b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:4) [כֵּיצַד מְקַנֵּא לָהּ כּוּ׳.] הָא גוּפָא קַשְׁיָא: אָמְרַתְּ, אָמַר לָהּ בִּפְנֵי שְׁנַיִם אַל תְּדַבְּרִי עִם אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי זֶה, אַלְמָא דִּבּוּר סְתִירָה הוּא, **William Davidson Edition - English:** § The mishna teaches: **How** does he **issue a warning to her** in an effective manner? If he says to her in the presence of two witnesses: Do not speak with the man called so-and-so, and she nevertheless spoke with him, she is still permitted to engage in sexual intercourse with her husband. However, if after he told her not to speak with so-and-so, she entered into a secluded place and remained with that man for sufficient time to engage in sexual intercourse, she is forbidden to her home, i.e., to engage in sexual intercourse with her husband, from that moment until she undergoes the *sota* rite. The Gemara notes the apparent contradiction in the mishna: **This** matter **itself is difficult: You said** in detailing the wording of the warning that **he said to her in the presence of two** witnesses: **Do not speak with the man** called **so-and-so, apparently** indicating that **speaking is** tantamount to **seclusion.** Therefore, speaking with that man should result in the woman becoming forbidden to her husband. ###### Sotah 5b:5 [Sotah 5b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:5) וַהֲדַר תָּנֵי: דִּיבְּרָה עִמּוֹ — עֲדַיִין מוּתֶּרֶת לְבֵיתָהּ וּמוּתֶּרֶת לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָה, אַלְמָא דִּבּוּר לָא כְּלוּם הוּא! **William Davidson Edition - English:** **But then** the mishna **teaches:** If **she** nevertheless **spoke with him, she is still permitted to her home,** i.e., to engage in sexual intercourse with her husband, **and** if she is the wife of a priest **she is** still **permitted to partake of *teruma*, apparently** indicating that **speaking is nothing.** Therefore, issuing a warning to her not to speak with a particular man should not qualify as an effective warning. ###### Sotah 5b:6 [Sotah 5b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:6) אָמַר אַבָּיֵי, הָכִי קָאָמַר: ״אַל תְּדַבְּרִי״ וְדִבְּרָה, ״אַל תְּדַבְּרִי״ וְנִסְתְּרָה — וְלֹא כְּלוּם. ״אַל תִּסָּתְרִי״ וְדִבְּרָה עִמּוֹ — עֲדַיִין מוּתֶּרֶת לְבֵיתָהּ וּמוּתֶּרֶת לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָה. נִכְנְסָה עִמּוֹ לְבֵית הַסֵּתֶר וְשָׁהֲתָה כְּדֵי טוּמְאָה, אֲסוּרָה לְבֵיתָהּ וַאֲסוּרָה לֶאֱכוֹל בִּתְרוּמָה. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **Abaye said** an explanation: **This is what** the mishna **is saying:** If he said to her: **Do not speak** with so-and-so, **and she** later **spoke** with him; or if the husband said to her: **Do not speak** with so-and-so, **and she** later **secluded herself** with him, **it is nothing,** as this was not an effective warning. Similarly, if he said to her: **Do not seclude yourself** with so-and-so, **and** then **she spoke with him** without secluding herself with him, **she is still permitted to her home,** i.e., her husband, **and she is** still **permitted to partake of *teruma*.** However, **if** after he issued a warning to her not to seclude herself with someone, **she entered with** that man **into a secluded place and remained** there with him for a period of time **sufficient for defilement,** then **she is forbidden to her home,** i.e., her husband, **and forbidden to partake of *teruma*.** ###### Sotah 5b:7 [Sotah 5b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:7) וְאִם מֵת חוֹלֶצֶת. אַמַּאי? תִּתְיַיבֵּם נָמֵי יַבּוֹמֵי? **William Davidson Edition - English:** § The mishna teaches that after a woman who was warned by her husband not to seclude herself with another man, nevertheless secludes herself with another man, she becomes forbidden to her husband, **and** if her husband **dies** childless before she drank the bitter water, **she performs *ḥalitza*** with her late husband’s brother and does not enter into levirate marriage. The Gemara asks: **Why** must she perform *ḥalitza*? **Let her enter into levirate marriage.