ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem
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Sotah 15
Questions
1)
(a) We learn from the Pasuk "Ve'hiktir ha'Kohen es Azkarasah ...
ve'ha'Noseres min ha'Minchah le'Aharon u'le'Vanav" - that as soon as the
Kometz has been brought, the Kohanim are permitted to eat the remainder of
the Minchah.
(b) According to some, the Kohanim are permitted to eat the Minchah as soon
as the fire ignites the Kometz; according to others - only when most of the
Kometz is burning.
(c) We learn that ...
1. ... the Kohanim are permitted to add wine, oil and honey to their part of
the Minchah - from "le'Mashchah" (Korach, in connection with the gifts of
Kehunah), which implies 'for greatness, like the kings eat their food'.
2. ... they are obligated to eat it as Matzah and not Chametz - from the
Pasuk in Tzav "Lo Se'afeh Chametz, Chelkam".
2)
(a) We have already discussed the qualifications of the various Menachos
above. The problem with the statement in the Mishnah 'Kol ha'Menachos
Te'unos Shemen u'Levonah' - is that it is inaccurate, due to the Minchas
Chotei, which does not.
(b) A Minchas Chotei comprises - the Korban Oleh ve'Yored of a Tamei Mikdash
or someone who made a false Shevu'as ha'Eidus or Shevu'as Bituy (in Parshas
Vayikra), who cannot afford to bring the initial animal Korban or even the
birds.
(c) Our Mishnah already discussed why a Minchas Sotah does not require oil
and frankincense. Rebbi Shimon in a Beraisa explains that it really ought
to - so that the sinner should not gain.
(d) Similar reasoning pertains to a Chatas Cheilev - which really ought to
include Nesachim (a drink-offering) but does not, both for exactly the same
reasons as the Minchas Sotah. The reason that Chazal refer to every Chatas
as a Chatas Cheilev is - because of the juxtaposition of the Din of Chatas
next to that of Cheilev.
3)
(a) The Chatas and Asham of a Metzora differ from other Chata'os and
Ashamos - inasmuch as they require Nesachim.
(b) The reason for this is because they do not come to atone for a sin (like
the others do). That what we have learned in Erchin that Tzara'as is a
punishment for any one of seven sins - is atoned by the actual Tzara'as
itself, and not by the Korban.
(c) The purpose of the Chatas and the Asham of the Metzora therefore, is -
to permit the Metzora to eat Kodshim?
(d) The reason that a Chatas Nazir Tahor, according to Rebbi Shimon, does
not also require Nesachim is - because he holds like Rebbi Elazar ha'Kapar,
who maintains that a Nazir too, has sinned by abstaining from wine, and that
is what his Chatas comes to atone.
4)
(a) According to Rebbi Meir in a Beraisa, the Sotah's Minchah consists of
barley, measure for measure, for feeding her lover the finest foods. Raban
Gamliel disagrees with him (as we learned in our Mishnah) - because, in that
case, the Minchah of a poor Sotah, who cannot afford fine foods, should
consist of wheat. Therefore he explains that it is because she behaved like
an animal.
(b) Raban Gamliel explained it like a 'Chomer' - a button, which ties the
two loose ends together.
15b---------------------------------------15b
Questions
5)
(a) The Kohen then placed water from the Kiyor into an cup. We learn that
the water was taken from the Kiyor for this purpose - from the fact that the
Torah refers to the water as "Mayim Kedoshim".
(b) He would pour half a Lug into an earthenware cup.
(c) According to Rebbi Yehudah, it was only a quarter of a Lug. The sign
that the Tana gives whereby to remember that Rebbi Yehudah's Shiur is
smaller than the Tana Kama's is - that just as Rebbi Yehudah diminishes from
the Tana Kama's Shiur of what was written on the parchment, so too, does he
diminish from the Tana Kama's Shiur of how much water the Kohen placed in
the cup.
6)
(a) The Kohen took the earth that he placed into the water - from the
Heichal, to the right of the point of entry from the Ulam (because of the
principle that, all things being equal, 'one should always turn to the
right').
(b) The exact spot was easily recognizable - inasmuch as it was covered by a
slab of marble an Amah by an Amah which differed from all the other slabs by
virtue of a metal ring that was set in it, which served as a handle.
