Sotah 39

קשיא דר' עקיבא אדרבי עקיבא התם אמר מחיקה מעכבא והכא אמר קומץ מעכב

But R. Akiba [nevertheless] contradicts himself; he declared above that it was the obliteration [of the inscription] which prevents [her from retracting], and here he declares that [the offering of the] handful prevents her! — There are two Tannaim [who take opposite sides on this question] in the view of R. Akiba.

תרי תנאי ואליבא דר"ע

The question was asked, how is it if she said: 'I refuse to drink' through defiance and she retracts and says 'I am willing to drink'? Is it that since she said: 'I refuse to drink' she admitted 'I am unclean', and having presumed her self to be unclean, she is unable to retract; or perhaps, since she says 'I am willing to drink', she evidences that she first spoke in terror? — The question remains unanswered. Samuel's father said: It is necessary to put something bitter into the water. What is the reason? Scripture declares, The water of bitterness<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. V, 18. ');">¹</span>

איבעיא להו אמרה איני שותה מחמת בריותא וחזרה ואמרה שותה אני מהו כיון דאמרה איני שותה טמאה אני קאמרה וכיון דאחזיק נפשה בטומאה לא מציא הדרה בה או דילמא כיון דאמרה שותה אני גליא דעתה דמחמת ביעתותא הוא דאמרה תיקו

— i.e., [water] which had been previously made bitter.

אמר אבוה דשמואל צריך שיתן מר לתוך המים מ"ט דאמר קרא מי המרים שמרים כבר

<b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. IF, BEFORE [THE WRITING ON] THE SCROLL HAD BEEN BLOTTED OUT, SHE SAID 'I REFUSE TO DRINK', HER SCROLL IS STORED AWAY<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was not destroyed because the inscription included the Divine Name. ');">²</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> עד שלא נמחקה המגילה אמרה איני שותה מגילתה נגנזת ומנחתה מתפזרת על הדשן ואין מגילתה כשרה להשקות בה סוטה אחרת נמחקה המגילה ואמרה טמאה אני המים נשפכין ומנחתה מתפזרת על בית הדשן נמחקה המגילה ואמרה איני שותה מערערין אותה ומשקין אותה בעל כרחה

AND HER MEAL-OFFERING IS SCATTERED OVER THE ASHES.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the Temple-offerings. ');">³</span>

אינה מספקת לשתות עד שפניה מוריקות ועיניה בולטות והיא מתמלאת גידין והם אומרים הוציאוה שלא תטמא העזרה

HER SCROLL IS NOT VALID TO BE USED IN GIVING ANOTHER SUSPECTED WOMAN TO DRINK. IF [THE WRITING ON] THE SCROLL HAS BEEN BLOTTED OUT AND SHE SAID 'I AM UNCLEAN', THE WATER IS POURED AWAY AND HER MEAL-OFFERING IS SCATTERED IN THE PLACE OF THE ASHES.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This was a special Court in the Temple where the refuse of sacrifices was destroyed. ');">⁴</span>

אם יש לה זכות היתה תולה לה יש זכות תולה שנה אחת יש זכות תולה ב' שנים יש זכות תולה ג' שנים מכאן אומר בן עזאי חייב אדם ללמד את בתו תורה שאם תשתה תדע שהזכות תולה לה ר"א אומר כל המלמד בתו תורה (כאילו) לומדה תפלות

IF [THE WRITING ON] THE SCROLL HAD BEEN BLOTTED OUT AND SHE SAID 'I REFUSE TO DRINK', THEY EXERT INFLUENCE UPON HER AND MAKE HER DRINK BY FORCE.

ר' יהושע אומר רוצה אשה בקב ותפלות מט' קבין ופרישות הוא היה אומר חסיד שוטה ורשע ערום ואשה פרושה ומכות פרושין הרי אלו מבלי עולם

&nbsp; &nbsp; SHE HAD SCARCELY FINISHED DRINKING WHEN HER FACE TURNS GREEN, HER EYES PROTRUDE AND HER VEINS SWELL;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Literally, she becomes filled with veins. ');">⁵</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> א"ר יהודה אמר שמואל משום ר"מ כשהייתי למד תורה אצל ר"ע הייתי מטיל קנקנתום לתוך הדיו ולא אמר לי דבר כשבאתי אצל ר' ישמעאל א"ל בני מה מלאכתך אמרתי לו לבלר אני אמר לי בני הוי זהיר שמלאכתך מלאכת שמים היא שמא תחסיר אות אחת או תתיר אות אחת נמצאת אתה מחריב את כל העולם כלו

AND IT IS EXCLAIMED, REMOVE HER THAT THE TEMPLE-COURT BE NOT DEFILED'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The reason is discussed in the Gemara. ');">⁶</span>

אמרתי לו דבר אחד יש לי שאני מטיל לתוך הדיו וקנקנתום שמו אמר לי וכי מטילין קנקנתום לתוך הדיו התורה אמרה ומחה כתב שיוכל למחות

