Sotah - Chapter Three

What is the process through which a sotah is compelled to drink the bitter water? First the husband comes to the court in his city and tells them: "I warned my wife [not to enter into privacy] with so and so, and she entered into privacy with him. These are the witnesses who will confirm my statements. She claims not to have committed adultery. I desire to have her drink the bitter water to verify this matter."

The court then listens to the testimony of the witnesses. [If it is substantial,] they provide [the husband] with two sages1 to watch over him, lest he engage in relations with her before she drinks the bitter water, for she is prohibited to him until that time,2 and he is sent to Jerusalem. For a sotah is compelled to drink [the bitter water] only by the Supreme Court of 70 elders,3 who [hold session] in the Temple.4

When they arrive in Jerusalem, the High Court has her sit in its presence while her husband is not present,5 and they alarm her, frighten her and bring upon her great dread so that she will not [desire to] drink [the bitter water.6

They tell her: "My daughter, [we know] that wine has a powerful influence, frivolity has a powerful influence, immaturity has a powerful influence, bad neighbors have a powerful influence.7 Do not cause [God's] great name, which is written in holiness, to be blotted out in the water."

And they tell her: "There are many who preceded you and were swept away [from the world].8 Men of greater and more honorable stature have been overcome by their natural inclination and have faltered." [To emphasize this,] they tell her the story of Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law,9 the simple meaning of the episode concerning Reuben and [Bilhah], his father's concubine,10 and the story of Amnon and his sister,11 to make it easier for her to admit [her guilt].12

If she says: "I committed adultery," or "I will not drink [the water],"13 she is to be divorced without receiving [the money due her by virtue of] her ketubah, and the matter is dismissed.

If she persists in her claim of innocence, she is brought to the eastern gate of the Temple Courtyard, which faces the Holy of Holies.14 She should be taken from place to place [in the Temple Courtyard] and made to walk around it so that she will become tired and her spirits will sap [with the intent that perhaps] she will admit [her guilt].

If she persists in her claim, she is brought outside the eastern gate and made to stand there. If she usually dresses in white, she should dress in black. If black garments make her look attractive, she should dress in clothes that do not make her attractive. All silver and gold jewelry should be removed from her.

Many women are gathered [to see] her, for all the women present [on the Temple Mount] are obligated to observe her, [as implied by Ezekiel 23:48]: "So that all women will be taught not to follow their lewdness." Any man who wants to observe her may do so.15

She stands among [the women] without a cloak or a veil, wearing only her clothes and a cap, as a woman dresses within her home.16

Neither her servants nor her maidservants are allowed to be there, because [when] she recognizes them, her spirits will be fortified.17

Afterwards, the priest administers an oath to her in a language that she understands.18 He tells her in her language that [she is being subjected to this test] because of the warning that her husband gave her, [which she violated by] entering into privacy [with the man in question].

He repeats for her in a language that she understands [the Biblical passage, Numbers 5:19-23]: "If a man has not lain with you, and you have not committed adultery, so as to be defiled to your husband, you shall be unharmed by this curse-bearing bitter water. But if you have committed adultery and you have become defiled, because a man other than your husband has lain with you... God will make you into a curse and into an oath among your people, causing your thigh to rupture and your belly to swell. This curse-bearing water will enter your body, causing your belly to swell and your thigh to rupture." [This serves as an oath]. She responds: "Amen, Amen,"19 in a language she understands.

He tells her that her belly will be affected first and afterwards, her thigh so as not to tarnish the reputation of the water.20

Afterwards, a scroll of parchment from a kosher animal, like the parchment used for a Torah scroll,21 is brought. On it is written, word for word, letter for letter,22 the entire passage that [the priest] administered to the woman as an oath.

[The passage must be] written in Biblical Hebrew, with ink that does not contain kankantum,23 for the sake of the woman, as a get must be written with that intent.24 God's name should be written in the proper manner.25 The words "Amen, Amen" should not be written.

Afterwards, an earthenware vessel26 that was never used for any task previously27 and that does not look aged is brought. If one takes an aged vessel and returns it to a kiln so that it looks new, it is acceptable.

A half a log28 of water from the basin [from which the priests wash]29 is placed in it. There was a measuring vessel of that size in the Temple. Afterwards, the water is taken into the Sanctuary.

[In the Sanctuary,] there was a place, one cubit by one cubit, at the right as one entered, [covered by] a marble tile with a ring affixed to it.30 [The priest] would lift the tile and take "from the dust... on the earth of the Tabernacle" [Numbers 5:17] and place it in the water, so that it could be seen [floating] on the water.

Into this mixture is also placed a bitter substance, wormwood or the like, as implied by [ibid.:18], which refers to "the bitter water."

He [then] dissolves [the writing of] the scroll in [the water], doing this for the sake of [the woman being tested]. He must dissolve [the writing] carefully, so that no trace of it remains on the scroll.

Afterwards,31 one of the priests [serving] in the Temple courtyard would approach her.32 He would take hold of her clothes from the front and rip them until he revealed her heart. Similarly, he would reveal her hair,33 undoing the plaits of her hair, to make her look unattractive.

