The Suspected Adulteress: A Metaphor for When We Mess Up in Life

A simple metaphore:

If you were to have a child who lived in your neighborhood...close enough for you to connect with every day you might be happy to see him or her, but it is a daily, not all too irregular occurance.
Now consider you have a child who lives on the other side of the world, and that the child had not been able to visit for a very long time and had to persevere over many instances just to get home to see his or her mother or father. When this child returned home, would it not a very joyous occassion...very different from the everyday visit of your child who lives near by?

Thank you Chana for a wonderful and inspiring shiur.In my humble opinion,the name of Hashem is not erased.Its form is changed.The Sotah is well aware of her innocence for otherwise she would not put herself through the this potentially traumatic experience.Hashem resides within us through the Shechinah.By swallowing the the merciful Name of Hashem in physical form,the spiritual Shechinah is strengthened.That is why she is blessed with such wonderful children after the experience.The husbands doubting his wifes fidelity is his folly,not hers.She is perfectly innocent.Secluding oneself with a man other then your husband is indeed regretable but not punishable...Your insights on the Ba'al Teshuva and the Tzaddik were enlightening.I have a question for you.In religious tradition an obligatory act,such as a mitzvah is preferrable to a spontaneous spiritual act.Surely the Tzaddik should then be on a higher level then the Ba'al Teshuva?Shabbat Shalom to you and your family

This subject are hard in my eyes, and thats because when I hear this question I am always wondering what is the rule if a woman feel that same about her husband? Is the husband forced to go infront of Cohens too then? But my question is.......you are talking about that the woman if she is not guilty she will be blessed in different ways after this.......Is that biblical? and were do I find that in my bible?
Shalom

Following your conversation about the zaddik and the repentant. I believe that as the lady in white at your table said. Once a repentant turn his/her life around, those that have been watching this person, wonder about the miracle. This procedure brings meditation on the Power of the Almighty when someone repents. It changes this person's life and heart. As well as those around the repentant. This was a beautiful teaching Chana Weisberg. Thank you so much.

i found this seminar to be extremely interesting and enlightening.

Sin creates a 'space of questioning' that creates a (albeit 'false') sense of distance between self and G-d; it allows renewal & transformation because through the teshuva, new building blocks of a new understanding are reached: through torah learning & the purification rites described in scripture.

how can she be merited the new souls if she has not questioned? because its the questioning that creates the 'space' for her correction/tikkun.

thanks for breathing new life into what often reads like a closed book, one-sided interpretation of reading in the Bk of Numbers. Also really enjoy the great study notes that you provide. Thank you Chana.