Sotah 24a (כד.) — the Talmud in English

A widow

who is married

to a High Priest; a divorcée and a woman released through halitza

who is married

to an ordinary priest; a mamzeret

and a Netina,

one of the Gibeonites, concerning whom David decreed that they may not enter the congregation of Israel, who is married

to an Israelite, and

likewise

an Israelite woman

who is married

to a mamzer or a Netin.

All these

do not drink,

because the passage of the sotah applies only to a woman whom it is appropriate to retain, as it is stated: "When his wife goes astray," indicating that she is fit for marital union,

and they do not collect their ketubah,

for the reason stated above: she caused herself to become forbidden to her husband.

C. Women who become forbidden to their husbands because they committed adultery with them:

And these do not drink and do not collect their ketubah:

One who says, "

I am impure,"

who admits that she committed adultery with her husband.

And witnesses came and testified that she was impure.

And

likewise

one who says, "

I will not drink,"

who refuses to drink the bitter water and becomes forbidden to her husband because of the warning and seclusion, lest she have committed adultery.

All these women do not drink; rather, they become forbidden to their husbands. And they do not collect their ketubah, as stated above, because they caused themselves to become forbidden.

D. Women whose husbands prevent them from being given the water:

Her husband said: I will not give her the water!

That is, the woman agrees to drink, but her husband refuses to give her the water.

And

likewise a woman whose husband warned her and she secluded herself,

whose husband had intercourse with her on the way

to the Temple to give her the water after the warning and seclusion. In such a case the water no longer tests her, but she is forbidden to her husband.

All these

collect their ketubah,

because their husbands caused them not to drink,

and they do not drink.

E. Sotot who were fit to drink, but whose husbands did not have time to give them the water:

Their husbands died before they drank,

because their husbands did not have time to give them the water:

Beit Shammai say: They collect their ketubah,

for it was not established that they were impure.

And they do not drink,

as it is stated in the passage of the sotah: "The man shall bring his wife," indicating that only her husband can give her the water.

And Beit Hillel say: Either they drink, or they do not collect their ketubah!

That is, since they do not drink, they have no ketubah.

F. Women who are forbidden by rabbinic enactment to marry:

One who marries

the pregnant widow of another man,

who was widowed or divorced from her husband while pregnant, or one who marries

the nursing widow of another man,

who was widowed or divorced while nursing her infant, whom the Sages prohibited from marrying until two years had passed from the child's birth, and whose husband warned her and she secluded herself—these women

do not drink,

for this woman is not fit to be retained,

and they do not collect their ketubah,

because they caused themselves to become forbidden,

the words of Rabbi Meir.

And the Sages say:

This sotah has the status of an ordinary sotah, since

he can separate her

from him

and take her back after some time,

after two years from the birth. Therefore she is called a woman whom it is appropriate to retain. [And Rabbi Meir maintains that one who marries the pregnant or nursing widow of another man is obligated to divorce her.]

G. Women who cannot bear children:

A woman with no reproductive capacity,

a barren woman who cannot give birth by nature,

an old woman

who has ceased giving birth,

and one who is not fit to bear a child

because she drank a potion that caused her sterility—all these may not be retained by one who does not yet have children and has not fulfilled the mitzva of being fruitful and multiplying. Therefore they

do not collect their ketubah and do not drink.

Rabbi Eliezer says: He can marry another woman and be fruitful and multiply through her,

and he may retain these women. Therefore they are considered fit for marriage, and their status is that of ordinary sotot.

H.

And all the other women

whose husbands warned them and they secluded themselves,

either drink, or do not collect their ketubah.

That is, if they do not wish to drink, they forfeit their ketubah, as stated above.

I.

The wife of a priest

whose husband warned her and she secluded herself,

drinks and is permitted to her husband

if she is found pure. The Gemara will explain what the Mishna comes to teach us.

J.

The wife of a eunuch drinks.

The Gemara will explain the novelty of this ruling.

One may issue a warning concerning all forbidden relations,

meaning, if a husband warned her not to seclude herself with one of her relatives who is forbidden to her because of a forbidden relationship, this is considered a valid warning, and she becomes forbidden to him if she secludes herself with them until she drinks.

