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Sotah 14a

סוטה י״ד ע״א

Learn Sotah 14a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The burial of משה, imitating God's kindness, and the opening of פרק היה מביא on the סוטה's מנחה

Overview

The amud finishes the story of the soldiers at בית פעור, who could not find the grave of משה no matter where they stood. רבי חמא ברבי חנינא teaches that even משה does not know where he is buried, and that he was buried near בית פעור to atone for the sin there. He explains 'אחרי ה׳ אלהיכם תלכו' as copying God's kindness: clothing the naked, visiting the sick, comforting mourners, and burying the dead. רבי שמלאי adds that the תורה begins and ends with גמילות חסדים. He also explains that משה longed to enter ארץ ישראל only to keep its מצוות, and God gave him the reward as if he had done them, reading a פסוק in ישעיהו phrase by phrase about משה. Then the first פרק ends, and the new פרק, היה מביא, opens with a משנה about the plain barley מנחה of the סוטה. The גמרא brings a ברייתא saying she is tired out so that she will confess. It then asks whether the real reason might be to keep the מגילה from being erased, and the answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

גַּסְטְרָא שֶׁל בֵּית פְּעוֹר:

the garrison of Beth Peor:

הַרְאֵנוּ הֵיכָן מֹשֶׁה קָבוּר.

Show us where Moses is buried.

עָמְדוּ לְמַעְלָה — נִדְמָה לָהֶם לְמַטָּה,

They stood above — it appeared to them to be below,

לְמַטָּה — נִדְמָה לָהֶם לְמַעְלָה.

below — it appeared to them to be above.

The steps (31)

  1. StatementThe soldiers cannot find the grave of משה
  2. StatementEven משה himself does not know where he is buried
  3. ProofThe word 'man' links the two verses
  4. Statementמשה was buried near בית פעור to bring atonement
  5. QuestionWhat does 'walk after ה׳' mean?
  6. ChallengeA person cannot literally follow God
  7. ResolutionFollow God's ways, not God's location
  8. ProofClothing the naked
  9. ProofVisiting the sick
  10. ProofComforting mourners
  11. ProofBurying the dead
  12. StatementWhat were the garments of skin?
  13. StatementThe תורה begins and ends with kindness
  14. QuestionWhy did משה want to enter ארץ ישראל?
  15. Responseמשה wanted to keep the מצוות of the land
  16. ConclusionGod gives משה the reward as if he did them
  17. Statementמשה's reward is like that of the אבות
  18. Statementמשה was ready to give up his life for כלל ישראל
  19. Statementמשה was counted with those who died in the מדבר
  20. Statementמשה gained forgiveness for the חטא העגל
  21. Statementמשה davened that sinners should do תשובה
  22. ProofProof that פגיעה means תפלה
  23. ConclusionHadran — Closing פרק המקנא לאשתו
  24. StatementThe סוטה holds her מנחה in a plain basket to tire her out
  25. StatementHer offering starts in a basket, not a holy vessel
  26. StatementNo oil and no frankincense
  27. StatementBarley flour, and how it differs from the עומר
  28. Statementרבן גמליאל: animal behavior, animal food
  29. StatementWhy tire her out? To get her to confess
  30. ChallengeMaybe the goal is to protect the מגילה
  31. ResolutionThe answer begins: רבי אליעזר holds