משנה: וְאֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב לֹא עַל הַלּוּחַ וְלֹא עַל הַנְּייָר וְלֹא עַל הַדִּיפְתְּרָא אֶלָּא עַל הַמְגִילָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּסֵּפֶר. אֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב לֹא בַקּוֹמוֹס וְלֹא בַקַּנְקַלְתּוֹס וְלֹא בְּכָל־דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא רוֹשֵׁם אֶלָּא בַדְּיוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וּמָחָה כְּתָב שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְהִימָּחוֹת. MISHNAH: He does not write on a wooden plank, or on papyrus, or on διφθέρα151Greek “hide prepared for writing.” The traditional interpretation of the Mishnaic word is “rough parchment; incompletely tanned skin.”, only on a scroll, as it is said: “In a book148Numbers.5.23">Num. 5:23.”. He does not write with gum152Latin commis, gummi; Greek κόμμι, τό “gum”. or vitriol nor with anything leaving a permanent impression except with ink; it is written “he shall wipe off”, writing that can be wiped off146This is the commentary on Sotah 2:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.2.4.1">Mishnah 5..
הלכה: רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר לֹא הָיָה מַפְסִיק כול׳. לֵוִי בַּר סִיסִי בְּעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי. מְגִילַּת סוֹטָה מָהוּ שֶׁתְּטַמֵּא אֶת הַיָּדַיִם. אָמַר לֵיהּ. הֲרֵי זֶה שְׁאֵלָה. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. אֵינָהּ שְׁאֵילָה. כְּלוּם גָּֽזְרוּ עַל הַסְּפָרִים שֶׁיְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת הַיָּדַיִם לֹא מִפְּנֵי קְדוּשָׁתָן. וְזוֹ לִמְחִיקָה נִיתְּנָה. לֹא צוֹרְכָא דְלֹא הוֹאִיל וְנִיתְּנָה לִמְחִיקָה. HALAKHAH: “Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt,” etc. Levi bar Sisi asked before Rebbi: Does the suspected wife’s scroll defile the hands129All biblical texts defile the hands by a rabbinic decree, to make it impossible to a fellow of the faithful to study the Bible with food in his hand, to protect the books from mice and other animals found around food; cf. Yadayim 3" href="/Mishnah_Yadayim.3">Mishnah Yadaim 3, Shabbat.14a">Babli Šabbat 14a. The decree applies to any text at least 85 letters long. The impurity of hands, being secondary, would not cause any trouble in the Temple. The Cohen simply would have to wash his hands before handling the cup of water from which the woman drinks.? He said to him, that is a question. Rebbi Yose130The Amora. said, it is no question. Did they not decree impurity of the hands for books only because of their holiness? And that one has to be erased131The entire scroll has to be erased, including the two instances of the Divine Name which in any other circumstance may not be erased. How can such a text claim holiness?! One only questions because it had to be erased132R. Yose’s argument is irrelevant. There remain two questions: (1) After the script has been erased, does the sheet retain holiness and must be buried, or may it be re-used for profane purposes? If it retains holiness it induces impurity of the hands. (2) If for some reason the scroll was not erased, for example if the wife admits her infidelity, the scroll has to be buried or otherwise hidden (Sotah 3:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.3.3.1">Mishnah 3:3). The question is whether this is a biblical requirement because of the sanctity of the writing, or rabbinical to make sure the scroll could not be used for any other woman (cf. Sotah 2:2:9" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.2.2.9">Note 104). The question remains unanswered; Maimonides (Abot Haṭum’a 9:11) disregards the question and follows R. Yose..
כַּמָּה אוֹתִיּוֹת כָּתוּב בָּהּ וִיהֵא שֶׁלֹּא לְצוֹרֶךְ וִיהֵא חַייָב. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי חָנִין. בֵּית שַׁמַּי אוֹמְרִים. אַחַת. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים. שְׁתַּיִם. אָמַר רִבִּי הִילַי. טַעֲמוֹן דְּבֵית הִלֵּל כְּדֵי לִכְתוֹב יָהּ. רִבִּי יוּדָן בָּעֵי. כָּתַב מִפִּיו. וּמָחַק בֶּעָפָר. הָיָה כוֹתֵב רִאשׁוֹן רִאשׁוֹן וּמוֹחֵק. [תַּנֵּי. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ אוֹמֵר. אֵין כּוֹתְבִין עַל עוֹר בְּהֵמָה טְמֵיאָה. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. מִכֵּיוָן דְּאַתְּ אָמַר. לִמְחִיקָה נִיתְּנָה. לָמָּה אֵינוֹ כוֹתֵב.] תַּנֵּי. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן [שִׁמְעוֹן] אוֹמֵר. רוֹאֶה אֲנִי אֶת דִּבְרֵי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן שַׁמּוּעַ מִדִּבְרֵי אַבָּא. שֶׁמָּא תֹאמַר. אֵינוֹ שׁוֹתָה. וְנִמְצָא הַשֵּׁם גָּנוּז עַל עוֹר שֶׁלִּבְהֵמָה טְמֵיאָה. How many letters have to be written unnecessarily135In a way that makes the text unacceptable; e. g. with one of the proscribed types of ink. Then erasing the Name will be sinful.
