Sotah - Daf 14
- להלך אחר מדותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא
Rebbe Chama bar Rebbe Chanina said: What does the passuk mean when saying, אחרי ה' אלקיכם תלכו –Hashem your G-d, you should follow? It cannot be understood literally, for Hashem is described as a burning fire. Rather, it means: להלך אחר מדותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא – to follow the attributes of Hashem. מה הוא מלביש ערומים – Just as he clothes the unclothed, as we find that Hashem provided clothing for Adam and Chava, you, too, clothe the unclothed. הקדוש ברוך הוא ביקר חולים – Hashem visited the sick when he visited Avraham; אף אתה בקר חולים – you, too, visit the sick. הקדוש ברוך הוא ניחם אבלים – Hashem comforted mourners when he blessed Yitzchok after Avraham’s passing; אף אתה נחם אבלים – you, too, comfort mourners. הקדוש ברוך הוא קבר מתים – Hashem buried the dead when he buried Moshe; אף אתה קבור מתים – you, too, bury the dead.
- Why Moshe desired to enter Eretz Yisroel
Rebbe Simlai expounded: מפני מה נתאוה משה רבינו ליכנס לארץ ישראל – Why did Moshe Rabbeinu desire to enter Eretz Yisroel? וכי לאכול מפריה הוא צריך – Did he need to eat of its fruit, או לשבוע מטובה הוא צריך - or satiate himself with its goodness? Surely not! Rather, Moshe said to himself:הרבה מצות נצטוו ישראל ואין מתקיימין אלא בא"י – “There are many mitzvos that Klal Yisroel has been commanded that can only be fulfilled in Eretz Yisroel. אכנס אני לארץ כדי שיתקיימו כולן על ידי – I will enter the Land, so they will all be fulfilled through me.” אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא – Hashem said to him: כלום אתה מבקש אלא לקבל שכר – Do you seek anything other than to receive reward? מעלה אני עליך כאילו עשיתם – I will consider it for you as if you fulfilled [those mitzvos].
- The procedure for bringing a minchah
The second Perek begins by describing the differences between the minchah of a sotah and an ordinary minchah. The Gemara brings a Baraisa which details the entire procedure of a standard minchah: אדם מביא מנחה מתוך ביתו בקלתות של כסף ושל זהב – A person brings a minchah from his house in baskets of silver or gold, ונותנה לתוך כלי שרת ומקדשה בכלי שרת – and places it in a kli shareis and sanctifies it in the kli shareis. (The Gemara will explain that this can mean he sanctifies it automatically by placing it there),ונותן עליה שמנה ולבונתה ומוליכה אצל כהן– then he places its oil and frankincense on it and brings it to the Kohen. The Kohen then brings it to the מזבח and brings the kli close to the southwest corner of the מזבח. He then moves the frankincense to one side and performs kemitzah (the special procedure for removing a defined amount of flour from the vessel) from a spot which is well mixed with oil. He puts the “kometz” (the amount removed) into another kli shareis and is mekadesh it there (preparing it for offering on the מזבח). He collects the frankincense and places it atop the kometz, brings the minchah up to the מזבח in a kli shareis, salts it, and places it onto the fires. Once the kometz is offered, the rest of the mixture is permitted to be eaten by the Kohanim. They are able to add oil or honey but cannot allow it to become chametz.
