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PARSHAT NASO THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE This week's parsha tells the unfortunate story of the sota (The wife who is suspected of adultery). Although her husband warned her against seeing a certain man privately, witnesses nevertheless report that she had secluded herself with this particular man. It is not difficult to understand why this act arouses her husband's jealousy. However, since noone had actually witnessed her engaged in the act of adultery, the Torah provides a way of clarifying the matter. The husband brings his wife to the Cohen, together with her jealousy offering consisting of barley. The Cohen takes holy water from the basin of the tabernacle and puts it in an earthen vessel together with some dust from the floor of the tabernacle. With this water in his hand, he makes the woman swear that in the case a man other than her husband has lived with her, the water will cause her belly to swell and her thigh to fall away. However, if she has not committed adultery then she shall be free from the curse of this bitter water, and will conceive a child. "And the Cohen shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water" (Bamidbar 5:23). According to Gemorah Sota 18a the words written in the book are the curses stated in our Torah portion (verse 19-22), which include the name of G-d. After the Cohen has read these verses from a parchment and she has answered amen, the parchment is placed in the water and the ink dissolved. FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE "Great is shalom (peace or perfection) between husband and
wife, as for this sake the Torah permits the name of G-d to be erased."(Chulin
141a) The depths of this lesson were totally perceived by the holy
Rabbi Meir. A certain woman attended his class one night. When she
came home, her husband asked her, "Where have you been until
now?" She answered, "I was listening to Rabbi Meir teaching."
Her husband in his jealousy blocked the door as he remarked, "I
will not let you in the house until you go and spit in Rabbi Meir's
face." Eliahu the prophet revealed himself to Rabbi Meir and
told him the whole story. The Rabbi then went to sit at the great
Synagogue. When the woman came to pray, he made believe that he
had an eye ailment. After requesting that she spit seven times in
his eye in order to heal him, he told her, "Now go home and
tell your husband: You told me to spit once, yet I spat seven times."
Rabbi Meir's students were astonished by the fact that he disgraced
himself in this way when he could have restored peace between husband
and wife in other ways. Why didn't the Rabbi just hav her husband
beaten up for his unfair and cruel reaction? Rabbi Meir answered
that he learned a fortiori from the fact that G-d lets His holy
name be erased for the sake of shalom bayit (peace between husband
and wife). G-d, too, could have commanded that the water would examine
the woman without erasing His name. However, G-d taught us in His
Torah that it is worth erasing the name of G-d in order to make
peace. From this Rabbi Meir learned not to be afraid to disgrace
his own Torah, even in a situation where he could have acted differently
to restore shalom. For the complete dvar Torah, please send email to berot@netvision.net.il.
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