וְהִקְרִ֥יב אֹתָ֖הּ הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וְהֶֽעֱמִדָ֖הּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
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Sifrei Bamidbar
(Bamidbar 5:16) "And the Cohein shall draw her near": whence it is derived that the draught is not given to two sotahs together. "and he shall stand her": He shall not stand with her, her manservant and her maidservants, because she tends to be callous in their presence. "before the L-rd": at the gates of Nikanor (opposite the entrance to the sanctuary), whence they stated: The head of the watch would stand those who were tamei at the gates of Nikanor.
Bamidbar Rabbah
“The man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring her offering on her behalf, one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour; he shall not pour oil upon it, and he shall not place frankincense upon it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of remembrance, a reminder of iniquity” (Numbers 5:15).
“The man shall bring his wife to the priest” – what is written prior to the portion of sota? “A man’s sacred items shall be his; [anything that a man gives the priest shall be his]” (Numbers 5:10). Do Israelites eat sacred items? It is, rather, if you came to the priest with vow offerings, gift offerings, and first fruits, I will produce from you priests51His daughters will marry priests, and his grandchildren will be priests. who partake of sacred items. If you mocked the mitzvot and did not bring sacred items, ultimately, “the man shall bring his wife to the priest.” An entrance that is not open for mitzvot is open for the doctor.52Money not spent on mitzvot will ultimately be paid to the doctor. “And he shall bring her offering on her behalf” – he brings an offering from what is his.53He did not give the priest from his harvest, and now he will have to spend his money to bring his wife's offering to the priest.
“One-tenth of an ephah” – it is because she violated the Ten Commandments. “Barley flour” – she fed the adulterer delicacies of the world; therefore, her offering is of animal feed. “He shall not pour oil upon it, and he shall not place frankincense upon it” – Rabbi Shimon said: By right, the meal offering of a sinner should require oil and frankincense, so that a sinner will not be rewarded. Why does it not require them? It is so his offering will not be glorified.
Another matter: “He shall not pour oil upon it” – why? It is because oil is light for the world, as the verse called it yitzhar.54It shares a common root with tzahorayim, noon, and tzohar, a source of light. Since she preferred the darkness, there will be no light in her meal offering. “And he shall not place frankincense upon it” – as the frankincense evokes the matriarchs, as it is stated: “I will go to the mountain of myrrh,” (Song of Songs 4:6) – these are the patriarchs of the world; “and to the hill of frankincense” – these are the matriarchs. But this one strayed from their paths; let their memory not be in her offering, as frankincense is called memory.55“The priest shall burn its memorial portion [azkarata] on the altar” (Leviticus 2:2).
“For it is a meal offering of jealousy [kenaot]” – these are two jealousies. Just as it is jealousy for the husband, so it is jealousy for the paramour.56He too is punished with the woman’s drinking of the water. Just as she evoked jealousy below, so too, she evoked zealotry [kina] above.
“A meal offering of remembrance” – this is for the better, if she is found to be pure. “A reminder of iniquity” – this is for the worse, if she is found to have been defiled.
“The priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord” (Numbers 5:16).
“The priest shall bring her near” – she does not come during the pilgrimage festival.57Although the spectacle would be greater then, the priest does not wait, but stands her before the Lord at the first opportunity.
“And have her stand” – he shall not have her slaves or her maidservants stand with her, because she will be emboldened by them.
“Before the Lord” – at the Nikanor Gate; from here they said: The head of the watch would stand the ritually impure at the Nikanor Gate.
“The man shall bring his wife to the priest” – what is written prior to the portion of sota? “A man’s sacred items shall be his; [anything that a man gives the priest shall be his]” (Numbers 5:10). Do Israelites eat sacred items? It is, rather, if you came to the priest with vow offerings, gift offerings, and first fruits, I will produce from you priests51His daughters will marry priests, and his grandchildren will be priests. who partake of sacred items. If you mocked the mitzvot and did not bring sacred items, ultimately, “the man shall bring his wife to the priest.” An entrance that is not open for mitzvot is open for the doctor.52Money not spent on mitzvot will ultimately be paid to the doctor. “And he shall bring her offering on her behalf” – he brings an offering from what is his.53He did not give the priest from his harvest, and now he will have to spend his money to bring his wife's offering to the priest.
“One-tenth of an ephah” – it is because she violated the Ten Commandments. “Barley flour” – she fed the adulterer delicacies of the world; therefore, her offering is of animal feed. “He shall not pour oil upon it, and he shall not place frankincense upon it” – Rabbi Shimon said: By right, the meal offering of a sinner should require oil and frankincense, so that a sinner will not be rewarded. Why does it not require them? It is so his offering will not be glorified.
Another matter: “He shall not pour oil upon it” – why? It is because oil is light for the world, as the verse called it yitzhar.54It shares a common root with tzahorayim, noon, and tzohar, a source of light. Since she preferred the darkness, there will be no light in her meal offering. “And he shall not place frankincense upon it” – as the frankincense evokes the matriarchs, as it is stated: “I will go to the mountain of myrrh,” (Song of Songs 4:6) – these are the patriarchs of the world; “and to the hill of frankincense” – these are the matriarchs. But this one strayed from their paths; let their memory not be in her offering, as frankincense is called memory.55“The priest shall burn its memorial portion [azkarata] on the altar” (Leviticus 2:2).
