I teach Sotah to 10th grade boys. Sotah, for those unaware, is the unit of law in this week’s parsha, Naso, that focuses on the indiscreet wife. This woman went astray, secluded herself with another man, and is now suspected of having committed adultery. The only way to clear this up is for her to be part of the Sotah trial, a high ritual that requires her every act- the offering she brings, the potion she drinks, the vessel she drinks it from- is redolent with symbolism. Either she will prove her innocence- or she will die horribly.
Sotah: The Measure of a Man
Sotah: The Measure of a Man
Sotah: The Measure of a Man
I teach Sotah to 10th grade boys. Sotah, for those unaware, is the unit of law in this week’s parsha, Naso, that focuses on the indiscreet wife. This woman went astray, secluded herself with another man, and is now suspected of having committed adultery. The only way to clear this up is for her to be part of the Sotah trial, a high ritual that requires her every act- the offering she brings, the potion she drinks, the vessel she drinks it from- is redolent with symbolism. Either she will prove her innocence- or she will die horribly.