(c) We learn from the fact that the Torah writes "u'Min he'Afar ... ve'Nasan
el ha'Mayim", rather than "ve'Nasnah ba'Mayim" - that the earth that the
Kohen placed into the cup had to be noticeable.
7)
(a) Rebbi Yishmael in a Beraisa learns from a 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "K'li"
"K'li" from a Metzora that the cup must be new. He extrapolates from the
Pasuk in Metzora "Ve'shachat es ha'Tzipor ha'Achas el K'li Cheres al Mayim
Chayim" that the vessel there, must be a new one - because, he maintains,
the Torah is comparing the vessel to the water (which had to be spring
water, as the Torah writes specifically).
(b) According to Rebbi Yishmael (the author of this Beraisa) - the water
used for the Sotah did indeed have to be spring water (like that used by a
Metzora).
(c) We query Rebbi Yishmael's 'Gezeirah-Shavah' from a Metzora on the
grounds that the Din of Metzora has a special feature (that it requires a
piece of cedar wood, a sprig of hyssop and a red thread) which a Sotah does
not (and presumably, the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' is not Mufneh [superfluous]).
(d) Rabah resolves the problem however, from the Torah's wording "Ve'lakach
bi'Ch'li Cheres" (rather than "Ve'lakach K'li Cheres") - implying that a
K'li Cheres that has been mentioned elsewhere (by Metzora) should be used
here (by Sotah) too.
8)
(a) Even though the Chachamim do not learn Mei Sotah from Metzora, says
Rava, they will nonetheless concede that the cup used for a Sotah must not
have changed its appearance due to age - because it is compared to the
water, which must be fresh.
(b) Rava asks whether an aged cup will become eligible if it was returned to
the furnace. Rebbi Elazar in a Beraisa rules that a piece of cedar wood, a
sprig of hyssop and a red thread that had been tied to a box and slung over
one's shoulder and which became bent - is Pasul for a Metzora to
use(ostensibly because it was temporarily bent).
(c) We cannot resolve Rava's She'eilah from there however - because the
reason there may well be because inevitably, some of the raw material will
have rubbed off, which is why it is Pasul (and not because of its having
been temporarily bent).
9)
(a) According to the first Beraisa, the Kohen is expected to take the dust
from the floor of the Mishkan. We learn from ...
1. ... the word "be'Karka" - that he should take dust from the floor of the
Mishkan, and not bring in a boxful from outside?
2. ... "Asher Yih'yeh" - that that is only necessary if there is loose earth
there. If not, he is not obligated to bring a spade to loosen the earth, but
may bring a boxful of earth from outside.
(b) The Tana of the second Beraisa argues with the first one. He learns from
the Torah's wording "Asher Yih'yeh *be*'Karka ha'Mishkan" (rather than
"*mi*'Karka ha'Mishkan") - that one should bring a boxful of earth from
outside.
10)
(a) Isi ben Yehudah learns from "be'Karka ha'Mishkan" - that Mikdash has the
same Din as Mishkan in this regard.
(b) We reject the text 'La'havi Shiloh, Nov ve'Giv'on u'Beis Olamim' ...
1. ... 'Shiloh' - because Shiloh is synonymous with Mishkan, which is
precisely where the current Pesukim are written.
2. ... 'Nov ve'Giv'on' - because there was no Mishkan there, only the
Mizbei'ach, and the Din of Sotah was not practiced there anyway, seeing as
her Korban could not be brought.
(c) The only Korbanos that were brought on the Mizbei'ach in Nov and Giv'on
were - Korbanos that had a fixed time.
11)
(a) The author of the first Beraisa cited above is Isi ben Menachem, who
considers it unnecessary to learn Mikdash from Mishkan - since he learns
that from a 'Kal va'Chomer' from Tum'ah. Since we have already learned with
regard to Tum'ah (which is only a Chiyuv Ka'res) that Mikdash has the same
Din as Mishkan, then that will certainly be the case with regard to a Sotah,
who is subject to Misas Beis-Din.
(b) We learn from the two Pesukim "es Mikdash Hashem Timei" "Ki es Mishkan
Hashem Timei" - that both Mikdash and Mishkan are subject to Tum'as Kodesh.
(c) So he learns from "be'Karka ha'Mishkan" - that it is not necessary to
bring a boxful from outside as we learned above, according to the first
Tana.
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