IF SHE POSSESSED A MERIT, IT [CAUSES THE WATER] TO SUSPEND ITS EFFECT UPON HER. SOME MERIT SUSPENDS THE EFFECT FOR ONE YEAR, ANOTHER FOR TWO YEARS, AND ANOTHER FOR THREE YEARS. HENCE DECLARED BEN AZZAI, A MAN IS UNDER THE OBLIGATION TO TEACH HIS DAUGHTER TORAH, SO THAT IF SHE HAS TO DRINK [THE WATER OF BITTERNESS], SHE MAY KNOW THAT THE MERIT SUSPENDS<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [MS.M.: 'suspended'. In the absence of such a knowledge, the woman who passed through the ordeal unscathed may be led to doubt the efficacy of the water of bitterness searching out sin, and thus indulge in further immoral practices. By realising however that merit has suspended the effects, she would pause and be in constant dread of the fate hanging over her.] ');">⁷</span>

מאי קא"ל ומאי קא מהדר ליה

ITS EFFECT. <font>R. ELIEZER SAYS: WHOEVER TEACHES HIS DAUGHTER TORAH TEACHES HER OBSCENITY.</font> R. JOSHUA SAYS: A WOMAN PREFERS ONE <i>KAB</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Metaphorical for a scanty livelihood. ');">⁸</span>

הכי קא"ל לא מבעיא בחסירות ויתירות דבקי אנא אלא אפילו למיחש לזבוב דדילמא אתי ויתיב אתגיה דדלי"ת ומחיק ליה ומשוי ליה רי"ש דבר אחד יש לי שאני מטיל לתוך הדיו וקנקנתום שמו

AND SEXUAL INDULGENCE TO NINE <i>KAB</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Luxurious style of living. ');">⁹</span>

איני והא תניא אמר רבי מאיר כשהייתי למד תורה אצל ר' ישמעאל הייתי מטיל קנקנתום לתוך הדיו ולא אמר לי דבר כשבאתי אצל ר"ע אסרה עלי

AND CONTINENCE. HE USED TO SAY, A FOOLISH PIETIST, A CUNNING ROGUE, A FEMALE PHARISEE, AND THE PLAGUE OF PHARISEES<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All these phrases will be explained in the Gemara. ');">¹⁰</span>

קשיא שמוש אשמוש קשיא אסרה אאסרה

BRING DESTRUCTION UPON THE WORLD.

בשלמא שמוש אשמוש לא קשיא מעיקרא אתא לקמיה דר' עקיבא כיון דלא מצי קם אליביה אתא לקמיה דר"י וגמר גמרא הדר אתא לקמיה דר"ע סבר סברא

<b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. Rab Judah declared that Samuel said in the name of R. Meir: When I studied Torah with R. Akiba, I used to put vitriol<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 90. n. 8. ');">¹¹</span>

אלא אסרה אאסרה קשיא קשיא

into the ink and he said nothing to me; but when I went to R. Ishmael, he said to me, 'My son, what is thy occupation?' I answered: 'I am a scribe'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of Torah-scrolls for use in the Synagogue. ');">¹²</span>

תניא רבי יהודה אומר אומר היה ר"מ לכל מטילין קנקנתום לתוך הדיו

He told me: 'My son, be careful, because thy work is the work of Heaven; if thou omittest a single letter or addest a single letter, thou dost as a consequence destroy the whole world'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Such an error might turn a phrase into blasphemy. ');">¹³</span> I said to him, 'There is an ingredient which I put into the ink, and its name is vitriol'. He asked me, 'May we put vitriol into the ink? The Torah has said: He shall blot out,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. V, 23. ');">¹⁴</span> i.e., writing which can be blotted out!' What did [R. Ishmael] intend to tell [R. Meir] that the latter answered him in that manner?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By mentioning the use of vitriol. ');">¹⁵</span> — [R. Meir] meant, Obviously, I am skilled in the rules of defective and plene spelling;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the use of vowel letters which are sometimes added and sometimes omitted. ');">¹⁶</span> but I even have no reason to fear lest a fly should come and settle upon the crownlet of the letter D and obliterate it so that it makes it look like the letter R.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Changing, e.g., [H] 'the Lord is one' into [H] 'another.'] ');">¹⁷</span> There is an ingredient which I put into the ink, and its name is vitriol. But it is not so, for it has been taught: R. Meir said: When I studied Torah with R. Ishmael, I used to put vitriol into the ink and he said nothing to me; but when I went to R. Akiba, he forbade it to me! Here is an inconsistency in [the order of the Rabbis upon whom R. Meir] attended, and an inconsistency in [the name of the Rabbi who] forbade it. It is quite right, there is no inconsistency in [the order of the Rabbis upon whom R. Meir] attended; he first went to R. Akiba, but when he was unable [to follow his arguments],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which, through lack of knowledge, were beyond his comprehension. ');">¹⁸</span> he went to R. Ishmael. After having studied<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Lit., 'learned Gemara'. On the term Gemara v. B.M. (Sonc. ed.) p. 206. n. 6. Here it denotes the summary of Tannaitic teachings preserved in early Mishnas and Baraithas; v. Epistle of Sherira Gaon, p. 44.] ');">¹⁹</span> with him, he returned to R. Akiba whose reasoning he was then able to grasp. But there is an inconsistency in [the name of the Rabbi who] forbade it! — That is a difficulty. It has been taught: R. Judah says: R. Meir used to declare that for all [kinds of script] we may put vitriol into the ink