1“And the sons of Aaron shall present,” this is collecting the blood.
2The Gemara discusses the mishna’s ruling that women do not perform sprinkling: To which sprinkling is this referring? If this is the sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer, “Elazar” is written with regard to that action (Numbers 19:4), i.e., this sprinkling is performed by the deputy High Priest. If even other priests cannot perform it, certainly women cannot. If this is referring to the sprinkling performed inside the Holy of Holies, the phrase: “The anointed priest” (Leviticus 4:16), is written with regard to that rite, and consequently there is no question that women are ineligible. Rather, it is referring to sprinkling the blood of a bird -offering.
3The Gemara explains that this is derived through an a fortiori inference from a sheep offering: If with regard to a sheep offering, concerning which the Torah did not establish a priest for its slaughter, since it may be slaughtered by anybody, the Torah nevertheless established a priest for its sprinkling, as the verse states: “And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood” (Leviticus 1:11), is it not logical that with regard to a bird -offering, concerning which the Torah established a priest for its pinching, an act parallel to slaughtering a sheep, the Torah likewise established a priest for its sprinkling? This proves that the sprinkling of the blood of a bird-offering can be performed only by priests, not by women.
4§ The mishna teaches that these mitzvot apply specifically to men but not to women, except for the meal-offering of a sota and a nazirite woman, which these women wave. Rabbi Elazar said to Rabbi Yoshiya of his generation, i.e., the amora who was his contemporary, not the tanna with the same name who lived earlier: Do not sit down until you explain this statement to me; from where is it derived that the meal-offering of a sota requires waving? The Gemara expresses surprise: What is the meaning of the question: From where do we derive it? It is written in the chapter dealing with a sota itself: “And he shall wave the meal-offering” (Numbers 5:25). Rather, the question is as follows: From where do we derive that the waving is performed by the owners? Perhaps only the priest waves it?
5Rabbi Yoshiya responded: This halakha is derived through the verbal analogy of the term “hand” stated with regard to a sota from the term “hand” stated with regard to a peace-offering. It is written here, with regard to the meal-offering of a sota : “And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand and he shall wave the meal-offering” (Numbers 5:25), and it is written there: “His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire; the fat with the breast shall he bring, that the breast may be waved before the Lord” (Leviticus 7:30).
6Just as here, with regard to a sota , a priest performs the waving, so too there, with regard to a peace-offering, a priest performs the waving. And just as there, with regard to a peace-offering, the owner performs the waving, as indicated by the verse, so too here, with regard to a sota , the owner performs the waving. How so? How can both the priest and the owner perform the waving? The owner places his hands beneath the peace-offering, and the priest places his hand under the hand of the owner and waves it together with him.
7The Gemara asks: We found a source for the meal-offering of a sota ; from where do we derive that a nazirite woman also waves her meal-offering? The Gemara answers: It is derived through a verbal analogy of the term “palm” stated with regard to naziriteship from the term “palm” stated with regard to a sota . The verse concerning naziriteship states: “And he shall place them upon the palms of the nazirite” (Numbers 6:19), and the verse concerning a sota states: “And he shall place it on her palms” (Numbers 5:18). Just as a sota waves her meal-offering, so too, a nazirite woman waves hers.
8MISHNA: Any mitzva that is dependent on the land [ aretz ] applies only in Eretz Yisrael, and any mitzva that is not dependent on the land applies both in Eretz Yisrael and outside of Eretz Yisrael.