1)

(a)After bringing the Sotah's Korban Minchah to the Beis Hamikdash in a wickerwork basket - her husband transfers it to a K'li Shareis, and gives it to her to hold.

(b)Her husband does this and not a Kohen - because the Kohen is only obligated to take over from the Kemitzah (incorporating Hagashah [taking it to the south-western corner]) and onwards.

(c)After the Minchah has placed in the K'li Shareis - the Kohen places his hand underneath that of the Sotah and they wave it together (see Tosfos).

2)

(a)Before burning the Kemitzah on the Mizbei'ach - the Kohen carries it to its south-western corner of the Mizbei'ach, takes a Kemitzah from it and salts it.

(b)The remainder of the Minchah - is eaten by the Kohanim.

(c)At that point, the Kohen gives the Sotah the water to drink. Rebbi Shimon learns from the Pasuk "va'Achar Yashkeh es ha'Ishah es ha'Mayim" - that he brings her Minchah first and gives her the water to drink afterwards ...

(d)... Lechatchiah - though Bedi'eved, if he made her drink the water first, Rebbi Shimon agrees with the Rabbanan that the Minchah is K asher.

3)

(a)When Rebbi Elazar (ben P'das) asked Rebbi Yashiyah not to sit down before he had cited the source of the Tenufah by a Minchas Sotah - he was referring to his contemporary, and not to Rebbi Yashiyah, the colleague of Rebbi Yonasan the Tana.

(b)As a matter of fact, the Torah explicitly mentions Tenufah in this regard - but that refers to the Kohen; what Rebbi Elazar wanted was a source for the owner (the Sotah) having to participate in the Tenufah.

(c)The latter replied that we learn a 'Gezeirah-Shavah' "Ve'lakach ha'Kohen mi'Yad ha'Ishah" (by Sotah) from "Yadav Yevi'enah" (Parshas Tzav, in connection with the Korban Shelamim). He also uses the 'Gezeirah-Shavah to learn from Sotah - that by a Shelamim too, the Kohen needs to wave the Korban together with the owner.

4)

(a)The Tana Kama states 'Hayah Mashkeh ve'Achar-Kach Makriv es Minchasah', despite his having already said 'Ve'hiktir' - because he is simply introducing a new Machlokes: When it comes to drinking the water, he is saying, the Rabbanan and Rebbi Shimon argue over whether it precedes her Minchah or follows it.

5)

(a)We never force a Sotah to drink after she has admitted that she is guilty.

(b)The order of Pesukim in the Torah is "u'Machah", "ve'Hishkah es ha'Ishah", "Ve'heinif", "Ve'hikriv", "Ve'kamatz" "Ve'Achar Yashkeh", "Ve'hishkah es ha'Mayim". Rebbi Akiva considers the third Pasuk "Ve'hishkah es ha'Mayim" to be crucial in the order of events rather than the first one "ve'Hishkah es ha'Ishah" - because the Torah indicates in the second Pasuk ("ve'Achar Hishkah"), that she only drinks after having brought her Minchah.

(c)From the first Pasuk he learns - that once the Megilah has been erased, we force her to drink even if she claims she is not guilty.

(d)Even though the Kohen only writes the Parshah at the last moment before the Sotah drank, and she is only supposed to drink after her Korban has been brought, it is nevertheless possible for the Sotah to say 'Eini Shosah' after the Name of Hash-m has been blotted out, even before her Korban has been brought - if the Kohen wrote it by mistake (seeing as Bedieved, he has fulfilled the Mitzvah either way).

6)

(a)Rebbi Akiva concurs with the basic opinion of Rebbi Shimon - who holds that the Sotah drinks the water only after she has brought her Minchah (only they argue over the source).

(b)Rebbi Akiva learns the basic order from the third Pasuk "Ve'hishkah es ha'Mayim" (as we explained) - Rebbi Shimon learns it from the implication of the word "ve'Achar Yashkeh es ha'Ishah ... ".

(c)The three things must precede the Sotah drinking the water are - bringing the Kometz on the Mizbe'ach, erasing the Megilah in the water and accepting the Shevu'ah.

(d)Rebbi Shimon lists ...

1. ... erasing the Name in the water as one of the three things, despite the fact that it appears obvious (since, as long as it has not been blotted out, there is nothing for her to drink), Rav Ashi explains - to teach us that it must be completely erased without even a mark on the parchment, and that it is not sufficient for just the wet ink to dissolve.

2. ... her accepting of the Shevu'ah in the list, in spite of Rava's having already taught that it is not only the drinking that may not take place before the Sotah has accepted the oath, but that even the writing of the Name is prohibited beforehand - in order to complete the list, even though there is no intrinsic Chidush.

7)

(a)The Rabbanan learn that the Sotah drinks the water before her Korban has been brought - from the first Pasuk ("ve'Hishkah es ha'Ishah"), because they give precedence to the order of the Pesukim (rather than to the implication of the word "ve'Achar").

(b)They learn from second Pasuk ("ve'Achar Yashkeh ... ") that she only drinks if the Name has been completely erased, whereas from the third Pasuk ("Ve'hishkah es ha'Mayim") - that if she refuses to drink after the Megilah has been erased, the Kohen forces her to do so.

(c)The Kohen forces her to drink the water - by prizing her mouth open, using a pair of tongs and pouring the water down her throat.

(d)Rebbi Shimon explains the third Pasuk like the Rabbanan. He learns from the first Pasuk ("ve'Hishkah es ha'Ishah") - that even if the woman drank the water before having brought the Korban, it is Kasher.

8)

(a)Rebbi Akiva validates the erasing of the Megilah before the Korban has been brought - but not the Sotah drinking the water then (like Rebbi Shimon does).

(b)In another Beraisa, Rebbi Akiva queries Rebbi Yehudah, who says that, once the Megilah has been erased, the Kohen forces the Sotah to drink the water. What is the point of that, he asks - seeing as the objective of the Sotah drinking the water (to clarify whether she is guilty or not) has already been achieved by her refusal to drink (which is akin to admitting that she is guilty)?

(c)Rebbi Akiva agrees with Rebbi Yehudah however, that the Kohen forces her - if her refusal follows the bringing of the Kometz.

9)

(a)Rebbi Akiva holds that ...

1. ... the Kohen never forces her to drink (even after her Minchah has been brought) - if she remains calm even as she refuses (because that is a sign of guilt).

2. ... he forces her after her Minchah has been brought (but not before) - if she trembles as she refuses (because that is a sign that she may well be innocent and only admitted out of fear that the water might nevertheless affect her).

(b)The reason that, according to Rebbi Akiva, he does not make her drink even before her Minchah has been brought, if she trembles as she refuses - because the Megilah has not yet been erased, and even if it has, it was done illegally, and she still has the right to retract by admitting her guilt.

(c)In the earlier Beraisa, when Rebbi Akiva obligated a Sotah who refused to drink after the Megilah was erased, to drink, even if it was done before her Minchah was brought - he is speaking when she was trembling (just like in this Beraisa).

10)

(a)We finally reconcile Rebbi Akiva in the previous Beraisa, who says that it is only after the Kometz has been brought that the Kohen forces the Sotah to drink against her will, with what we learned above, that he forces her to drink as soon as the Megilah has been erased - by establishing it as a Machlokes Tana'im as to what Rebbi Akiva holds.