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Mishnayos Sotah Perek 6 Mishnah 2

סוטה פרק ו׳ משנה ב׳

2

The mishna continues to list various possible testimonies concerning of such acts of seclusion. If one witness said: I saw that she became defiled during her seclusion by engaging in sexual intercourse with that other man, she does not drink the bitter water, but rather, he divorces her immediately. And furthermore, even if the one who testified was a slave or a maidservant, neither of whom is generally regarded as a valid witness, they are deemed credible to testify to the wife’s adultery even to the extent that their testimony disqualifies her from receiving her marriage contract and prevents her from drinking the bitter water. The mishna continues by listing women whose testimony is only partially accepted concerning this matter: Her mother-in-law, and her mother in-law’s daughter, and her rival wife, i.e., a second wife of the husband, and her yevama, i.e., her husband’s brother’s wife, and her husband’s daughter, all of whom are generally not deemed credible if they say anything incriminating pertaining to this woman due to the tumultuous relationships these women often have. They are all deemed credible to testify concerning the woman’s defilement while in seclusion, but are not deemed credible to the extent that their testimony will disqualify her from receiving her marriage contract; rather, it is deemed credible to the extent that she will not drink of the bitter water of a sota.

אָמַר עֵד אֶחָד, אֲנִי רְאִיתִיהָ שֶׁנִּטְמֵאת, לֹא הָיְתָה שׁוֹתָה. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ עֶבֶד, אֲפִלּוּ שִׁפְחָה, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָנִין אַף לְפָסְלָהּ מִכְּתֻבָּתָהּ. חֲמוֹתָהּ וּבַת חֲמוֹתָהּ וְצָרָתָהּ וִיבִמְתָּהּ וּבַת בַּעְלָהּ, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָנוֹת, וְלֹא לְפָסְלָהּ מִכְּתֻבָּתָהּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא תִשְׁתֶּה:

ב׳
Bartenura

אני ראיתיה שנטמאת – in that retirement [of hers] under suspicious circumstances which is through two witnesses according to Rabbi Yehoshua or through the flying bird according to Rabbi Eliezer.

לא היתה שותה – for one witness is believed concerning her even to cause her to lose her Ketubah settlement for there is a basis for it.

אף לפסלה מכתובתה – that she should not drink [the bitter waters] not take [the settlement of] her Ketubah.

יבמתה – the wife of her husband’s brother.

ובת בעלה – from another wife.

הרי אלו נאמנות – for this testimony, even though they are ineligible for all other testimony which is to her detriment because the Torah believed all testimony that there is concerning her. But, however, not to make her ineligible for her Ketubah [settlement], for they hate her, but rather, that she should not be suspected by her husband of having been unfaithful.

אני ראיתיה שנטמאת. באותה סתירה, שהיא ע״פ עדים לר׳ יהושע, או ע״פ עוף הפורח לר׳ אליעזר:

לא היתה שותה. דעד אחד נאמן בה אף להפסידה כתובתה שרגלים לדבר:

אף לפסלה מכתובתה. שלא תשתה ולא תטול כתובתה:

יבמתה. אשת אחי בעלה:

ובת בעלה. מאשה אחרת:

הרי אלו נאמנות. לעדות זו, אע״פ שהן פסולות לכל שאר עדות שהוא לרעתה, לפי שהתורה האמינה כל עדות שיש בה. ומיהו לא לפסלה מכתובתה, הואיל ושונאות אותה, אלא שלא תשתה: