18
votes
Accepted
Can a husband 'un-warn' his wife to prevent her from becoming a sotah?
Yes, a husband can annul his warning at any time so long as the forbidden seclusion hasn't actually happened yet. (Rambam Sotah 1:7, Shulchan Arukh EH 178:12, Sotah 25a)
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9
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
Sefer Otzar Palos HaTorah pg.161 brings down that no birkas hanehenin is said on Sotah water since it has a bad flavor.
Rav Chaim Kaniefsky rules that one does not make a birkas hamitzvah on Sotah ...
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9
votes
Where does it say that Sotah never happened?
This statement is not from the Talmud ,but this idea is mentioned in Sefer Tziyoni(Rav Menachem Tziyoni - Mekubal 15th cent.) He does mention that a case of a sotah never happened(In public) ,and one ...
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9
votes
Accepted
What was the material used to write the curses for the Sotah on?
The Rambam writes in Hilchot Sotah 3:8
Afterwards, a scroll of parchment from a kosher animal, like the
parchment used for a Torah scroll is brought.
R Eliyahu Touger explains "the Jerusalem ...
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8
votes
Accepted
Who are "the women who twist yarn by the moon"?
The Tosfos Yom Tov explains that the very fact that woman wouldn't go out at night on their own out of fear, led them to form groups in order to provide safety in numbers, where they would be able to ...
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8
votes
Is a woman considered a sotah if she cheated on her husband with another woman?
The Babylonian Talmud sets forth in Yemavot p.76 A that relations between women are not considered actual sexual relations, stating, "“And even according to Rav Eleazar, who stated that an unmarried ...
- 5,437
7
votes
Accepted
In regard to a Sotah, does "zchus tola la" also apply to the person she was mezanah with?
Talmud Yerushalmi 5,1 quoted by Tosfos Sotah Bavli 27b:
בדקו אותה ולא בדקו אותו אני אומר הזכות תלה ליה
If the water checks her but not him i say that his merit of Torah learning protected him
...
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7
votes
Accepted
Does a sotah warning from a couples first marriage carry into their second marriage?
The Rambam (Hil. Sotah 1:7) rules that divorce erases the previous warning and if they remarry, he would have to warn again. Kesef Mishneh notes that the source is the Yerushalmi in the second chapter ...
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7
votes
The minimum amount of water a Sotah must drink
With regards to your first question, there is an opinion quoted in Sefer Habatim (Mitzvah 224) that holds that poison was actually added to the water and the miracle was not regarding the guilty sotah,...
- 42.7k
6
votes
Why would an innocent sotah want to return to her husband?
Note that the husband is overcome by a "ruach kinah". According to some meforshim (from memory) he could be literally insane because of jealousy or he can be overcome by this feeling because of her ...
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6
votes
Does a sotah warning from a couples first marriage carry into their second marriage?
He'd need a new warning. (Rambam Sotah 1:7, Shulchan Arukh EH 178:12)
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6
votes
Why is the term meilah used by a sotah?
Although in the Mishna Me'ilah is of course most associated with using something from the Temple (cf. Leviticus 5:15), in the Bible it is used in the context of multiple sorts of other transgressions. ...
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6
votes
Why is the term meilah used by a sotah?
The gemarah in Meilah 18a-b states
כי תמעל מעל אין מעל אלא שנוי וכן הוא אומר (במדבר ה, יב) איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל ואומר (דברי הימים א ה, כה) וימעלו באלהי
אבותיהם ויזנו אחרי הבעלים
...
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6
votes
Accepted
Why is the term meilah used by a sotah?
Netziv in HaEmek Davar explains the terms connotes a complete exit from the husbands domain as the husband is now forbidden to have marital relations with her.
As noted in another answer Ish can ...
- 15.3k
6
votes
Tznius concerns by a Sota
Points 1 and 2 are addressed by the Mishnah and the Babylonian Talmud; Point 3 is addressed by the Jerusalem Talmud.
Mishnah Sotah 1:5
וכהן אוחז בבגדיה אם נקרעו נקרעו אם נפרמו נפרמו עד שהוא מגלה ...
- 50.3k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the amount of time a suspected woman needs to be secluded to be considered a Sotah?