Except for a minor and one who is not a man,

that is, an animal. If he warned her not to seclude herself with a minor or with an animal, his warning is not considered a valid warning, as it is stated: "And a man lies with her."

And these are the women for whom the court issues a warning.

A woman who behaves immodestly, but whose husband cannot issue her a warning for the following reasons—the court issues a warning to her, admonishing her not to seclude herself with another man:

One whose husband became deaf,

meaning that he became deaf,

or became insane, or was imprisoned in the prison.

They said this not in order to give her the water,

for this warning by the court is not effective for the purpose of giving her the water, since only the husband can give her the water,

but

it is intended

to disqualify her from her ketubah,

so that if she secludes herself, she will become forbidden to her husband and forfeit her ketubah.

Rabbi Yosei says: Also in order to give her the water,

the warning issued by the court is effective.

How so? —

When her husband leaves the prison, he gives her the water,

on the basis of the warning issued by the court. [But the Sages maintain that the husband can give her the water only when he himself warned her, as it is stated: "And he warned her—and he brought her."]

[Whereas the Sages hold that the husband can have her drink only when he himself warned her, as it is stated: “He warned her—and he brought her.”]

Gemara:

We learned at the beginning of the Mishna: A betrothed woman and a woman awaiting levirate marriage do not drink.

And we raised a difficulty:

It is only drinking that she does not do.

But can a warning be issued to her?

Although she does not drink, she nevertheless becomes forbidden to her betrothed husband or yavam because of his warning, since we learned that she does not collect her ketubah.

From where are these matters derived,

to distinguish between the subjects?

And we answer:

As the Sages taught:

It is written in the passage of the sotah: "

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them."

And we expound the superfluous wording "and say":

to include a betrothed woman and a woman awaiting levirate marriage with regard to issuing a warning.

And the Mishna

which teaches that a woman awaiting levirate marriage also does not drink,

whose opinion is it? —

It is Rabbi Yonatan's!

As it is taught:

It is stated: "And if you, too, went astray

against your husband," and we expound:

excluding a betrothed woman,

excluding a betrothed woman,

who does not drink, since she is not yet under her husband.

One might think that I also exclude a woman awaiting levirate marriage

from the general category of those who drink.

The verse states: "

Any man who becomes suspicious of his wife." And we expound the repetition of "any man" to include a woman awaiting levirate marriage,

And we interpret the repetition of “any man” as including a woman awaiting levirate marriage,

the words of Rabbi Yashya.

Rabbi Yonatan says: "

Against your husband,"

excluding a woman awaiting levirate marriage.

Should I exclude

a

woman awaiting levirate marriage and not exclude

the

betrothed woman?

The verse states: "

Who goes astray, a woman, against her husband," and we expound

we interpret this as

excluding a betrothed woman,

who also does not drink.

The Gemara explains their dispute:

One master,

Rabbi Yonatan, who uses the first verse to exclude a woman awaiting levirate marriage and the second to exclude a betrothed woman,

finds the betrothed woman more obvious,

as she is considered more his wife than a woman awaiting levirate marriage, because

his betrothal,

as he himself betrothed her,

and she is liable to stoning through him,

for if she committed adultery while betrothed to him, she is liable to stoning; whereas this is not so with a woman awaiting levirate marriage, whom he did not betroth but whose brother did, and she is not stoned if she commits adultery while awaiting marriage to him. Therefore, if there were only one exclusion, I would apply it only to a woman awaiting levirate marriage and not to a betrothed woman.

And the other master,

Rabbi Yashya, who excludes only a betrothed woman,

finds a woman awaiting levirate marriage more obvious,

because

she does not require transfer to the huppah,

for through intercourse alone she becomes acquired by the yavam and is like his wife in every respect, even if he has intercourse with her licentiously and not for the purpose of betrothal. Therefore she is already considered his wife more than his betrothed, who is considered married only through the huppah.

And we raise a difficulty:

And Rabbi Yonatan—this "

any man,"

what does he do with it?

And we answer:

He requires it to include the wife of a deaf man,