Kiddushin, Daf Lammed Vav, Part 6

 

Introduction

The mishnah had stated that women who are a sotah (a woman suspected of adultery) and a nezirah, a woman who took a nazirite vow, can wave their own meal offerings. These are exceptions to the general rule that women do not perform Temple rituals.

חוץ ממנחת סוטה ונזירה

א"ל רבי אליעזר לרבי יאשיה דדריה לא תיתיב אכרעך עד דאמרת לי להא שמעתתא מנין למנחת סוטה שטעונה תנופה מנלן בגופה כתיב (במדבר ה, כה) והניף את המנחה אלא תנופה בבעלים מנלן

 

Except the meal-offering of a sotah and a nezirah.

R. Elazar said to R. Yoshaya of his generation: Do not sit down on your legs until you have told me this law: How do we know that the meal offering of a sotah requires waving?

How do we know! If is written in the very section, and he shall wave the offering [before the Lord] (Numbers 5:25). Rather how do we know that the waving must be by the owner?

 

The question which emerges from this section is how we know that the meal offering of a sotah is waved by its owners and not by the priests.

אתיא יד יד משלמים כתיב הכא (במדבר ה, כה) ולקח הכהן מיד האשה וכתיב התם (ויקרא ז, ל) ידיו תביאנה מה כאן כהן אף להלן כהן מה להלן בעלים אף כאן בעלים הא כיצד כהן מכניס ידו תחת יד

 

It is derived from the use of hand [here] and hand from a peace-offering.

Here is written: Then the priest shall take [jealousy-offering] out of the woman s hand (Numbers 5:25): while there [in reference to peace-offerings] it is written, His hands [the owner s] shall bring [the offerings of the Lord made by fire] (Leviticus 7:30) just as here the priest [is stated], so too there the priest [is meant]; and just as there the owner [is specified], so here too the owner [is required].

How so? The priest places his hand under the owner’s and waves.

 

The word hand is used in the context of the sotah offering and the peace-offering. This allows the rabbis to combine the two procedures in the context of the sotah-offering it seems like the priest is supposed to wave the offering, whereas in the context of the peace-offering it seems like the owner brings it. So the resolution is that they both do so together.

בעלים ומניף אשכחן סוטה נזירה מנלן אתיא כף כף מסוטה

 

We have found [this in the case of] sotah; how do we know [it of] a nezirah?

It is derived from the use of the word kaf (hand) in sotah.

 

The word kaf is used in both the context of the sotah (Numbers 6:19) and the nezirah (Numbers 5:18). This allows the process used in the sotah to be applied to the nezirah. She too waves her offering with the priest s hand underneath.