“For it is a meal offering of jealousy [kenaot]” – these are two jealousies. Just as it is jealousy for the husband, so it is jealousy for the paramour.56He too is punished with the woman’s drinking of the water. Just as she evoked jealousy below, so too, she evoked zealotry [kina] above.
“A meal offering of remembrance” – this is for the better, if she is found to be pure. “A reminder of iniquity” – this is for the worse, if she is found to have been defiled.
“The priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord” (Numbers 5:16).
“The priest shall bring her near” – she does not come during the pilgrimage festival.57Although the spectacle would be greater then, the priest does not wait, but stands her before the Lord at the first opportunity.
“And have her stand” – he shall not have her slaves or her maidservants stand with her, because she will be emboldened by them.
“Before the Lord” – at the Nikanor Gate; from here they said: The head of the watch would stand the ritually impure at the Nikanor Gate.
Bamidbar Rabbah
“The priest shall have the woman stand before the Lord, and he shall expose the woman’s head, and he shall place on her palms the meal offering of remembrance – it is a meal offering of jealousy; and in the hand of the priest shall be the water of bitterness that causes curse” (Numbers 5:18).
“The priest shall have the woman stand” – the place where he had her stand initially is the place where he has her stand ultimately.
“Before the Lord” – but is it not written above: “And have her stand before the Lord”? It is, rather, that he informs her before whom she is standing.
“Before the Lord, and he shall expose the woman’s head” – this is analogous to a priest who entered a cemetery and his slave waits for him outside so he would not become impure. Is it not sufficient for him to be like his master? Therefore, so that the priest will not say: Will I expose the woman’s head,65He asks rhetorically: Is this appropriate conduct in the Temple? and will not do so casually, that is why it is stated: “Before the Lord, and he shall expose.”
“And he shall expose” – why? It is because it is the way of the daughters of Israel to be with their heads covered. That is why he uncovers her head and says to her: ‘You deviated from the way of the daughters of Israel, whose way is to have their heads covered, and followed the way of the idolaters, who walk with their heads uncovered. Here is for you what you wanted.’
“And he shall place on her palms the meal offering of remembrance” – Abba Ḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: It is in order to exhaust her so that she will recant. The matters may be inferred a fortiori: If the Holy One blessed be He has mercy on those who violate His will,66An attempt is made to induce the sota to confess and save herself from suffering and death. all the more so, He will have mercy on those who perform His will.
“It is a meal offering of jealousy” – all actions in its regard were for the sake of jealousy. Is it, perhaps, that if all actions in its regard were not for the sake of jealousy that it would be invalid? The verse states: “It.”
“And in the hand of the priest shall be the water of bitterness”; the verse relates that the water becomes bitter only in the hands of the priest. Another matter: It is called bitter [marim] because it curses [me’arerim] the body and eradicates the iniquity. “That causes curse” – Rabbi Tanḥuma said: “Water…that causes curse [hame’arerim],” corresponding to the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that are in her and corresponding to the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that are in the adulterer.67The numerical value of hame’arerim is: heh – 5; mem – 40; alef – 1; reish – 200; reish – 200; yod – 10; mem – 40 = 496, which is twice 248.
“The priest shall have the woman stand” – the place where he had her stand initially is the place where he has her stand ultimately.
“Before the Lord” – but is it not written above: “And have her stand before the Lord”? It is, rather, that he informs her before whom she is standing.
“Before the Lord, and he shall expose the woman’s head” – this is analogous to a priest who entered a cemetery and his slave waits for him outside so he would not become impure. Is it not sufficient for him to be like his master? Therefore, so that the priest will not say: Will I expose the woman’s head,65He asks rhetorically: Is this appropriate conduct in the Temple? and will not do so casually, that is why it is stated: “Before the Lord, and he shall expose.”
“And he shall expose” – why? It is because it is the way of the daughters of Israel to be with their heads covered. That is why he uncovers her head and says to her: ‘You deviated from the way of the daughters of Israel, whose way is to have their heads covered, and followed the way of the idolaters, who walk with their heads uncovered. Here is for you what you wanted.’
“And he shall place on her palms the meal offering of remembrance” – Abba Ḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: It is in order to exhaust her so that she will recant. The matters may be inferred a fortiori: If the Holy One blessed be He has mercy on those who violate His will,66An attempt is made to induce the sota to confess and save herself from suffering and death. all the more so, He will have mercy on those who perform His will.
“It is a meal offering of jealousy” – all actions in its regard were for the sake of jealousy. Is it, perhaps, that if all actions in its regard were not for the sake of jealousy that it would be invalid? The verse states: “It.”
“And in the hand of the priest shall be the water of bitterness”; the verse relates that the water becomes bitter only in the hands of the priest. Another matter: It is called bitter [marim] because it curses [me’arerim] the body and eradicates the iniquity. “That causes curse” – Rabbi Tanḥuma said: “Water…that causes curse [hame’arerim],” corresponding to the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that are in her and corresponding to the two hundred and forty-eight limbs that are in the adulterer.67The numerical value of hame’arerim is: heh – 5; mem – 40; alef – 1; reish – 200; reish – 200; yod – 10; mem – 40 = 496, which is twice 248.