וְעַל הַסּוֹטָה שֶׁאֵין הַוָּלָד מַמְזֵר.

or with a sota , that the offspring is not a mamzer .

נִדָּה – דְּהָא תָּפְסִי בָּהּ קִידּוּשִׁין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּתְהִי נִדָּתָהּ עָלָיו״ – אֲפִילּוּ בִּשְׁעַת נִדָּתָהּ – תָּפְסֵי בָּהּ קִידּוּשִׁין.

With regard to a menstruating woman the offspring is not a mamzer because one’s betrothal of her takes effect, as it is stated: “And her impurity shall be upon him” (Leviticus 15:24). The phrase “shall be” alludes to the fact that a betrothal with her takes effect. The verse teaches that even at the time of her menstrual impurity, betrothal with her takes effect.

סוֹטָה נַמִי – דְּהָא תָּפְסֵי בָּהּ קִידּוּשִׁין.

With regard to a sota , too, the offspring is not a mamzer because one’s betrothal of her takes effect.

תַּנְיָא נַמִי הָכִי: הַכֹּל מוֹדִים בְּבָא עַל הַנִּדָּה, וְעַל הַסּוֹטָה, וְעַל שׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם – שֶׁאֵין הַוָּלָד מַמְזֵר.

The Gemara notes: This teaching of Abaye is also taught in a baraita : All agree with regard to one who engages in sexual relations with a menstruating woman, or with a sota , or with a widow waiting for her yavam to perform levirate marriage, that the offspring is not a mamzer .

וְאַבַּיֵי: שׁוֹמֶרֶת יָבָם מְסַפְּקָא לֵיהּ, אִי כְּרַב אִי כִּשְׁמוּאֵל.

The Gemara explains: And Abaye did not mention the case of a widow waiting for her yavam because he is uncertain whether, if someone other than the yavam betrothed her, the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rav that it does not take effect or in accordance with the opinion of Shmuel that it might take effect.

״אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי״ כו׳. תָּנֵי, שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי אוֹמֵר: מָצָאתִי מְגִלַּת יוֹחֲסִין בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְכָתוּב בָּהּ: אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי מַמְזֵר מֵאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ. וְכָתוּב בָּהּ: מִשְׁנַת רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב קַב וְנָקִי. וְכָתוּב בָּהּ: מְנַשֶּׁה הָרַג אֶת יְשַׁעְיָה.

§ The mishna states: Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai said: I found a scroll recording people’s lineages. The Gemara cites an expanded version of the contents of the scroll. It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai said: I found a scroll recording people’s lineages, in Jerusalem, and it was written in it that so-and-so is a mamzer from an adulterous union with a married woman. And it was also written in it: The teachings of Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov measure only a kav but are clean and accurate, and so the halakha is decided in accordance with his opinions. And it was written in it: Manasseh, king of Israel, killed Isaiah the prophet.

אֲמַר רָבָא: מֵידַן דָּיְינֵיהּ וּקְטַלֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מֹשֶׁה רַבָּךְ אֲמַר ״כִּי לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי״ וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ ״וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת ה׳ יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא רָם וְנִשָּׂא״, מֹשֶׁה רַבָּךְ אֲמַר ״מִי כַה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו״ וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ ״דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ״. מֹשֶׁה רַבָּךְ אֲמַר ״אֶת מִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ אֲמַלֵּא״ וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ ״וְהוֹסַפְתִּי עַל יָמֶיךָ חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה״!

The Gemara expands on the events surrounding Isaiah’s death: Rava said: Manasseh judged him as a false witness for issuing statements contradicting the Torah and only then killed him. Manasseh said to Isaiah: Moses your master said in the Torah: “And He said: You cannot see My face, for man cannot see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20), and yet you said: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a high and lofty throne” (Isaiah 6:1). Moses your master said: “For which great nation is there, that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is, whenever we call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7), and yet you said: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6), which implies that God is not always near. Moses your master said: “I will fulfill the number of your days” (Exodus 23:26), which implies that each individual has a preordained allotted lifespan that he cannot outlive, and yet you said in a prophecy to King Hezekiah: “And I will add to your days, fifteen years” (II Kings 20:6).

אֲמַר יְשַׁעְיָה: יָדַעֲנָא בֵּיהּ דְּלָא מְקַבֵּל מַה דְּאֵימָא לֵיהּ, וְאִי אֵימָא לֵיהּ – אִישַׁוְּיֵיהּ מֵזִיד. אֲמַר שֵׁם, אִיבְלַע בְּאַרְזָא. אַתְיוּהָ לְאַרְזָא וּנְסָרוּהָ. כִּי מְטָא לַהֲדֵי פּוּמָא – נָח נַפְשֵׁיהּ, מִשּׁוּם דְּאָמַר ״וּבְתוֹךְ עַם טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם אָנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב״.

Isaiah said to himself: I know him, i.e., Manasseh, that he will not accept whatever explanation that I will say to him to resolve my prophecies with the words of the Torah. And even if I say it to him, I will make him into an intentional transgressor since he will kill me anyway. Therefore, in order to escape, he uttered a divine name and was swallowed within a cedar tree. Manasseh’s servants brought the cedar tree and sawed through it in order to kill him. When the saw reached to where his mouth was, Isaiah died. He died specifically as this point due to that which he said: “In the midst of a people of unclean lips, I dwell” (Isaiah 6:5). He was punished for referring to the Jewish people in a derogatory manner.

מִכָּל מָקוֹם קָשׁוּ קְרָאֵי אַהֲדָדֵי!

The Gemara asks: In any case, as Manasseh pointed out, these verses contradict each other; how are these contradictions to be resolved?

״וָאֶרְאֶה אֶת ה׳״ – כִּדְתַנְיָא: כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים נִסְתַּכְּלוּ בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה, מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ נִסְתַּכֵּל בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְאִירָה.

The Gemara resolves the first contradiction: “I saw the Lord” is to be understood as it is taught in a baraita : All of the prophets observed their prophecies through an obscure looking glass [ aspaklaria ], i.e., their prophecies were given as metaphoric visions but were not a direct perception of the matter. However, Moses our master observed his prophecies through a clear looking glass, i.e., he gained a direct and accurate perception of the matter.

״דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ״ – הָא בְּיָחִיד הָא בְּצִבּוּר. וְיָחִיד אֵימַת? אֲמַר רַב נַחְמָן אֲמַר רַבָּה בַּר אֲבוּהּ: אֵלּוּ עֲשָׂרָה יָמִים שֶׁבֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים,

The Gemara resolves the second contradiction: Isaiah’s prophecy: “Seek the Lord while He may be found,” does not contradict the verse in the Torah that God is near to His nation “whenever we call upon Him,” because this prophecy of Isaiah was made with regard to the individual and this verse in the Torah is stated with regard to a community, as the prayer of the community is always accepted. The Gemara asks: And when is the time that God is to be found near the individual? Rav Naḥman said Rabba bar Avuh said: These are the ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.

״אֶת מִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ אֲמַלֵּא״ – תַּנָּאֵי הִיא. דְּתַנְיָא ״אֶת מִסְפַּר יָמֶיךָ אֲמַלֵּא״

The resolution of the third contradiction from the verse: “I will fulfill the number of your days,” is subject to a dispute between tanna’im , as it is taught in a baraita : The verse states: “I will fulfill the number of your days”;