He would then bring an Egyptian rope34 to allude to the conduct of the Egyptians35 - which she emulated - and tie it above her breasts so that her clothes would not fall, for they were torn, and she be left standing naked. If an Egyptian [rope] is not available, he should bring any rope.

Afterwards, he would bring an isaron36 of barley37 meal purchased by the husband and place it in an Egyptian basket.38

The rope and the basket should be purchased from the funds remaining in the Temple treasury.39 [The basket with the meal] should be placed in her hand to weary her.40

Afterwards, the meal offering is taken from the basket and placed in a sacred vessel.41 Neither oil nor frankincense should be placed upon it.42 If [these substances] are placed upon it, [the priest] should be lashed for [placing] both the oil and the frankincense individually,43 as [implied by Numbers 5:15]: "He shall not pour oil on it, nor place frankincense on it."

Throughout the time the priest uncovers the woman's hair and places the isaron [of meal] on her hand, the priest should hold the vessel containing the water in his hand and show it to the woman,44 as [implied by Numbers 5:18]: "The bitter, curse-bearing waters shall be in the hand of the priest."

Afterwards, he gives her [the water] to drink. After she drinks, he takes the sacred vessel containing the meal offering and places it on her hand. The priest then places his hand below her [hand] and waves the offering45 in [the portion of the Temple courtyard to] the east [of the altar], as is done with all other meal offerings.46

He should bring it to [each of the four compass directions] and up and down.47 Afterwards, he brings the meal offering to the horn at the southwestern corner of the altar, as is done with other meal offerings brought by private individuals.48

He should take a fistful of the meal and offer it on the fire. The remainder [of the meal] should be eaten by the priests.49

If the woman is guiltless, she may depart; she is permitted to her husband. If she committed adultery, her face will immediately turn pale yellow, her eyes will bulge forth, and her veins will surface.

Everyone immediately shouts, "Take her out [of the Women's Courtyard]! Take her out!" so that she does not have a menstrual emission [there],50 for women who are in a menstrual state make the Women's Courtyard impure.51

They take her out of the Women's Courtyard, where she was standing. Her belly swells first and then her thigh ruptures and she dies.

When she dies, the adulterer because of whom she was compelled to drink will also die, wherever he is located. The same phenomena, the swelling of the belly and the rupture of the thigh, will also occur to him.

All the above applies provided her husband never engaged in forbidden sexual relations in his life. If, however, her husband ever engaged in forbidden relations, the [bitter] waters do not check [the fidelity of] his wife.

If [a husband] transgressed and compelled his wife to drink [the bitter water], although he previously entered into a forbidden relationship, he adds further transgression to his sin. For he causes God's name [which is not] pronounced to be blotted out on the waters for no reason and defames the reputation of the waters [used to test] a sotah. For his wife will tell others that she committed adultery and that the [bitter] waters did not harm her, without knowing that it was her husband's deeds that prevented the waters from checking her [fidelity].

Therefore, when the number of people who openly committed adultery increased in the Second Temple era, the Sanhedrin52 nullified the use of the bitter water, relying on the verse in the [prophetic] tradition, [Hoshea 4:14]: "I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry."

When a sotah has merit because of Torah study53 - although she herself is not obligated to study the Torah54 - her merit prolongs [her life] and she does not die immediately. Instead, she continues to be weakened,55 and suffers severe illness until she dies after a year, two years or three years, according to her merit. [When she dies,] she dies with a swollen belly and ruptured limbs.

When a sotah drinks the bitter water and does not die immediately, she is permitted to her husband, even if he is a priest.56 Even if illness begins to set in and her limbs become afflicted, as long as her belly does not swell or her thigh rupture, she is permitted.57

When, however, her belly begins to expand and her thigh begins to rupture, she is forbidden.58

When a sotah who was innocent drinks [the bitter water], she becomes stronger and her face glows. If she was afflicted by sickness [that prevented her from conceiving],59 it will disappear; she will conceive and give birth to a male. If she previously had difficulty giving birth, she will give birth speedily. If she would give birth to girls, she will give birth to males.

If witnesses who say that she committed adultery come after she drinks the bitter water, she should be divorced without receiving [the money due her by virtue of] her ketubah, and she is forbidden to her husband.

This applies even when none [of the negative consequences] mentioned above occur to her. For the [bitter] waters will check only [the fidelity of a woman] concerning whom there are no witnesses who will testify to her sexual misconduct.60 Moreover, it is possible that her husband is not guiltless, and it is because of him that the waters did not check his wife.61

If, however, one witness comes and testifies that a woman committed adultery, she is not forbidden [to] her husband and can remain married to him. For she drank [the bitter water].62

When a woman was compelled to engage in adulterous relationships or did so unintentionally,63 or lay naked in the embrace of the man regarding whom she was warned, but did not engage in vaginal relations,64 [her fidelity] will not be checked by the [bitter] waters, as [implied by the following verses]. [Numbers 5:13 states:] "And she was not taken against her will," thus excluding a woman who was raped. [Ibid.:27 states:] "And she was unfaithful to her husband," excluding a woman who acted unintentionally." And [ibid.:13 states]: "And a man laid with her, [imparting] his seed," excluding an embrace without intercourse.