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REVIEW QUESTIONS ON GEMARA AND RASHI

prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem

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Sotah 31

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)

(a) We learned in our Mishnah, that on that day, Rebbi Yehoshua ben Hurkanus Darshened from the Pasuk "Hein Yikteleini Lo Ayachel" that Iyov served Hashem with love, but he required the Pasuk "Ad Egva Lo Asir Tumasi Mimeni" (declaring that his perfection will never leave him) - because we might otherwise have interpreted the first Pasuk to mean that if Hashem kills him, he will no longer hope for His salvation.
Why do we not examine the word to see whether it is spelt with an 'Alef' or with a 'Vav'?

(b) How do we prove this from the Pasuk in Yeshayah "ve'Chol Tzarasam Lo Tzar"?

2)
(a) Based on the Pasuk in Yeshayah "Zera Avraham Ohavi", how will we explain the Pasuk in Va'yeira "Ata Yada'ti Ki Yerei Elokim Atah"?

(b) And how does Rebbi Meir connect this with "Yerei Elokim" that is mentioned in connection with Iyov?

(c) Based on the Pesukim in Yisro "Notzer Chesed la'Alafim le'Ohavai u'le'Shomrei Mitzvosai" and "u'le'Shomrei Mitzvosai le'Elef Dor", how does Rebbi Shimon ben Elazar distinguish between someone who serves Hashem out of fear and someone who serves Him out of love?

(d) How does he prove his point from the Pasuk itself?

3)
(a) Is this Sugya synonymous with 'Parush me'Ahavah' and 'Parush mi'Yir'ah' which we discussed above in Perek Notel?

(b) What did Rava comment about those two Talmidim, one of whom dreamt the Pasuk in Tehilim "Mah Rav Tuvcha Asher Tzafanta li'Yere'echa", and the other, the Pasuk there "Ve'yismechu Kol Chosei Vach ... Ve'ya'altzu Becha Ohavei Shemecha"?

***** Hadran Alach ke'Sheim she'ha'Mayim *****


***** Perek Mi she'Kinei *****

4)

(a) Following their respective opinions in the opening Mishnah in the Masechta, if someone heard from a bird in flight that his wife had contravened his warning and secluded with another man, what is the opinion of ...
  1. ... Rebbi Eliezer?
  2. ... Rebbi Yehoshua?
(b) What is the significance of 'Ad she'Yis'u ve'Yitnu Bah Muzaros ba'Levanah'?
5)
(a) What will be the Din if, in the previous case, another witness adds that she committed adultery?

(b) Will we believe ...

  1. ... even an Eved or a Shifchah in this case?
  2. ... even her mother-in-law, her husband's sister or brother's wife, her rival wife or her husband's daughter?
(c) In which way does the Halachah in the previous two cases differ? Why is that?

(d) What do these last-mentioned five relations have in common regarding the Din of Agunah?

Answers to questions

31b---------------------------------------31b

6)

(a) What do we learn from the Pasuk "ve'Eid Ein Bah"?

(b) If not for the Pasuk, why would we have thought that one witness is not believed?

(c) What do we learn from the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' (from Mamon) "Ki Matza Bah Ervas *Davar*" (in Ki Seitzei) "al-Pi Shenayim Eidim Yakum Davar"?

(d) If not for the Pasuk, why would we have thought that one witness is believed?

7)
(a) What does the Tana of our Mishnah say in a case where one witness testifies that she is Tamei and another witness testifies that she is not?

(b) What will be the Din ...

  1. ... in the previous case if the two witnesses are women?
  2. ... if one witness testifies that the Sotah is Tamei and two, that she is not? How do we know that the two witnesses are not testifying about a different occasion than the single witness?
  3. ... two witnesses testify that she is Tamei, and one witness, that she is not?
8)
(a) What do we extrapolate from the Pasuk "ve'Eid Ein *Bah*"?

(b) Then why does the Tana of our Mishnah need to quote the 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "Davar" "Davar" from Mamon with regard to this Din?

(c) In that case, why *does* the Tana cite the 'Gezeirah-Shavah'?

9)
(a) What do we learn from the Pasuk in Shoftim "Lo Yakum *Eid Echad* be'Ish"?

(b) How does this effect the Pasuk "ve'Eid Ein Bah"? What does this Pasuk now come to reach us?

(c) What did Ula say regarding the strength of one witness?

(d) In that case, how does he (and Rebbi Yitzchak) amend our Mishnah 'Eid Omer Nitmeis, ve'Eid Omer Lo Nitmeis, Haysah Shosah'?

10)
(a) Rebbi Chiya retains the original version of our Mishnah ('Haysah Shosah').
How do we reconcile this with Ula?

(b) What can we extrapolate (with regard to two single witnesses) from the case of 'Eid Omer Nitmeis, u'Shenayim Omrim Lo Nitmeis, Haysah Shosah'?

(c) How will Rebbi Chiya counter this Kashya from the final case ('Shenayim Omrim Nitmeis, ve'Echad Omer Lo Nitmeis, Lo Haysah Shosah')?

(d) Why does he not remain with the original assumption, that the Tana's intention is to teach us the inferences, and the case of 'Echad Omer Nitmeis u'Shenayim Omrim Lo Nitmeis' speaks when the second witness came after 'Toch K'dei Dibur' of the first (like he explained in the Reisha)?

11)
(a) Seeing as the Tana clearly does not come to teach us the inferences, what *does* he come to teach us? What does the Tana mean when he says ...
  1. ... 'Echad Omer Nitmeis, u'Shenayim Omrim Lo Nitmeis, Haysah Shosah'?
  2. ... 'Shenayim Omrim Nitmeis, ve'Echad Omer Lo Nitmeis, Lo Haysah Shosah'?
(b) Who will then be the author of our Mishnah?
12)
(a) How do we amend Rebbi Nechemyah to read, according to the second Lashon?

(b) According to this Lashon, what will be the Din if one man testifies that she is Tamei, and two women (or even a hundred) that she is not, assuming that ...

  1. ... they came together?
  2. ... one of them came after 'Toch K'dei Dibur' of the other?
(c) In the case of 'Eid Echad Omer Nitmeis, u'Shenayim Omrim Lo Nitmeis, Haysah Shosah', why must the Tana be speaking when the two witnesses came after 'Toch K'dei Dibur'?

(d) So what is the Chidush?

13) Why does the Tana find it necessary to teach us the Din of 'Sh'nayim Omrim Nitmeis, ve'Echad Omer Lo Nitmeis', after having already informed us that we follow the majority opinion in the reverse case?

***** Hadran Alach Mi she'Kinei *****

Answers to questions

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