Sota 15: Sota Offerings Vs. Other Sin Offerings

Amud (a) walks through sin offerings and which items are acceptable to bring to the Temple as offerings.  In the context of Masechet Sota, it seems that the rabbis are reminding us that the offering of a sota is different from other offerings because the sota has not necessarily done anything untoward.  To this end, we learn that one with leperosy is thought to come on account of seven matters: evil speech, murder, forbidden sexual relations, arrogance, making an oath in vain, robbery, or envy.*  The Gemara shares details about the sin offerings of those with leprosy and of nazirites.

The remainder of our daf focuses on a new Mishna.  It teaches that the High Priest takes half a log of water from the Temple and pours it into an earthenware vessel.  Like his belief that the words written on the sota's piece of paper should be minimized, Rabbi Yehuda argues that only one quarter log of water is used.  When he enters the Sanctuary he turns to his right and places the vessel upon a table sitting there.  The table has a ring attached that helps the High Priest to lift it; dust is collected from beneath the table and place in the vessel so that it can be seen on the top of the water.

The earthenware vessel from which the sota drinks should be new and never used before. The rabbis discuss different vessels and other sources of water for other offerings and from where that water should come.  Again, the rabbis compare the rituals of the sota to the rituals of others like lepers and nazirites.  They consider vessels and whether or not they are blackened on the outside due to use, why the High Priest turns to the right, and why the dust is collected from the floor of the Tabernacle and not from outside of the Sanctuary.


* Of all of these actions, it might make sense that leperosy could be caused by forbidden sexual relations if what was known as 'leperosy' was in fact a communicable skin disease.