Sotah 20a" href="/Tosafot_on_Sotah.20a">Tosaphot (20a) have a completely different reading: כמה ימחק “How much does he have to erase? Rebbi Ḥanin stated …” for him to be guilty? Rebbi Ḥanin stated: The House of Shammai say, one; the House of Hillel say, two. Rebbi Hilai said, the reason of the House of Hillel: That he could have written Yah136The shortest divine Name which may not be erased.. Rebbi Yudan asked, if he wrote from memory137A Torah scroll written from memory, not from a corrected original, cannot be used (Megillah, Yerushalmi 4:1; Sotah.18b">Babli 18b). This is a rabbinic requirement., or rubbed it off with dust138The verse requires erasing with water. The answer to this question is not given; the negative answer is obvious from Sotah 2:3:2" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.2.3.2">Note 124., or wrote one word and wiped it off immediately139Before the ink has time to dry. That procedure saves much time and work. No answer is given. In the Sotah.18a">Babli, 18a, the procedure is declared invalid.? It was stated: Rebbi Eleazar ben Shamua said, one does not write on leather from an unclean animal140A Torah scroll must be written on leather or parchment from an animal whose kind could be eaten. This is derived in both Talmudim from the verse Exodus.13.9">Ex. 13:9: “That the Eternal’s Torah shall be in your mouth.”. Rebbi Simeon said, since you said it is written to be erased, why can he not write? It was stated: Rebbi Eleazar ben Simeon said, I prefer the words of Eleazar ben Shamua over my father’s words. Maybe she will say: I will not drink. Then the Name would be hidden141Sotah 3:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.3.3.1">Mishnah 3:3. The matter is one of good behavior, not of a biblical precept. on leather from an unclean animal.
הָכָא כְּתִיב סֵפֶר וְהָכָא כְּתִיב סֵפֶר. הָכָא אַתְּ אָמַר. כָּל־דָּבָר שֶׁהוּא כְתָלוּשׁ. וְהָכָא [אַתְּ] אָמַר הָכֵין. אָמַר לֵיהּ. שַׁנְייָה הִיא הָכָא דִּכְתִיב בַּסֵּפֶר. There is written “book”, and here is written “book”143The divorce document is called “a book of divorce” in Deuteronomy.24.1">Deut. 24:1. Gittin 2:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Gittin.2.3.1">Mishnah Giṭṭin 2:3 states that one may write on anything, e. g. on a leaf which was plucked from its plant; according to some authorities the husband may even write the bill on the horns of a cow and deliver the cow to his wife. But for the document of the suspected wife one requires regular writing leather.. There, you say anything which is plucked. And here, you say so? He said to him, it is different here because it is written “in a book”144Numbers.5.23">Num. 5:23. This is more explicit in Sotah 2:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.2.4.1">Mishnah 5, quoted in Sifry Num. 16; Num. rabba 5(47)..
וְכָתַב. יָכוֹל בִּדְיוֹ וּבְסִיקְרָא וּבְקוֹמוֹס וּבְקַלְקַנְתּוֹס. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וּמָחָה. אִי מָחָה יָכוֹל בְּמַשְׁקִין אוֹ בְמֵי פֵּירוֹת. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְכָתַב. הָא כֵיצַד. כְּתָב שֶׁהוּא יָכוֹל לְהִימָּחוֹת. וְאֵי זוֹ זוֹ. זוֹ [דְיוֹ] שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ קַלְקַנְתּוֹס. וְהָתַנֵּי. אִם מָחַק מִתּוֹךְ הַסֵּפֶר כָּשֵׁר. תִּיפְתָּר כְּהָדֵין תַּנָּייָא דְתַנֵּי. אָמַר רִבִּי מֵאִיר. כָּל־יָמִים שֶׁהָיִינוּ לְמֵידִין אֶצֶל רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל לֹא הָיִינוּ נוֹתְנִין קַלְקַנְתּוֹס בַּדְּיוֹ. 146This is the commentary on Sotah 2:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.2.4.1">Mishnah 5.“And he writes”. I could think [one writes] with ink, or vermilion, or gum, or copper sulfate147Greek χάλκανθον. Eruvin 13a" href="/Rashi_on_Eruvin.13a">Rashi (Erubin 13a) translates Romance adrement, Latin atramentum. Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxiv.32) writes that the Greeks call chalcanthum what in Rome is called atramentum sutorium,“blacking for leather”., the verse says, “he shall wipe off”148Numbers.5.23">Num. 5:23.. If he has to erase, I could think [one writes] with drinks or fruit juice; the verse says, “he shall write”149In the sense of a permanent writing.. How is that? Writing that can be wiped off. What is this? This is ink without vitriol. But did we not state: If he wiped off from a Torah scroll it is valid. Explain it following the Tanna who stated: Rebbi Meïr said, all the time we were studying with Rebbi Ismael, we put no vitriol in the ink150The Eruvin.13a">Babli (Erubin 13a) reports that R. Ismael required that a Torah scroll must be written so that it could serve as the suspected wife’s scroll..