Rambam Hilchos Sotah 1,2 Paskens like Rabbi Akiva the time for seclusion is to fry an egg and swallow it.
שהתה עמו כדי טומאה שהוא כדי לצלות ביצה ולגמעה הרי זו אסורה על בעלה עד שתשתה מי המרים ויבדק ...
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5
votes
Accepted
How were the Rabbis allowed to trick Karkamit?
I don't believe that is how the Mishna is to be read but rather there was a disagreement over whether or not a maidservant is someone who can be considered qualified for the sotah process. Akavya held ...
- 1,317
4
votes
Why is the term meilah used by a sotah?
Rav Hirsch in his commentary on the Chumash (ad loc and Vayikra 5:15,21) explains (I am paraphrasing) that this term was used because it relates to the robe of the Kohanim, the meil. The wife was ...
- 15.3k
4
votes
Why is the term meilah used by a sotah?
@Mevaqesh posted an excellent answer - I'm just posting this to clarify the points made by commenters, as well as to add a fantastic source to this discussion, which Mevaqesh reminded me of.
The ...
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4
votes
Can a husband 'un-warn' his wife to prevent her from becoming a sotah?
yes, and it is retroactively invalidated, in fact he can even undo the warning done on his behalf by the court. see Noda BiYehuda Tinyana Even HaEzer 159
- 1,317
4
votes
Accepted
Sotah waters for a raped woman
I subsequently discovered that the answer to my question is basically addressed in the Gemarra in Sotah 26a (and 32b, see below):
במתנוונה דרך אברים מהו דתימא הא זנויי זנאי והא דלא בדקוה מיא כי ...
- 20.2k
4
votes
How were the Rabbis allowed to trick Karkamit?
If she was someone who met all the criteria for the sotah trial (accused by her husband with witnesses, etc.), then were they not obligated to actually perform the ritual?
The reason Akavyah ben ...
- 6,433
4
votes
Why does the gemara seem to care more about erasing God's name than getting the correct ruling for a sotah?
I really can't see how you got this from the Gemara.
Read the words on the "intimidating" speech carefully, it's not intimidation.
We just tell her the sometimes people do mistakes, even great people,...
3
votes
If only a married woman can be a sotah, why does a non-spouse have authority to warn her?
It is clear from the Gemora 24b that a Yevama before Yibbum (consummation), the Yevama is not at all in her dead husband's brother's authority except:
- She is forbidden to engage in relatonships with ...
- 11.6k
3
votes
How early in the process can the accused sotah refuse to drink?
The first time that Bet Din tries to lead her to stop the process is described in Mishna 1.4
היו מעלין אותה לבית דין הגדול שבירושלים, ומאיימין עליה כדרך שמאיימין על עדי נפשות.
ואומרים לה: בתי! הרבה ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Is there an equivalent of the sotah for men?
There is no equivalent of Sotah for men. Also, the sotah procedure was discontinued by Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkai because too many men were adulterers (see the Mishna in Sotah 47a).
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3
votes
Accepted
Does the Torah use the word טָמְאָה to imply physical defilement anywhere besides sotah?
בראשית ל"ד, ה
וְיַעֲקֹ֣ב שָׁמַ֗ע כִּ֤י טִמֵּא֙ אֶת־דִּינָ֣ה בִתּ֔וֹ וּבָנָ֛יו הָי֥וּ אֶת־מִקְנֵ֖הוּ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה וְהֶחֱרִ֥שׁ יַעֲקֹ֖ב עַד־בֹּאָֽם׃
Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah; ...
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3
votes
Where does it say that Sotah never happened?
Here is a specific example of a woman being fed the Sotah waters Mishna Eduyos 5:6 (also Brochos 19b):
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּכַרְכְּמִית, שִׁפְחָה מְשֻׁחְרֶרֶת שֶׁהָיְתָה בִירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְהִשְׁקוּהָ ...
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2
votes
Why would an innocent sotah want to return to her husband?
I almost do not understand the question. The roles are reversed: this woman committed a grave fault towards her husband.
Even she did not commit the maximum adultery, she is not innocent. She ...
- 1,513
2
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
Following up on @Ezra's question as to to whether a Birchas Hamitzvah is made, and adding support to @sam's answer which states that no Bircas Hamitzvah would be made:
The Rivash (1326–1408) ...
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