Sotah 10

Chapter 10

א (ויקרא יד, נו) ולשאת ולספחת ואין שאת אלא לשון גבוה שנא' (ישעיהו ב, יד) ועל [כל] ההרים הרמים ועל [כל] הגבעות הנשאות ואין ספחת אלא טפילה שנאמר (שמואל א ב, לו) ספחני נא אל אחת הכהונות לאכל פת לחם
1 For a rising and for a scab,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIV, 56 interpreted as: having first been elevated, he will become something superfluous among men, and therefore esteemed as nothing. ');"><sup>1</sup></span>
ב א"ר יהושע בן לוי בא וראה כמה גדולים נמוכי הרוח לפני הקב"ה שבשעה שבית המקדש קיים אדם מקריב עולה שכר עולה בידו מנחה שכר מנחה בידו אבל מי שדעתו שפלה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו הקריב כל הקרבנות כולם שנאמר (תהלים נא, יט) זבחי אלהים רוח נשברה ולא עוד אלא שאין תפלתו נמאסת שנאמר (תהלים נא, יט) לב נשבר ונדכה אלהים לא תבזה
2 and se'eth ['rising'] means nothing else than elevation, as it is said: Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are nisaoth [lifted up].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. II, 14. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ג ואמר ריב"ל כל השם אורחותיו בעולם הזה זוכה ורואה בישועתו של הקב"ה שנאמר (תהלים נ, כג) ושם דרך אראנו בישע אלהים אל תקרי ושם אלא ושם דרך
3 Sappahath ['scab'] means nothing else than attachment; as it is said: Attach me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Sam. II, 36. The Hebrew for the verb attach resembles the word for scab, v. Shebu, 6b. ');"><sup>3</sup></span>
ד [כיצד מקנא לה כו']: הא גופא קשיא אמרת אמר לה בפני שנים אל תדברי עם איש פלוני זה אלמא דבור סתירה הוא
4 R. Joshua b. Levi said: Come and see how great are the lowly of spirit in the esteem of the Holy One, blessed be He, since when the Temple stood, a man brought a burnt-offering and received the reward of a burnt-offering, a meal-offering and he received the reward of a meal-offering; but as for him whose mind is lowly, Scripture ascribes it to him as though he had offered every one of the sacrifices; as it is said: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LI, 19. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ה והדר תני דיברה עמו עדיין מותרת לביתה ומותרת לאכול בתרומה אלמא דבור לא כלום הוא
5 More than that, his prayer is not despised; as it continues: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
ו אמר אביי הכי קאמר אל תדברי ודברה אל תדברי ונסתרה (ולא כלום) אל תסתרי ודברה עמו עדיין מותרת לביתה ומותרת לאכול בתרומה נכנסה עמו לבית הסתר ושהתה כדי טומאה אסורה לביתה ואסורה לאכול בתרומה
6 R. Joshua b. Levi further said: He who calculates his ways in this world will be worthy to behold the salvation of the Holy One, blessed be He; as it is said: To him that ordereth his way will I show the salvation of God<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. L, 23. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ז ואם מת חולצת אמאי תתייבם נמי יבומי
7 — read not we-sam [that ordereth] but we-sham [who calculates] his way.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He calculates the loss incurred in fulfilling a precept against the reward it will bring him, v. Aboth, II, 1. ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ח אמר רב יוסף אמר קרא (דברים כד, ב) ויצאה מביתו והלכה והיתה לאיש אחר לאיש אחר ולא ליבם
8 HOW MUST HE WARN HER? etc. This is self-contradictory. You declare, IF HE SAYS TO HER IN THE PRESENCE OF TWO, DO NOT CONVERSE WITH THAT MAN — consequently conversation is the equivalent of seclusion.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since it justifies a warning from the husband. ');"><sup>7</sup></span>
ט א"ל אביי אלא מעתה חליצה נמי לא תיבעי א"ל אילו איתיה לבעל מי לא בעיא גט השתא נמי תיבעי חליצה
9 He then proceeds to teach: AND SHE CONVERSED WITH HIM, SHE IS STILL PERMITTED TO HER HUSBAND AND PERMITTED TO PARTAKE OF THE HEAVEOFFERING — consequently conversation is nothing! — Abaye said: This is what he means: [If he said to her,] Do not converse, and she conversed with him, Do not converse, and she secluded herself with him, that is nothing; [but if he said to her,] Do not be secluded with him, and she conversed with him, she is still permitted to her husband and permitted to partake of the heave-offering. Should she have entered a private place with him and stayed a time sufficient for misconduct to have occurred, she is forbidden to her husband and forbidden to partake of the heave-offering.
י ואית דאמרי אמר רב יוסף רחמנא אמר ויצאה מביתו והלכה והיתה לאיש אחר דלא ליסתריה לביתיה ואת אמרת תתייבם נמי יבומי
10 IF [HER HUSBAND] DIED, SHE PERFORMS THE CEREMONY OF <i>HALIZAH</i>. Why so? Let her also contract a levirate marriage! — R. Joseph said: Scripture declared: And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXIV, 2. ');"><sup>8</sup></span>
יא אמר ליה אביי אלא מעתה לאחר לא תינשא דלא תיסתריה לביתיה
11 — she may marry 'another' man but not her brother-in-law.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' ['Another' excludes the brother-in-law whose marriage to her is but a continuation, so to speak, of her first marriage. The derivation is based on the superfluous word 'another' which is taken to refer to a case where the wife was charged with an 'unseemly thing' and her husband died. The meaning of the verse would accordingly be as follows: If she found no favour&nbsp;… because he hath found some unseemly thing, he shall write her a bill of divorcement. When she departs out of his house (whether on his death or on divorce) and she goeth and becometh another man's wife, implying she can become the wife only of another man but not the brother-in-law.] ');"><sup>9</sup></span>
יב אמר ליה
12 Abaye said to him, According to your argument, <i>Halizah</i> also should be unnecessary! He replied to him, If the husband is living, is not a Get required?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Despite her misconduct. Ibid. 3 mentions, and write her a bill of divorcement. The technical term for this document is Get. ');"><sup>10</sup></span> So here likewise <i>Halizah</i> is necessary.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [The brother-in-law taking the place of the dead husband.] ');"><sup>11</sup></span> Another version is: R. Joseph said: The All-Merciful declared: And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife, so as not to destroy his house;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. II where it is taught that the wife's immorality destroys the husband's house. ');"><sup>12</sup></span> and you argue, let her also contract a levirate marriage!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And perhaps destroy the brother-in-law's house. ');"><sup>13</sup></span> Abaye said to him, According to your argument, she should never marry again so as not to destroy another man's house! — He replied to him,
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