1)

(a)According to the Tana Kama of our Mishnah, the Kohen writes three Pesukim from Parshas Sotah in the Megilah of a Sotah. 1. "Im Lo Shachav Ish Osach, ve'Im Lo Satis Tum'ah ... "; 2. "ve'At Ki Satis Tachas Ishech"; 3. "Yiten Hash-m Osach le'Alah ve'li'Shevu'ah, u'Va'u Vah ha'Mayim ... u'Va'u Vah ha'Mayim ... "; specifically these three Pesukim - because they all contain curses.

(b)He does not also include "ve'Hishbi'a ha'Kohen es ha'Ishah" (which introduces the first of the above-mentioned Pesukim), and "ve'Amrah ha'Ishah Amen, Amen" (which appears at the end of the third Pasuk) - because they deal with the 'Tzava'os and Kabalos (the Kohen's warning and the Sotah's acceptance), and not with the actual curses.

(c)Rebbi Yossi maintains that the Kohen writes all three Pesukim without omitting anything.

2)

(a)Rebbi Yehudah too, argues with the Tana Kama. In his opinion, the Kohen does not include the first Pasuk ("Im Lo Shachav Ish Osach, ve'Im Lo Satis Tum'ah ... ") in the Megilah - because the curse is not written specifically, only inferred.

(b)And he certainly agrees with the Tana Kama - that the Tzava'os and the Kabalos are not included.

(c)The three Tana'im argue over the Pasuk "ve'Kasav es ha'Alos ha'Eileh ha'Kohen ba'Sefer". They all agree however, that the word "ha'*Eileh*" comes to preclude the curses in Ki Savo (even though the Torah refers to them as well as ''Alos").

(d)They also agree that ha'*Alos*" means exactly what it says. Even though Rebbi Meir includes K'lalos that are implied from B'rachos from the Pasuk "ha'Alos", Rebbi Yehudah excludes them from the same word (because in his opinion, every 'Hey' implies an exclusion).

3)

(a)Even though Rebbi Yossi includes the Tzava'os and Kabalos from "ve'Kasav es ha'Alos ... ", the Rabbanan argue with him - on the grounds that they do not Darshen every "es" in the Torah.

(b)Both the Tana Kama and Rebbi Yehudah - preclude Tzava'os and Kabalos from "ha'Alos ha'Eileh".

(c)Rebbi Meir includes (K'lalos that are implied from B'rachos) from the 'Hey' of "ve'Kasav es ha'Alos", and excludes (Tzava'os and Kabalos) from the 'Hey' of "ha'Eileh" - because the 'Hey' always follows the same pattern as the word to which it belongs (and in this case, "Alos comes to include, and "Eileh" to exclude).

4)

(a)We know that Rebbi Meir does not normally Darshen inferences - because he requires a T'nai Kaful (that both the positive and the negative inferences of a condition must be expressed).

(b)Consequently, when he Darshens from "Im Lo Shachav Ish Osach ... ", 'K'lalos ha'Ba'os Machamas B'rachos' - it is not just from the inference, but from the fact that the word "Hinaki" (in the Pasuk ve'Im Lo Satis Tum'ah Tachas Ishech, Hinaki") is written without a 'Yud', implying that if she is not innocent, then "Chinaki" (she will be strangled), as Rebbi Tanchum explains.

5)

(a)Rebbi Akiva Darshens from the words 'Ish' and 'Ishah' - that if a man and a woman live a moral life, then the Shechinah will dwell in their midst (as is hinted in the combination of the 'Yud' in 'Ish' and the 'Hey' in 'Ishah'); whereas if they do not, then they will be consumed by fire (as is hinted in the fact that in both words, the remaining letters after the 'Yud' and the 'Hey' have been removed, spell 'Eish').

(b)If the woman sins, says Rava, it is worse than if the man does - as is inherent in the words themselves, since in the word 'Ishah', the 'Hey' from Hash-m's Name does not divide between the 'Alef' and the 'Shin' as the 'Yud' does in the word 'Ish'.

