With regard to the question of teaching parashat Sota, readers may be
interested in the treatments of this subject presented by Judith Hauptman
in Rereading the Rabbis and Moshe Halbertal in his book on midrash halacha.
They both argue that the rabbis were also troubled by the treatment of
women in this ritual and sought to mitigate the detrimental impact on
women of these laws through their midrash halacha. However, it should be
noted that Ishay Rosen-Zvi in his dissertation and forthcoming book,
strongly and in my opinion, cogently attacks these readings as being
apologetically and ideologically motivated. This may not be a bad thing
for arguments used in a jr. high school or high school class.
My experience teaching in these contexts is extremely limited. However, it
seems to me that the most honest and effective way of teaching this
passage, the Eved Kenani issue raised mari verabi R. Bieler and other such
texts, is to use these opportunities to impress upon students that in the
course of torah study one will inevitably encounter texts that we find
morally problematic. As I like to say, what is the fun of practicing a
religion that you agree with? In the contemporary world, such encounters
are usually dealt with in an either/or manner. Either we reject the torah
in favor of our personal morality, or reject our own moral intuitions and
sensibilities as meaningless subjectivism in light of the eternal truth of
the torah. (or create a false reconciliation between the two) Of course
rejecting any essential part of the torah is not an option for orthodox
Jews. However, neither should quashing one own sense of right and wrong be
an option. Though these emotions and cognitions may not in and of
themselves be sufficient to establish halachic norms independent of our
traditions and texts, they are an essential component of our tzelem elokim
and crucial to an integrated practice of torah in the world.
Students therefore need to be encouraged to continue to struggle with
these difficult texts and with their own thoughts and feelings through out
their lives. Only then will we raise up moral, creative, God fearing
students.
