Sotah 15

התם קיימא דמסקינן לה ומחתינן לה כדי לייגעה דתניא רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר בית דין מסיעין את העדים ממקום למקום כדי שתטרף דעתן עליהן ויחזרו בהן

But she is already there!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Mishnah p. 30. ');">¹</span>

ששם משקין את הסוטות וכו' בשלמא סוטות דכתיב (במדבר ה, יח) והעמיד הכהן את האשה לפני ה' מצורעין נמי דכתיב (ויקרא יד, יא) והעמיד הכהן המטהר וגו' אלא יולדת מאי טעמא

— They lead her up<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Temple-mount to be charged by the judges, then lead her to the bottom, and finally up again. ');">²</span>

אילימא משום דאתיין וקיימין אקורבנייהו דתניא אין קרבנו של אדם קרב אלא אם כן עומד על גביו אי הכי זבין וזבות נמי אה"נ ותנא חדא מינייהו נקט

and lead her down, for the purpose of wearying her.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that she may be more disposed to confess. ');">³</span>

ת"ר אין משקין שתי סוטות כאחת כדי שלא יהא לבה גס בחבירתה רבי יהודה אומר לא מן השם הוא זה אלא אמר קרא (במדבר ה, יג) אותה לבדה

For it has been taught: R. Simeon b. Eleazar says: The Court causes the witnesses to be taken from place to place that their mind may become confused and they retract [their evidence, if false].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 32b. ');">⁴</span>

ות"ק הכתיב אותה ת"ק ר"ש היא דדריש טעם דקרא ומה טעם קאמר מה טעם אותה לבדה כדי שלא יהא לבה גס בחבירתה

WHERE THEY GIVE SUSPECTED WOMEN THE WATER TO DRINK etc. This is quite right in the case of suspected women; because it is written: And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. V, 18. ');">⁵</span>

מאי בינייהו איכא בינייהו רותתת

Likewise is it with lepers; because it is written: And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man&nbsp;… before the Lord.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIV, 11. ');">⁶</span>

ורותתת מי משקין והא אין עושין מצות חבילות חבילות

But why a woman after childbirth? Is it to say because they come to stand by their offerings; for it has been taught: A person's offering is not sacrificed until he stands by it? If so, it should also apply to men and women with a running issue!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XV, 14, 29. ');">⁷</span>

דתנן אין משקין שתי סוטות כאחת ואין מטהרין שני מצורעין כאחת ואין רוצעין שני עבדים כאחת ואין עורפין שתי עגלות כאחת לפי שאין עושין מצות חבילות חבילות

— It does indeed also apply to them, and the Tanna [in the Mishnah] only specifies one of them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who do not enter the Temple precincts owing to a condition of defilement, and consequently stand at Nicanor's gate. ');">⁸</span>

אמר אביי ואיתימא רב כהנא לא קשיא כאן בכהן אחד כאן בשני כהנים

Our Rabbis have taught: They do not give two suspected women the water to drink at the same time, so that the heart of one should not become defiant because of the other.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One may be guilty and the other not. The first may refuse to confess because the other does not confess. ');">⁹</span>

והכהן אוחז בבגדיה תנו רבנן (במדבר ה, יח) ופרע את ראש האשה אין לי אלא ראשה גופה מנין ת"ל האשה אם כן מה ת"ל ופרע את ראשה מלמד שהכהן סותר את שערה

R. Judah says: It is not from this reason, but Scripture declares, [The priest shall cause] her [to swear]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. V, 19. V. Ned. 73a. ');">¹⁰</span>

ר' יהודה אומר אם היה לבה וכו' למימרא דר' יהודה חייש להרהורא ורבנן לא חיישי

— her alone. And for the first Tanna it is likewise written 'her'!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So why does he give his own reason? ');">¹¹</span>

והא איפכא שמעינן להו דתניא האיש מכסין אותו פרק אחד מלפניו והאשה שני פרקים אחד מלפניה ואחד מלאחריה מפני שכולה ערוה דברי רבי יהודה וחכ"א האיש נסקל ערום ואין האשה נסקלת ערומה

— The first Tanna is R. Simeon who expounds the reason of Scriptural texts<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.M. 115a. ');">¹²</span>

אמר רבה הכא טעמא מאי שמא תצא מב"ד זכאית ויתגרו בה פרחי כהונה התם הא מסתלקא וכי תימא אתי לאיגרויי באחרניית' האמר רבא גמירי דאין יצר הרע שולט אלא במה שעיניו רואות

and [here] he states the reason: What is the meaning of 'her'? Her alone, so that the heart of one should not become defiant because of the other. What difference is there, then, between them? — The difference between them is the case of a woman who is trembling.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore we cannot say she is defiant, and on the view of the first Tanna, as explained, she might be submitted to the ordeal at the same time with another suspected woman. ');">¹³</span>

אמר רבא דר' יהודה אדר' יהודה קשיא דרבנן אדרבנן ל"ק אלא אמר רבא דר' יהודה אדר' יהודה ל"ק כדשנין

But even if [a woman] is trembling, may we give her the water to drink [simultaneously with another woman] when, behold, we may not perform precepts in bundles?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Each must have separate attention. ');">¹⁴</span> For we have learnt: They do not give two suspected women the water to drink at the same time, nor purify two lepers at the same time, nor bore the ears of two slaves at the same time,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXI, 6. ');">¹⁵</span> nor break the necks of two calves at the same time,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXI, 1 ff. ');">¹⁶</span> because we may not perform precepts in bundles! — Abaye said, but others declare it was R. Kahana: There is no contradiction; the latter case referring to one priest,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Administering the water to two women, when it would be performing a precept in bundles. ');">¹⁷</span> the other to two priests. A PRIEST SEIZES HER GARMENTS. Our Rabbis have taught: And let the hair of the woman's head go loose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. V, 18. ');">¹⁸</span> I only have here mention of her head; whence is it derived that it applies to her body?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That be uncovers her bosom, as stated in the Mishnah. ');">¹⁹</span> The text states: 'the woman's'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And not merely 'the hair of her head'. ');">²⁰</span> If so, what is the object of the text declaring, 'And let the hair of the head go loose'? It teaches that the priest undoes her hair.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And unravels the locks. ');">²¹</span> R. JUDAH SAYS, IF HER BOSOM WAS BEAUTIFUL etc. Is this to say that R. Judah is afraid of impure thoughts being aroused and the Rabbis do not fear this? Behold we have heard the opposite opinion of them; for it has been taught: In the case of a man [who is to be stoned] they cover him with one piece of cloth in front, and in the case of a woman with two pieces, one in front and one behind, because the whole of her is considered nudity. This is the statement of R. Judah; but the Sages say: A man is stoned naked but a woman is not stoned naked!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 45a. ');">²²</span> — Rabbah answered: What is the reason here?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That R. Judah is against the exposure of her bosom. ');">²³</span> Lest she go forth from the Court innocent, and the priestly novitiates become inflamed through her, whereas in the other case she is stoned. Should you reply that it may cause them to be inflamed by another woman, Raba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the parallel passage in Sanh. 45a the name is Rabbah. ');">²⁴</span> declared: We have learnt a tradition that the evil impulse only bears sway over what a person's eyes see. Raba asked: Is it, then, that R. Judah contradicts himself and the Rabbis do not contradict themselves? But, said Raba, R. Judah does not contradict himself as we have just explained,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The case of a suspected woman is not analogous to that of a woman who is to be stoned. ');">²⁵</span>