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Sotah 33

SOTAH 31-35 - These Dafim have been dedicated by Mrs. Estanne Abraham-Fauer in honor of the first Yahrzeit (18 Teves 5761) of her father, Reb Mordechai ben Eliezer Zvi (Weiner). May the merit of supporting and advancing the study of the Talmud be l'Iluy Nishmaso.

1) [line 7] RACHAMEI HI - it (prayer) is [meant to invoke HaSh-m's] mercy
2) [line 8] MATZLI - he prays
3) [line 10] ARAMIS - Aramaic

4) [line 15] BAS KOL (a Heavenly voice; a minor form of prophecy) One of the lower forms of prophecy is called Bas Kol (lit. echo), where certain individuals of a high spiritual status hear a Heavenly voice. The Gemara in numerous places cites instances when a Bas Kol was heard, relaying information from the Heavens to the earth. Rebbi Yehoshua (Gemara Bava Metzi'a 59b) is of the opinion that we do not accept the ruling of a Bas Kol when it contradicts the majority opinion of the Sages.

5) [line 16] NATZCHU TALAYA D'AZLU L'AGACHA KERAVA L'ANTOCHYA - they have won -- the lads who went forth to battle to Antochya

6) [line 19] BETEILAS AVIDTA D'AMAR SAN'AH L'AISA'AH AL HEICHALA - the army that the enemy planned to bring to destroy the Beis ha'Mikdash has stopped coming

7) [line 20] V'NEHERAG GASKALGAS U'VATLU GEZEIROSAV - and Gaskalgas was killed and his decrees were annulled. The identification of Gaskalgas is a matter of controversy. RASHI states that he was a Greek king, which may concur with the story of our Gemara that Shimon *ha'Tzadik*, who lived at the time of Alexander the Great (Yoma 69a), was the Kohen Gadol who heard the Bas Kol. Some identify him with the Roman Emperor Gaius Ceasar, also known as Gaius Caligula (ruled 37-41 CE) who declared himself a deity and decreed that his image be placed in the Beis ha'Mikdash. In that case, the Kohen Gadol could not have been Shimon ha'Tzadik, who lived approximately 300 years earlier, but might have been another Shimon, who was termed "ha'Tzadik" because of the steadfastness of faith he displayed in this story (as evident from the version of the story that appears in Megilas Ta'anis). A more detailed version of the story in our Gemara is found in Megilas Ta'anis, chapter 11, which is consistent with the Girsa Gaius Caligula, although it mentions Shimon ha'Tadik. Other Girsa'os include Kaskalas (Codex Munich), Gaius Gulikas (Yerushalmi Sotah 9:13) and Gaiuslokin (Shir ha'Shirim Rabah 8:3).

8) [line 21] UV'LASHON ARAMI HAYAH OMER - the Bas Kol was heard in Aramaic (these words are part of the Tosefta and teach us that the words of the Bas Kol were Aramaic and were not translated from Lashon ha'Kodesh when the incident was recorded in Megilas Ta'anis, which is written totally in Aramaic -- RADAL)

9a) [line 22] BAS KOL SHA'ANI - a Bas Kol is different [and may be in Aramaic]
b) [line 22] DEL'ASHMU'EI AVIDA - it is meant to inform [people in whatever language they understand]

10) [line 27] "V'NEFESH KI SECHETA V'SHAM'AH KOL ALAH V'HU ED O RA'AH O YADA; IM LO YAGID V'NASA AVONO." - "And if a person sins, and hears (and accepts) the demand for an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of it; if he does not utter it (i.e. testify), then he shall bear his iniquity." (Vayikra 5:1) - See Background to Sotah 32:4.

11) [line 30] AD - until (this word indicates that this quote of the Mishnah on Daf 32a leaves out words from lines 15-18 there)

12) [line 31] V'ANU HA'LEVIYIM - this verse is part of the Berachos and Kelalos of Har Gerizim and Har Eival (Devarim 27:14)

13) [last line] DAVAR SHE'HU MA'ASEH ME'AKEV - a detail [of a ceremony] that is an action is a necessary requirement [of the ceremony] (e.g. Chalitzah - taking off the shoe of the Yavam; Rekikah - spitting on the floor in front of the Yavam, as opposed to the words

33b---------------------------------------33b

14) [line 13] KUSIYIM (KUSIM)
(a) The King of Ashur brought the people of Kusa to Eretz Yisrael and made them settle in the Shomron. They converted to Judaism after they found themselves under attack from lions. The Chachamim disagree as to whether their conversion was honest and valid (Geirei Emes) or not (Geirei Arayos).
(b) After the times of the Mishnah, the Kusim were found worshipping an image of a dove and the Chachamim gave them the status of Nochrim. (According to most Rishonim, this means that they decided to treat them like Nochrim l'Chumra, even if they were Geirei Emes. According to the RAMBAM (Peirush ha'Mishnayos), however, this means that they decided that their conversion was not sincere and deemed them Nochrim (Geirei Arayos) for all Halachic matters.)

15) [line 13] GILGAL - (a) a place in Eretz Yisrael not far from Yericho where Benei Yisrael camped after they crossed the Yarden River. The Mishkan stood there before the land was completely conquered, when it was moved to Shiloh. It was called Gilgal after Yehoshua performed Bris Milah on the men of Benei Yisrael who were uncircumcised (Yehoshua 5:2-9), based upon the verse, "*Galosi* Es Cherpas Mitzrayim me'Aleichem" (ibid. 5:9); (b) a place in Eretz Yisrael in the Shomron not far from Shechem (Rashi here; see Insights)

16) [line 18] ZIYAFTI SIFREI KUSIYIM - I proved that the books [of the Torah] of the Kusim were falsified

17) [line] ZIYAFTEM TORASCHEM - you falsified your Torah [by adding the word 'Shechem' after the words "Etzel Elonei Moreh"] (YERUSHALMI 7:3, see RADAL)

18) [line 25] "V'HAYAH B'OVRECHEM ES HA'YARDEN, TAKIMU ES HA'AVANIM HA'ELEH ASHER ANOCHI METZAVEH ESCHEM HA'YOM B'HAR EIVAL; V'SADTA OSAM BA'SID" - "Therefore it shall be when you have gone over the Yarden, that you shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in Mount Eival, and you shall plaster them with plaster." (Devarim 27:4)

19) [line 27] ERETZ CHIVI HI - it is the land of the Chivi, one of the sons of Kena'an (Bereishis 10:17). (See Insights as to whether this is a statement or a question.)

20) [line 27] ARAVAH - dry land; savanna
21) [line 29] REBBI ELIEZER BEN YAKOV OMER "LO BA HA'KASUV ELA L'AHR'OS LAHEN DERECH BA'SHENIYAH, K'DERECH SH'HER'AH LAHEN BA'RISHONAH" - Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov states that this verse does not indicate a geographic location; rather, it instructs Benei Yisrael that they are to conquer Eretz Kena'an (ba'Sheniyah -- the second path of travel) in a similar fashion to the way that HaSh-m led them in the desert after the Exodus from Mitzrayim (ba'Rishonah -- the first path of travel). (See Insights as to whether Rebbi Eliezer ben Yakov's opinion fits the opinion of Rebbi Yehudah or Rebbi Elazar.)

22) [line 39] "V'HAYAH K'NO'ACH KAPOS RAGLEI HA'KOHANIM NOSE'EI ARON HASH-M..." - "And it shall come to pass that as soon as the soles of the feet of the Kohanim who carry the Ark of HaSh-m, [the L-rd of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Yarden, that the waters of the Yarden shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.]" (Yehoshua 3:13)

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