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If I may offer another understanding of the topic of "Sotah", perhaps
expanding Barbara Freedman's historical context to an
anthropological-psychological one. This idea came up through study with my
chevruta a couple of years ago. If one pictures a middle eastern society
similar to that of the Beduins, one can easily come up with a scenario of
a husband suspecting his wife of adultery and becoming so enraged with
jealousy, anger and shame that his immediate response would be to kill her
himself (this as we know is unfortunately not farfetched even today). What
does the Torah do? It doesn't just command the husband to not kill his
wife. It is not likely that the husband in question would obey such a
commandment. Remember, we are dealing with a man being possessed by a
"ruach kinah"! Rather the Torah sends the husband a different message; one
that doesn't allow him to carry out his private impulsive death sentence
but tells him:
"We understand the depth of your anger and shame. But let us, those
representing G-d's law, handle the situation. If she is guilty she will be
punished publicly and accordingly. Her shame will equal the shame that you
are now experiencing." The prescribed ritual allows for a sublimation of
the husband's rage within legal boundaries, while protecting the life of
an innocent woman who though put through a humiliating procedure emerges
alive and publicly vindicated. Obviously a less extreme ritual would not
be as effective in persuading a husband possessed by such a "ruach kinah"
to refrain from murdering his wife. The whole "sotah" process seen this
way can be understood as the Torah response to and attempted prevention of
certain kinds of crimes of passion which were and are still prevalent in
certain societies.
Mindy S. Kornberg
Jerusalem</HTML>
