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Sotah 3b

סוטה ג׳ ע״ב

Learn Sotah 3b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The disputes between רבי ישמעאל and רבי עקיבא over whether a Torah phrase means רשות (optional) or חובה (mandatory): finishing the case of a כהן and his sister, and starting the case of keeping a כנעני slave forever.

Overview

The amud has three parts. First, the גמרא finishes the dispute about "לה יטמא". רבי עקיבא reads the extra word "יטמא" as a חובה for a כהן to bury his sister. רבי ישמעאל says the word only comes along with "לה", and he backs this with his school's rule about repeated passages. Next comes the dispute about "לעולם בהם תעבודו". רבי ישמעאל says keeping a עבד כנעני forever is רשות, because the פסוק is needed to permit buying the son of a non-כנעני father and a כנענית mother. רבי עקיבא learns that permission from "מהם תקנו", so for him the פסוק teaches a חובה. The גמרא then brings sayings about sin: רב חסדא on immorality and anger in the home and on the שכינה leaving Israel, and רבי יונתן and רבי אלעזר on how a מצוה goes ahead of a person and an עבירה clings to him like a dog. Finally, the גמרא returns to the witnesses of a סוטה. It quotes a משנה whose arguments end with one witness for טומאה and two for סתירה. It then rereads the משנה so that the word 'בה' is the source for קינוי and סתירה, and it uses the word 'דבר' to require two witnesses for plain טומאה.

Opening lines

וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא —

And Rabbi Akiva (how does he respond)?

אִם כֵּן, לִיכְתּוֹב רַחֲמָנָא ״לָהּ״ וְלִישְׁתּוֹק,

If so, let the Merciful One write "for her" and be silent;

״יִטַּמָּא״ לְמָה לִי?

why do I need "he shall become impure"?

שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ.

Learn from it (that it is mandatory).

The steps (27)

  1. Responseרבי עקיבא points to the extra word 'יטמא'
  2. Resolutionרבי ישמעאל says the word came along for the ride
  3. ProofThe rule about repeated Torah passages
  4. StatementKeeping a Canaanite slave forever: optional or required
  5. QuestionWhat is רבי ישמעאל's reason?
  6. ResponseThe verse permits buying a child of a Canaanite mother
  7. ProofA ברייתא: the son of a non-כנעני father and a כנענית mother may be bought
  8. ProofThe ברייתא continues: the son of a כנעני father may not be bought
  9. Responseרבי עקיבא learns this from "מהם תקנו", so "לעולם" teaches חובה
  10. Responseרבי ישמעאל reads "בהם" as: not with your brothers
  11. Responseרבי עקיבא learns the ban on enslaving Jews from the end of the verse
  12. Responseרבי ישמעאל explains why the word "them" is written
  13. ProofThe rule that a repeated passage comes to teach something new
  14. StatementImmorality and anger eat away at a home
  15. StatementBoth sayings are about the woman of the house
  16. StatementThe Divine Presence left Israel when they sinned
  17. StatementA מצוה walks ahead of you, a sin wraps around you
  18. StatementA sin is tied to a person like a dog
  19. StatementLogic says one witness should not be enough to prove defilement
  20. RejectionThe verse shows one witness is enough for טומאה
  21. ChallengeA new קל וחומר: maybe one witness is enough for סתירה too
  22. RejectionThe word 'דבר' shows that סתירה needs two witnesses
  23. ChallengeWhy not learn two witnesses for סתירה from the word 'בה'?
  24. ResolutionThe משנה Really Means the Source Is 'בה'
  25. QuestionWhere Do We Learn That Plain Defilement Needs Two Witnesses?
  26. ResponseThe 'דבר' Comparison Teaches Two Witnesses for Plain Defilement
  27. StatementA ברייתא Defines First and Final Testimony