תּוספֿתּא אויף במדבר 5:15

Rabbi Yehuda says: Her husband is trusted regarding her (i.e., not to have had relations with his wife on the journey to the Temple to perform the Sotah ceremony (see Sot. 1:3)). [This is learned out] from a kal v'chomer: Just as [the husband of a] menstruant, who is liable for excision if he has relations with her, is believed regarding her, [then with respect to the husband of a] suspected adulteress, who is not liable for excision if he has relations with her, is it not logical that her husband should be believed regarding her? They said to him: All the more so, since he is not liable for excision for having relations with her, should he not be believed regarding her^*i.e., since his punishment is light, he would have less incentive to lie than one faced with excision? Another version: [They said to him,] Not so. If you say that regarding a menstruant, who has permissible factors after the prohibition started^*i.e., there will be a time when her menstrual flow ceases and she is permitted to her husband, would you say the same regarding a suspected adulteress, who has no permissible factors after the prohibition started? And thus it says (Prov. 9:17, JPS tr.), "Stolen waters are sweet[, And bread eaten furtively is tasty]." Rabbi Yosei says, Scripture itself believes him regarding her, as it is said (Num. 5:15), "And the man shall bring his wife to the Kohen."

The Kohanim are permitted to pour wine, oil, and honey onto the remainders of the [Sotah's] meal offering (see Sot. 2:1), but they are forbidden to cause it to become leavened. All meal offerings that are [prescribed] in the Torah require oil and frankincense except for the meal offering of the sinner and the meal offering of jealousy, as it is said (Num. 5:15), "He shall not pour oil onto it, nor place frankincense on it, etc." Rabbi Shimon says, all the sin offerings that are in the Torah do not require a libation except for the sin offering and the guilt offering of the leper, in order that a sin offering will not be of superior quality. Rabbi Tarfon says, all the remembrances that are in the Torah are [recorded] for good except for that which says (Num. 5:15), "[the meal offering of jealousy] is meal offering of remembrance, recalling iniquity." Rabbi Akiva says, even this is for good, as it is said (Num. 5:28), "And if the woman has not defiled herself, and she is pure, she will be cleansed and will be able to bear seed."

He (i.e., the Kohen) would take her scroll [on which the Sotah's oath would be written] and bring it into the Ulam. A golden tablet [containing the fixed language of the oath (Num. 5:19-22)] was lodged within the wall of the Heichal, and it was visible from the Ulam. From that he looks and he writes [onto the scroll]. He neither shortens nor lengthens. He goes out and stands at the side of the Sotah. He reads and expounds and is punctilious on all the details of the parashah. And [the oath] may be pronounced in any language that she can hear (i.e., understand), in order that she knows on what account she would be drinking [the bitter waters], and about what (במה not כמה) she would be drinking, on what account she became defiled, and about what she became defiled. And he says to her, "I adjure you and it will befall you." "And this will befall you" -- this is the curse. "I adjure you" -- this is the oath. § Rabbi Meir says, [when she responds amen, amen (see Sot. 2:5), she is responding] "amen that I was not defiled," and "amen that I will not become defiled." It is not that the [bitter] waters [necessarily] inspect her immediately (see Sot. 5:1); rather, even if she becomes corrupted twenty years later, the waters will expose her [corruption], as it is said (Num. 5:15), "[the meal offering of jealousy] is a meal offering of remembrance, recalling iniquity." § [Returning to the order of the ritual,] [the Kohen] enters and writes [the oath], [then] goes out and erases it.