Comentario sobre Números 5:15

קמח implies that it shall not be of fine sifted flour.

HE SHALL POUR NO OIL UPON IT — “so that her offering shall not be enriched, for oil is called light, whereas she acted in darkness. NOR SHALL HE PUT FRANKINCENSE THEREON, for the matriarchs are compared to frankincense, as it is said, to the hill of frankincense⁷¹Song of Songs 4:6. [an allegorical expression explained by the Midrash as an allusion to the matriarchs], but this woman turned aside from their [virtuous] ways. FOR IT IS A MEAL-OFFERING OF JEALOUSIES. This flour arouses against her two jealousies — the jealousy of G-d, and the jealousy of her husband.” Thus far is Rashi’s language on the basis of the words of our Rabbis.⁷²Tanchuma Naso 3; Sifre Naso 8.
But in the opinion of all the commentators⁷³Found in Ibn Ezra. [the meaning of the expression] for it is a meal-offering of jealousies is to say that because this meal-offering [of the sotah]⁴³A sotah is a woman suspected of adultery, and is subject to the laws explained further on in Verses 11-31. The law concerning her meal-offering is found in Verse 15, where it is called a meal-offering of jealousy. is an offering which may bring her punishment [if the charge against her is true], therefore it is of a lesser quality [than all other meal-offerings and is to be brought of] barley without oil and frankincense, for a meal-offering of which the memorial-part is brought to be acceptable before the Eternal, comes of fine wheat-flour with oil and frankincense. But in my opinion the expression for it is a meal-offering of jealousies refers to the beginning of the verse, stating that the husband shall bring the offering for his wife, that is to say, instead of her, for it is a meal-offering of jealousies bringing her iniquity to remembrance. Thus it is not fitting that she should bring it of her own property, but it is he who is to bring the meal-offering to G-d so that He should take note of his suspicions of her, and punish her on his [the husband’s] behalf. And the reason [why this meal-offering comes from] se’orim (barley)⁷⁴The word se’orim (barley) is suggestive of the word sa’ar (storm), as is indicated in the next verse quoted by Ramban. is so that ‘sa’arath’ (a storm of) the Eternal is gone forth in fury, yea, a whirling storm; it shall whirl upon the head of wickedness,⁷⁵Jeremiah 23:19. like the cake of barley bread⁷⁶Judges 7:13. Gideon indeed inflicted later a great defeat upon the Midianite host (ibid., 22-28). mentioned in the story of Gideon, which [one of the Midianites who saw it in a dream] interpreted as referring to a storm (sa’ar) and great confusion [which would break forth upon the camp of the Midianites]. Similarly, the earthen vessel⁷⁷Verse 17. [in which the holy water is put] is a hint that she shall be broken like a potter’s vessel,⁷⁸See Jeremiah 19:11. and likewise the dust [which must be taken from the floor of the Tabernacle and put into the water⁷⁷Verse 17. indicates] that she is dust, and into dust shall she return⁷⁹See Genesis 3:19. [if she is guilty of adultery]. The meaning of the word hu [ki minchath kna’oth ‘hu’ — using the masculine form of “it” in the phrase “it is a meal-offering of jealousies,” when it should have used hi, the feminine form, since the word minchah (meal-offering) is feminine] is because it refers back to the word kemach (flour) [which is mentioned above in the same verse, and the word kemach is masculine]. But this [unusual usage of the masculine here] has a mystical explanation, for further on when the meal-offering is in the hands of the woman⁸⁰Verse 18. Scripture uses the word hi [minchath kna’oth hi — literally: “‘she’ is a meal-offering of jealousies”]. And now fin this verse] Scripture mentions the memorial first, stating that “she” brings iniquity to remembrance.⁸¹The verse here reads: ki minchath kna’oth hu minchath zikaron mazkereth avon [literally: “for a meal-offering of jealousies ‘he’ is, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance”], and the meaning thereof is that in this meal-offering there is both judgment and mercy: judgment, if she is guilty, and mercy if innocent. The word hu in this verse thus refers both to kemach and zikaron, which allude to these two attributes. Hence also the word hu is mentioned before zikaron (“memorial”), for “the memorial which brings iniquity to remembrance” surely alludes to the attribute of judgment, and the word hu which is mentioned before “the memorial” therefore alludes to mercy. Further on in Verse 18, however, the text reads: eith minchath hazikaron minchath kna’oth hi. There the word hi (“she”) appears at the end of the whole expression, after hazikaron (“the memorial”), when the meal-offering is in her hands [as the verse states] it is only “judgment” which brings the iniquity to remembrance. See further my Hebrew commentary p. 213.

והביא האיש את אשתו, we do not say that seeing that her husband had sat by silently while his wife had behaved unchastely, accusing her in his heart without saying a word, that this is proof of the husband’s bad attitude and we should therefore ignore his jealousy seeing he had allowed matters to get to the point where she had slept with another man; neither do we ignore his jealousy if she had not given him cause as something not worth paying attention to. We still subject her to the destruction (erasing) of the name of G’d (in the procedure the Torah will presently describe) in order to reveal the truth.