Don Isaac Abravanel, sometimes spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a probing and penetrating Jewish thinker, as well as a prolific
Biblical commentator. In Numbers 5, Abravanel tackles the eyebrow-raising subject of a sotah, literally a
married woman who goes aside from her husband. Untoward behavior triggers a husband’s suspicions,
jealousy. Is she disloyal, he obsesses? If the husband or witnesses actually barge in and see foul play,
Torah law is unequivocal: both the cheating wife and her paramour potentially face the death penalty.
“And God spoke unto Moses. Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say
unto them. If any man’s wife go aside, and act unfaithfully…”
But that is not the case with the Torah’s sotah. No one witnessed the couple “in the act.” On the other
hand, the husband did see his wife emerge from a private room with another man, as our verse writes:
“If any man’s wife go aside…” Bad optics.
Abravanel methodically lays out the Torah’s process or mechanics of gaining clarity – and justice – for all
parties concerned. Indeed, in the times of the Holy Temple, a sotah underwent a series of actions,
including an affidavit, that more than pique the curiosity of Bible students; they baffle the modern mind.
An agitated husband and his alleged adulterous wife went to the priests in the Temple. Here is what
transpired on the Holy Mount, all written about explicitly in our chapter:
- The priest shall take water from a laver in the Temple;
- The priest shall scoop earth from the Temple’s sanctuary;
- The priest removes the sotah’s hair covering;
- The priest administers a solemn oath to the sotah, requiring her oral response;
- The priest writes down harsh curses on parchment, before blotting them out with water;
- The priest offers the sotah’s gift or meal offering on the altar.
All of these acts, Abravanel contends, are chock-full of rich symbolism. At root, the somber ordeal
conveys the egregiousness of the wife’s alleged sexual misconduct. And, of course, the stakes are sky
high.
If the woman is innocent and she did not betray her husband, God will not only absolve her; He will
compensate her chastity handsomely. If, on the other hand, the bitter watery potion exposes her folly,
she will be ostracized, a byword among her people.
In fact, the whole sotah story needs to address a niggling question: Should sotah be viewed as a Biblical
trial by ordeal, a pejorative that carries primitive and negative connotations? Let’s take a step back to
examine the question.
The Torah’s 613 commandments, Abravanel teaches, are characterized by reason; they’re sensible.
Sotah, for sure, defies the rule. It is thoroughly miraculous, God’s blatant meddling, per se.
Bible students must ask: Why the Torah’s abrupt change here from its normal reasonableness? Precisely
because the majority of Hebrews comply with the Maker’s express desire in observing His law, He in His
righteousness chose to make a statement and chastise the sotah. The ceremony was God’s way to
ensure virtue and deter unchecked conduct. It also underscores the Chosen People’s pure stock, one
that does not tolerate illicit sexual dalliances that produce illegitimate children. The presence of the
Shechinah dwelling among the Jews demanded no less.
For the full discussion of the sotah, see Abravanel’s World.
