(Mishnah) He (the Kohen) starts writing the scroll (that will be erased into the water) from "if a man did not lie with you... since you strayed under your husband..."

He does not write "the Kohen imposes Shevu'as ha'Alah on her." He writes "Hash-m should make you a (means for people to) curse and swear amidst your nation, through Hash-m making your thigh fall and your stomach swell. The cursing water should come into your innards, to make the stomach swell and the thigh fall." He does not write "the woman says Amen, Amen."

R. Yosi says, he does not interrupt (i.e. he does not skip in the middle).

R. Yehudah says, he writes only "Hash-m should make you a (means for people to) curse and swear amidst your nation, through Hash-m making your thigh fall and your stomach swell.... The cursing water should come into your innards..." He does not write "the woman says Amen, Amen."

(Gemara - R. Krispa): R. Yochanan and Reish Lakish argued. One of them said that he imposes the Shevu'ah and afterwards writes, and one said that he writes and afterwards imposes the Shevu'ah.

Assumption: The one who said that he imposes the Shevu'ah and afterwards writes, this is like [the order of] the verses - "v'Hishbi'a... v'Chasav";

The one who said that he writes and afterwards imposes the Shevu'ah, it is to make the Shevu'ah adjacent to giving her to drink.

Some who recite Beraisos, they teach that both the stipulations (if you did not lie...) and the Shevu'os are Me'akev. Some who recite Beraisos, they teach that the Shevu'os are Me'akev, but the stipulations are not Me'akev.

Assumption: The one who said that that both the stipulations and the Shevu'os are Me'akev, he holds that when it says "Chukah" or "Torah", [what is written in the Parshah] is Me'akev (and here it says "Zos Toras ha'Kena'os.") . The one who said that the Shevu'os are Me'akev, he disagrees ("Torah" does not teach that everything is Me'akev).

Rebuttal: Really, he agrees. [We discuss when he said the stipulations and the Shevu'os], but not in order;

This argument is like the above argument (of R. Yochanan and Reish Lakish). The one who said that that both the stipulations and the Shevu'os [in order] are Me'akev, he holds that he imposes the Shevu'ah and afterwards writes (like the order in the Torah). The one who said that the Shevu'os are Me'akev, but the stipulations [in order] are not Me'akev, he holds like the one who said that he writes and afterwards imposes the Shevu'ah.

(Mishnah): He does not write on a tablet, nor on papyrus, nor on a hide that was not tanned, only on a Megilah (a proper parchment), for it says "in a Sefer."

He does not write with sap, vitriol nor any dye that is absorbed into parchment, only with ink, for it says "u'Machah" - a writing that can be erased.

(Gemara) Question (Levi bar Sisai, to Rebbi): Is a Megilas Sotah Metamei the hands (just like Chachamim decreed Tum'ah on Seforim)?

Remark (Rebbi): This is a [great] question!

Answer (R. Yosi): This is no question! [Chachamim] decreed that Seforim are Metamei the hands only due to their Kedushah, and this was destined to be erased! (It has no Kedushah.)

Rebuttal: No, it is a question in a case that it was not erased (e.g. she admitted, or another reason. We explained this like MAHARSHA 17a).

Question: How many letters must be written in it without need, and one is liable [for erasing it]?

Answer (R. Chanin - Beraisa): Beis Shamai say, one. Beis Hillel say, two.

(R. Heila): Beis Hillel hold that it is two, in order to write Yud - Kei (even though it is half of Hash-m's name, it has Kedushah. All obligate only for letters of Hash-m's name - OHR SOMAYACH Hilchos Yesodei ha'Torah 6:3)

Question (R. Yudan): If one wrote by heart (without seeing a written Parshas Sotah) and erased it into the earth [and water], or he wrote one word at a time and erased it [what is the law]?

(Beraisa - R. Elazar ben Shamu'a): One may not write on the hide of a Tamei animal.

Question (R. Shimon): Since you say that it is destined to be erased, why can't he write [on the hide of a Tamei animal]?

(Beraisa - R. Elazar ben Shimon): I see (favor) R. Elazar ben Shamu'a's words over my father's words. Perhaps she will say 'I will not drink', and it turns out that Hash-m's name is buried on the hide of a Tamei animal (which is disgraceful)!

Question: Here (Get) it says "Sefer", and here (Sotah) it says "Sefer". Here (Get) you say that [it may be written on] anything detached, and here you say so (only on a Megilah)?!

Answer (R. La): Here (Sotah) is different, for it says "ba'Sefer".

Suggestion: Perhaps "v'Chasav" permits writing in sap, or vitriol!

Rejection: It says "u'Machah" (a writing that can be erased).

Suggestion: Perhaps "u'Machah" permits writing in liquids or fruit juice!

Rejection: It says "v'Chasav" (these are not called writing).

How does he [fulfill both of them]? A writing that can be erased. What is this? It is ink that does not have vitriol in it.

Question (Beraisa): If he erased it from a Sefer [Torah] it is Kosher. (We write a Sefer Torah with ink that has vitriol!)

Answer: [That Beraisa] is like the following Beraisa;

(Beraisa - R. Meir): The entire time that we learned [Torah] by R. Yishmael, we did not put vitriol in the ink [for a Sefer Torah].