Sotah 19b

סוטה י״ט ע״ב

Learn Sotah 19b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The drinking of the סוטה: what the repeated 'he shall make her drink' teaches, the order of the drinking and the מנחה, and when she may refuse

Overview

A ברייתא asks why the תורה keeps repeating 'he shall make her drink' about the סוטה. רבי עקיבא learns that once the מגילה is erased into the water, she is made to drink even if she refuses. רבי שמעון learns from 'and afterward' that three things must come first: the קומץ is offered, the מגילה is fully erased, and she accepts the שבועה. The גמרא explains each condition. רב אשי says the erasing must be so complete that no mark of the ink still shows, and the condition about the שבועה is explained as worded loosely, since the מגילה is not even written before the שבועה. Next the גמרא shows how the רבנן and רבי שמעון each read the three פסוקים about drinking: the רבנן say she drinks before the מנחה, and רבי שמעון says the מנחה comes first. Finally the גמרא asks whether רבי עקיבא really holds she is forced to drink. It concludes that a calm refusal counts as an admission, so she never drinks. A refusal out of fear lets her back out only until the קומץ is offered, and after that she is made to drink.

Opening lines

The steps (17)

1. Statementרבי עקיבא: Once the scroll is erased, she is made to drink
2. Statementרבי שמעון: Three things must happen before she drinks
3. StatementThe first condition fits רבי שמעון's view on the order of the service
4. ChallengeWhy say the scroll must be erased? That seems obvious
5. Resolutionרב אשי: The ink is gone but its mark still shows
6. ChallengeIs the scroll written before she accepts the oath?
7. ResolutionThe phrase was said along with the others
8. QuestionWhat is the root of the argument?
9. ResponseThree verses say 'he shall make her drink'
10. ResponseHow the רבנן read the three verses
11. ResponseHow רבי שמעון reads the three verses
12. ResponseThe רבנן's reply: a verse does not open with an after-the-fact rule
13. ChallengeDoes רבי עקיבא really hold she is forced to drink?
14. ResolutionAnswer: she can back out only before the handful is offered
15. ChallengeBut the same reasoning should apply after the handful too
16. ResolutionIt depends on whether she refuses out of fear or with a clear mind
17. ConclusionRereading רבי עקיבא: calm refusal versus fearful refusal, before and after the offering