her husband, she's also forbidden to her adulterer, as
the verse
says " Nitmeh V'Nitmeah
(impure, she was impure)
"
The Gemara
rejects this answer, saying...
ועדיין תיבעי נטמאה נטמאה קאמר או נטמאה ונטמאה קאמר
But the question
can be asked there also: Is the derivation that the wife is forbidden to the adulterer from the extra Vav
in the word
"
V'
Nitmeah, V'Nitmeah
(impure, she was impure)
", or
is it derived from the doubling of the word
" V'Nitmeah, V'Nitmeah "
The Gemara
concludes from another proof:
ת"ש מדקתני סיפא רבי אומר שני פעמים
האמורין בפרשה ונטמאה ונטמאה אחד לבעל ואחד לבועל מכלל דרבי עקיבא
ווי קדריש
The law can be derived
from Rebbi,
who said that
an immoral wife is forbidden to both her husband and to her adulterer
from the doubling of the word "
V'
Nitmeah, V'Nitmeah
(impure, she was impure)
". This implies that Rabbi Akiva expounds the Vavs .
הלכך לרבי עקיבא
שיתא קראי כתיבי
Therefore, according to Rabbi Akiva, there are six
expository parts
to the verse:
There are three times the verse says "And she'll be impure", with a Vav
before each one. As Rabbi Akiva expounds the extra Vavs,
there are six elements which can be expounded:
חד
לצואה דידה
1. To teach Hashem's
command
to the Sotah
water to check the suspected wife
,
וחד
לצואה דידיה
2. To teach Hashem's
command
to the Sotah
water to check the suspected adulterer
,
חד
לעשייה דידה
3. To teach that the bitter water
affects
the suspected wife
,
וחד
לעשייה דידיה
4. To teach that the Sotah
water
affects
the adulterer
,
חד
לידיעה דידה
5. To
inform
the Jewish people that the Sotah
waters check the suspected wife's stomach before her womb
,
וחד
לידיעה דידיה
6. To
inform
the Jewish people that the Sotah
waters check the adulterer's stomach before his thigh
.
ורבי תלתא קראי כתיבי
According to Rebbi,
however
, there are only three
extra
verses:
As he doesn't expound the extra Vav.
חד
לצואה
1. To teach Hashem's
command
to the bitter water to check the suspected wife
,
וחד
לעשייה
2. To teach that the Sotah
water
affects
the suspected wife
,
וחד
לידיעה
3. To
inform
the Jewish people that the Sotah
waters check the suspected wife's stomach before her womb
1. A suspected Sotah
may not stay married to her husband.
2. A suspected Sotah
may not marry her suspected adulterer.
3. A suspected Sotah
may not eat Terumah.
4. A suspected Sotah
may not marry a Kohen.
Rabbi Yishmael said that the fourth law can be derived from the third, for a female Kohen
who was divorced (and had no children) may eat Terumah
but may not marry a Kohen.
This implies that Terumah
is more lenient than marrying a Kohen,
so if a suspected Sotah
may not eat Terumah,
she should definitely not be permitted to marry a Kohen.
The dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael will be explained on page
if she was immoral is considered as if she was definitely immoral, until she drinks the bitter water.
Tosfos points out that in contrast to other doubtful violations, a husband who lives with his wife when she is a doubtful Sotah
violates a positive commandment, even if she truly was innocent.
מכאן אתה דן
לשרץ
And one can
extend
this law to
the laws of impurity upon touching
a rodent:
ומה סוטה שלא עשה בה
שוגג כמזיד ואונס כרצון עשה בה ספק
כודאי
The laws of immorality are relatively lenient, as
accidental
violations are more lenient
than purposeful
violations
and unwilling
violations are more lenient
than willful
violations, but nonetheless, the Torah
says that
doubtful
violations are as strict as
definite
violations
,
שרץ שעשה בו
שוגג כמזיד ואונס כרצון אינו דין
שיעשה בו ספק
All the more so doubtful ritual impurity
should be as strict as definite
impurity
, since
there is no difference if one became impure
accidentally or purposefully, and
there is no difference
if one became impure against his will or willfully,
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