(c)The earth that is placed in the Mei Sotah has dual connotations. Assuming that she is ...

1. ... innocent - it hints that she will have a son like Avraham Avinu, who said "ve'Anochi Afar va'Eifer".

2. ... guilty - it hints that she will revert to earth.

6)

(a)For saying "ve'Anochi Afar va'Eifer"(symbolizing his supreme humility), says Rava - Avraham Avinu merited for his descendants the Mitzvos of the ashes of the Parah Adumah and earth of the Sotah.

(b)The earth of Sotah and not the earth of Kisuy ha'Dam - which is no more than a Hechsher Mitzvah, but offers no benefits in this world.

(c)And for his words to the king of S'dom "Im mi'Chut ve'Ad S'roch Na'al" (symbolical of his integrity) he merited the Mitzvah of Tefilin-straps and Tzitzis-threads. The advantage in this world of ...

1. ... Tefilin-(straps) is - that the nations of the world will be afraid of Yisrael when they see the Tefilin shel Rosh, as Rebbi Eliezer has taught.

2. ... Tzitzis-threads is - that the Techeiles (deep-blue) threads that they contain remind us constantly of Hash-m's Sovereignty (via the sea, the sky and Hash-m's Majestic Throne) imbuing us with His fear.

7)

(a)Rebbi Eliezer extrapolated that the nations of the world are afraid of Yisrael when they see the Tefilin shel Rosh on our heads - from the Pasuk in Ki Savo "ve'Ra'u Kol Amei ha'Aretz Ki Shem Hash-m Nikra Alecha, ve'Yar'u Mimeka".

(b)We learn from the Pesukim "Va'yir'u es Elokei Yisrael ve'Sachas Raglav ke'Ma'aseh Livnas ha'Sapir u'che'Etzem ha'Shamayim la'Tohar" and "ke'Mar'eh Even ha'Sapir D'mus Kisei" - that Hash-m's Throne resembles the sky in color?

8)

(a)We learn from the word in the Pasuk in Naso (in connection with Sotah) "ve'Chasav es ha'Alos ha'Eileh ha'Kohen ba'Seifer u'Machah el Mei ha'Marim" ...

1. ... "ba'Seifer" - that the Parshah of Sotah must be written on a Megilah (i.e. parchment).

2. ... "u'Machah" - that it must be written with ink (which can be fully erased without leaving a mark).

(b)Our Mishnah forbids the Kohen to write the Parshah on ...

1. ... a Lu'ach - (a wooden board).

2. ... N'yar - (papyros [made of grass]).

3. ... Diftera - (skin that has not been fully treated, to which flour and salt have been added, but not gall-nuts).

(c)Nor is he permitted to write it with ...

1. ... 'Kumus' - (plain sap from a tree added to water).

2. ... 'Kankantum' - (vitriol).

(d)The reason for these latter two is - because they leave a mark when erased.

9)

(a)Rava learns from the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "Ve'asah Lah ha'Kohen es Kol ha'Torah ha'Zos", "al-Pi ha'Torah Asher Yorucha ve'Al ha'Mishpat ... " (written in connection with judging) - that just like Din, the Mitzvah of Sotah cannot be performed at night.

(b)We learn that Din is confined to the daytime - from the Dinim of inheritance, where the Torah writes "Ve'hayah be'Yom Hanchilo es Banav" (and to which all judgments are compared).

(c)He learns from the Pasuk ...

1. ... "Ve'kasav es ha'Alos ha'Eileh" (in spite of the fact that we already Darshened from "ve'Eileh" on the previous Amud) - that the Megilah must be written in the exact order that it appears in the Torah (and not inverted).

2. ... "Ve'hishbi'a ... Ve'kasav" - that if the Kohen wrote it before the Sotah had accepted the oath, it is Pasul.

(d)And Rava learns from "ba'Sefer" that if the Kohen wrote the Parshah on an Igeres - a Megilah without lines scratched on it to mark the location of the writing, it is Pasul.