12th CYCLE DEDICATION
SOTAH 26-28 - A week of study material has been dedicated by Mrs. Rita Grunberger of Queens, N.Y., in loving memory of her husband, Reb Yitzchok Yakov (Irving) ben Eliyahu Grunberger. Irving Grunberger helped many people quietly in an unassuming manner and is dearly missed by all who knew him. His Yahrzeit is 10 Sivan.

[28a - 49 lines; 28b - 10 lines]

1)[line 4]מנוקה מעוןMENUKEH ME'AVON- clear (lit. cleaned) of sin, i.e. that he did not have relations with his wife from the time that she became prohibited to him (RASHI) or with any other woman who is prohibited to him (RASHI to Sotah 47b)

2)[line 19]לצואהL'TZAVA'AH- (lit. as a command) that HaSh-m commands the water and decrees upon it that it should poison her (Bamidbar 5:24)

3)[line 20]לעשייהL'ASIYAH- (lit. for action) to let Benei Yisrael know that HaSh-m insures that the test of the Mei Sotah will work (ibid. 5:27)

4)[line 21]לידיעהL'YEDI'AH- (lit. for knowledge) to let it be known that the punishment will effect the belly first and afterwards the thigh (which is contrary to the order of the curse) (ibid. 5:22)

5)[line 25]"לצבות בטן ולנפיל ירך""LATZBOS BETEN V'LANPIL YARECH"- "to cause the belly to swell out and the thigh to rupture" (Bamidbar 5:22) - This verse is written without the feminine possessive and as such Rebbi learns from it that the adulterer receives the same punishment as the Sotah woman.

6)[line 31]דמודע לה כהןD'MODA LAH KOHEN- [In that verse,] the Kohen lets her know [the order of the impending punishment]

7)[line 32]להוציא לעזL'HOTZI LA'AZ- to cause bad rumors to be spoken [about the Mei Sotah]

8)[line 41]גרושה שמותרת לתרומהGERUSHAH SHE'MUTERES LI'TERUMAH

(a)A non-Kohen may not eat Terumah. A Kohen's wife, who is not herself a Kohenes (the daughter of a Kohen), eats Terumah as long as her husband or any of their offspring are alive, as is learned from the verses (Vayikra 22:11, Bamidbar 18:11) and the Gemara (Nidah 44a). The Kohen's wife must be at least three years old for this Halachah to apply.

(b)Similarly, a Kohenes normally eats Terumah until she becomes married to a non-Kohen. If he dies or divorces her and they have no living offspring, she may return to her father's house and eat Terumah as long as she has not become a Chalalah (see Background to Sotah 23:1).

9)[line 46]שרץSHERETZ (TUM'AS SHERETZ)

A Sheretz, even if it is only the size of an Adashah (lentil bean), is an Av ha'Tum'ah. It makes a person or object Tamei through Maga (contact), whether the Sheretz was touched willingly or unwillingly. The person who becomes Tamei by touching a Sheretz may not eat Terumah or Kodshim. However, he can immediately immerse in a Mikvah. After nightfall he becomes Tahor and may eat Terumah or Kodshim.

28b----------------------------------------28b

10)[line 1]וממקום שבאתUMI'MAKOM SHE'BASA- (lit. and from the place from where you are coming) and from the Halachos of Sotah, from where we have just learned that the case of a Safek Sheretz (where there is a doubt) is to be considered like the case of a Vadai (that there is no doubt) [we will learn other Halachos that apply to a Sheretz)

11)[line 1]רשות היחידRESHUS HA'YACHID (SAFEK TUM'AH BI'RESHUS HA'YACHID / BI'RESHUS HA'RABIM)

(a)When there is a doubt as to whether an object is Tahor or Tamei, if the object is found in Reshus ha'Rabim the object is Tahor. If it is found in a private, concealed place, it is judged to be Tamei.

(b)This is learned from the case of the Sotah woman. In the case of a Sotah, where only two people were present at the time that there arose a question as to her status, she is judged Teme'ah/culpable and is prohibited to her husband. Similarly, whenever there are only two people present (i.e. a Reshus ha'Yachid l'Tum'ah), if a doubt arises regarding the status of a person or an object, he or it is judged to be Tamei. Whenever more than two people frequent a certain area it is a Reshus ha'Rabim l'Tum'ah. If a doubt arises regarding the status of a person or an object, he or it is judged to be Tahor.

12)[line 3]דבר שיש בו דעת לישאלDAVAR SHE'YESH BO DA'AS LI'SHA'EL - a case [where there is a person] with intelligence who can be asked [as to the status of a person or object]

(a)When there is a doubt as to whether an object is Tahor or Tamei, if the object is found in a private, concealed place, it is judged to be Tamei (see previous entry).

(b)This Halachah applies only if the thing that transfers the Tum'ah or the object that receives the Tum'ah is a Ben Da'as (i.e. has intelligence). If there is a doubt as to whether an object that was Tamei touched another object that was Tahor and no human was involved, the object that was Tahor remains so (since this case cannot be compared to the case of the Sotah woman, in which Benei Da'as were involved).