Commentary for Sotah 21:3

ר' קריספא אמר איתפלגון ר' יוחנן וריש לקיש חד אמר משביע ואח"כ כותב וחרנה אמר כותב ואח"כ משביע. הוון בעיי מימר מאן דמר משביע ואח"כ כותב היך מה דהוא קרייא (במדבר ה) והשביע וכתב. ומאן דמר כותב ואח"כ משביע כדי לסמוך שבועה להשקייה. אית תניי תני בין תניין בין שבועות מעכבין אית תניי תני שבועות מעכבות. תניין אינן מעכבין. הוון בעי מימר מאן דמר בין תניין בין שבועות מעכבין אית ליה חוקה תורה מעכב. ומאן דמר שבועות מעכבות ותניין אינן מעכבין לית ליה. עוד הוא אית ליה אלא שאינן על סדר. ואתיין אילין פלוגתא כהכין פלוגתא. ומאן דמר בין תניין בין שבועות מעכבין כמאן דמר משביע ואח"כ כותב. ומאן דמר שבועות מעכבות ותניין אינן מעכבין כמאן דמר כותב ואח"כ משביע:

Gemara. Like Yehoyariv and his acquaintances. And they would sleep in the synagogue. R’ Chalifta ben Shaul taught: because of the matters of tent impurity. On the way they would say “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” (Psalms 122:1) In Jerusalem they would say “Our feet were standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.” (Psalms 122:2) On the Temple Mount they would say “Hallelujah! Praise God in His holy place…” (Psalms 150:1) In the Courtyard they would say “Let every soul praise God. Hallelujah!” (Psalms 150:6) MISHNA. On the sixth (special blessing added for a fast) he says ‘He who answered Yonah in the belly of the fish, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day. Blessed are You, oh Lord, who answers in the time of distress.’ On the seventh he says ‘He who answered David and Shlomo his son in Jerusalem, may He answer you and hear the voice of your cries on this day. Blessed are You, oh Lord, who has mercy on the land.’ GEMARA. It is written “And he said: I called out from my distress to the Lord, and He answered me…” (Yonah 2:3) There was no need to mention David and Shlomo and afterwards Yonah and Eliyahu, except in order to end with ‘who has mercy on the land.’ On the seventh: They said in the name of Sumchus ‘blessed is He who brings low the lofty.’ This makes sense regarding Shlomo, of whom it is written “I have surely built You a house to dwell in…” (Melachim I 8:13) but why David? Because he attempted to count Israel. R’ Abahu said: it is written “When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness; in my distress You have relieved me…” (Tehillim 4:2) David said before the Holy One ‘Master of the World! Every distress into which I came, You opened it out for me. I entered into the distress of Bat Sheva, You brought me Shlomo. I entered into the distress of counting Israel, You brought me the Holy Temple.

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