** After all, although she secluded herself with the other man after the warning, there is only an unverified suspicion of adultery. Why should it be prohibited for her to enter into levirate marriage with her deceased husband’s brother, the *yavam*? ###### Sotah 5b:8 [Sotah 5b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:8) אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, אָמַר קְרָא: ״וְיָצְאָה מִבֵּיתוֹ וְהָלְכָה וְהָיְתָה לְאִישׁ אַחֵר״. לְאִישׁ אַחֵר, וְלֹא לַיָּבָם. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **Rav Yosef said:** With regard to a man who divorces his wife because: “He has found some unseemly matter about her” (Deuteronomy 24:1), i.e., he suspects her of sexual impropriety, **the verse states: “And she departs out of his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife”** (Deuteronomy 24:2). It is inferred from this that she is free **to** marry **another man, but** she is **not** permitted **to** marry **the *yavam*.** The *yavam* is not considered “another man,” as he takes the place of his brother. ###### Sotah 5b:9 [Sotah 5b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:9) אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה — חֲלִיצָה נָמֵי לָא תִּיבְעֵי! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִילּוּ אִיתֵיהּ לְבַעַל, מִי לָא בָּעֲיָא גֵּט? הַשְׁתָּא נָמֵי תִּיבְעֵי חֲלִיצָה. **William Davidson Edition - English:** **Abaye said to him: If that is so,** that the Torah explicitly prohibits levirate marriage in this case, then **she should not require *ḥalitza* as well,** as the verse explicitly permitted her to marry another man, seemingly abrogating the need for *ḥalitza* to free her from the bond to the *yavam*. Rav Yosef **said to him** in response: **If the husband were** alive, **would she not require a bill of divorce** to permit her to remarry, even though she was forbidden to him? **Now, as well, she should require *ḥalitza*** in order to release her bond with the *yavam*, even though, as the verse indicates, it remains prohibited for them to enter into levirate marriage. ###### Sotah 5b:10 [Sotah 5b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:10) וְאִית דְּאָמְרִי, אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: רַחֲמָנָא אָמַר ״וְיָצְאָה מִבֵּיתוֹ וְהָלְכָה וְהָיְתָה לְאִישׁ אַחֵר״ — דְּלָא לִיסְתְּרֵיהּ לְבֵיתֵיהּ, וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ תִּתְיַיבֵּם נָמֵי יַבּוֹמֵי?! **William Davidson Edition - English:** **And there are** those **who say** that in answer to Abaye’s question **Rav Yosef said: The Merciful One said** with regard to a man who divorces his wife because he has found some unseemly matter about her: **“And she departs out of his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife,”** indicating that the man should divorce her **so that his house not be destroyed** by his continuing to dwell with her, **and you** want to **say that she should enter into levirate marriage?** How can it be that the same verse instructing the husband to divorce her would also instruct the *yavam* to marry her? However, there is no reason to exempt her from performing *ḥalitza*. ###### Sotah 5b:11 [Sotah 5b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:11) אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה, לְאַחֵר לָא תִּינָּשֵׂא, דְּלָא תִּיסְתְּרֵיהּ לְבֵיתֵיהּ! **William Davidson Edition - English:** **Abaye said to him: If that is so,** that the verse would not tell the *yavam* to marry her, **she should not marry another** man either, **so that** the second husband’s **house not be destroyed.** How can it be that the same verse instructing the husband to divorce her would also instruct another man to marry her? ###### Sotah 5b:12 [Sotah 5b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sotah/r/5b:12) אֲמַר לֵיהּ: **William Davidson Edition - English:** Rav Yosef **said to him:**