Sotah 7A

יש לה עדים במדינת הים!

the case where there are witnesses for her in a country overseas who can testify that she had sex, when the bitter water will not evaluate her faithfulness. Therefore, R' Shimon should be concerned that such a dispensation will result in the defamation of the untainted women who drank and were unaffected, as people will view them as guilty women who were not affected because there were witnesses overseas.

לא שכיחא.

The Talmud answers: The case of witnesses in a country overseas is not common, and therefore no one will assume that that is the reason why the woman was not affected. By contrast, a woman having merit is common.

מתני׳ כיצד עושה לה? מוליכה לבית דין שבאותו מקום, ומוסרין לו שני תלמידי חכמים, שמא יבא עליה בדרך. רבי יהודה אומר: בעלה נאמן עליה.

Mishnah: The Mishnah details the procedure for administering the drinking of the bitter water of a sota. What does her husband do with her after she secluded herself with the man about whom she had been warned? He brings her to the court that is found in that location, and the court provides him with two Torah scholars to accompany him, lest he have sex with her on the way to the Temple, which is not only prohibited but will also prevent the bitter water from evaluating her. R' Yehuda says: Her husband is trusted with regard to her, so there is no need to provide scholars to accompany him.

גמ׳ תרי ואיהו ⁠— הא תלתא. לימא מסייע ליה לרב. דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב: לא שנו אלא בעיר, אבל בדרך ⁠— עד דאיכא שלשה, שמא יצטרך אחד מהן לנקביו, ונמצא אחד מהן מתייחד עם הערוה.

Talmud: The Talmud assumes that the requirement for there to be two Torah scholars is to avoid the prohibition against a woman being alone with a man. The Talmud notes: Two additional men and he, the husband, are 3 people altogether. Let us say that this Mishnah supports the opinion of Rav, as Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: When they taught that it is permitted for a woman to be secluded with two men, they taught that this is permitted only in the town (see Kiddushin 80b). But on the way, when traveling, this is not permitted unless there are 3 men with the woman. The reason for this stringency is that if there are only two men with her, perhaps one will need to relieve himself and will seek privacy, and it will be found that one of them is in seclusion with a woman forbidden to him.