The Gemara on the bottom of 6a and the top of 6b talk about the mincha of a sotah.Towards the bottom of the daf the gemara talks of a case where the kohen has already brought the Kemitza to the mezbiach and they didnt finish eating the Mincha and he dies or she dies they continue to eat because the Korban is brought for the sufeik and not on a specific avera. My question is i dont really understand the answer. When is the Mincha brought? before the sota drinks or after she drinks? if it is before she drinks and it doesnt make a difference to the korbon if she in reality drinks or not then what is the gemara saying that the korbon already fulfilled it purpose? the mincha is a kapara for the drink she might drink? please help me understand whats going on here. Thank you.
Yehuda Samuels, Jerusalem Israel
The minchah was brought before the sota drunk. This is explained in the words of Rashi DH Kiprah. Rashi explains that at the time the kemitzah of this offering was burnt on the mizbeach everything was done properly. Therefore at this time the minchah achieved its purpose:- that it now enabled the husband to proceed and give his wife to drink and thereby be checked whether or not she was faithful.
Afterwards a problem occurred when either the husband or wife died. As a result it is no longer possible to give her to drink. However this does not affect the fact that one may eat the sheerayim - remainders of the mincha which were not burnt up on the mizbeach. As long as no pesul occurred in the sheeraim themselves (for instance the sheerayim became tomei) there is no reason why one should not be able to eat the sheerayim, even though they can no longer fulfil their original purpose as an introduction to the woman drinking the water.
[see Artscroll in Hebrew who explains clearly as above]
Ketivah u'Chatimah Tova
Dovid Bloom