Sota 21: Women Studying Torah?; Who is Wicked and Conniving?

A punishment can be delayed by up to three twelve-month periods.  But not in all cases: what if a woman has studied Torah?  Does that earn her such merit?  Or is she forbidden to study Torah?  A number of rabbis suggest that women would learn promiscuity through Torah.  They also state that women might understand only the most basic Torah learning and then brag about her knowledge.

The rabbis also consider the fact that Torah study might be meaningful for women.  They discuss the merit of doing a mitzvah even when it is not an obligation - its reward might not be significant enough to delay one's punishment.  Women also might be rewarded because they encourage their husbands and sons to learn Torah.

We return to a recent conversation about women preferring sexual intercourse to food.  The rabbis agree that women prefer their husbands to make less money as long as they spend more time at home.  in fact, women prefer men to limit their Torah study so that they spend more time at home.  

The light of Torah is said to be like the light of the sun, whereas mitzvot bring the light of a lamp.  The rabbis suggest a number of different reasons for this analogy.  One of those is that the light of the sun is with us forever, while the light of mitzvot is with us only while we do that mitzvah.  And so one might be protected from harm while doing a mitzvah, but not longer.  Does learning Torah protect us only while we are learning Torah?  Are women protected as are men?

We are introduced to Doeg and Achitophel, who believed that King David's transgressions extinguished the merits of his mitzvot.   What they did not realize was that transgressions do not extinguish the merit of the Torah.  We are also introduced to brothers Hillel and Shevna (or possibly Shechna), where Hillel learned Torah and Shevna was successful in business.  Shevna suggested that he share his wealth with his brother and that Hillel share the merit of his Torah study with Shevna.  This is not permitted.   One is permitted to share in the merit of Torah study only if that study is paid for in advance.  

The rabbis move on to a new topic: the distinguishing features of manipulative people.  Proverbs (8:12) teaches that, "I, wisdom, dwell with cunning".  Wherever there is wisdom, we allow cunning to enter.  This phrase can be used to explain why women are told not to learn Torah, as it might be used toward cunningly accessing promiscuity.  Women's desires are considered to be of a sexual nature, which is another reason that we prefer sexual intercourse to 9 kav of food.  

The rabbis discuss who is a foolish man of piety, who is one who exaggerates their piety.  Examples are one who does not even look at an undressed woman when she is drowning due to halachot about modesty, and one who needlessly fasts every day.

Who is conniving and wicked?  One who presents to the judge before the other litigant arrives; one who gives one dinar to a person to put him at 200 dinars, thus disallowing him from partaking of p'ea and other benefits for the poor; one who advises male orphans to sell their property, thus leaving their sisters with no inheritance; one who advises a person to sell property rather than leave it for the second generation of legal beneficiaries; one who convinces others to practice like him while hiding his own transgressions; one who is lenient in his own halacha but strict toward others.