Numbers 5 describes the ordeal of a married woman who is suspected of committing adultery. The priest is commanded to write some curses and then dissolve them in water. What curses does the priest write?
Here is the relevant verse:
23. And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall dissolve them in the bitter water.
Here is the verse in Hebrew:
Adultery
In much of the modern Western world, adultery is not considered a serious matter.
There are many stories, movies, and TV shows that feature acts of adultery being normal and expected behavior.
On the other hand, God in His Torah proclaims that adultery is a sin that earns the participants a death penalty.
Adultery is included in the Ten Commandments:
13. … You shall not commit adultery. …
In Leviticus, it’s included in the list of forbidden sexual relations:
18:20. Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her.
20:10. And the man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Even though Jewish law makes it very difficult to execute a sinner, we can still learn and understand the seriousness of various sins based on their penalties.
The Sotah – Background
The topic of the sotah, sometimes called the wayward wife, is discussed in Numbers 5:11-31.
There are too many details to this topic to cover completely in this short article.
Here are the most relevant facts of the case.
A man is concerned that his wife is being too familiar with another man. In front of witnesses, he has warned his wife not to be alone with that man.
Despite this warning, there are witnesses that the wife has willingly been alone with the man long enough to have had sexual relations with him.
Choices
First, we must understand their current status. There are witnesses to the husband’s warning about a particular man. Also, there are witnesses that the wife was secluded with that man.
Based on these facts, the wife has become forbidden to her husband. (See Rabbi Hirsch on Numbers 5:15.)
At this point, the man and his wife have some choices to make.
The husband can accept the situation and give his wife a divorce.
The wife, without making a statement about her guilt or innocence, can accept the divorce.
Also, the wife could confess to her transgression and force her husband to divorce her.
However, if they want their marriage to continue, then they can jointly agree for her to undergo the Sotah procedure.
As Rabbi Hirsch points out, the purpose of the Sotah procedure is to permit the continuation of the marriage.
The husband and wife have to willingly proceed with the Sotah ordeal. Neither the Jewish court nor the Sages cannot force them to proceed.
Numbers 5:19-22 – The Curses
A significant part of the Sotah ordeal is writing the curses and then dissolving them in water.
As our verse says, “the priest shall write these curses…”
The Mishna (Sotah 2:3) relates that there are 3 opinions about what words constitute the curses.
Everyone agrees that they are contained in Numbers 5:19-22:
19. The priest shall administer an oath to her, and he shall say to the woman: If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to defilement while under your husband, you shall be free from this water of bitterness that causes the curse.
20. But if you have gone astray while under your husband, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband.
21. Then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say to the woman: The Lord shall make you a curse and an oath among your people when the Lord will cause your thigh to fall away, and your belly to swell.
22. And this water that causes the curse shall go into your bowels, and cause your belly to swell, and your thigh to fall away. And the woman shall say: Amen, amen.
But, exactly which words is the priest writing?
Rabbi Meir
The first opinion in the Mishna is Rabbi Meir. His opinion is stated anonymously, but the Gemara identifies him as Rabbi Meir.
He says the “the curses” are all of verses 19-22 except for the commandments to the priest and the woman.
He excludes the opening phrases of verses 19 and 21, and the closing phrase of verse 22. Those are the words that are struck out in the above quote.
Rabbi Yossi
Rabbi Yossi says that the priest does not interrupt the verses, but rather writes the entire passage without any omissions.
According to Rashi on the Mishna, Rabbi Yossi agrees that the initial set of instructions in verse 19 are not written by the priest.
Rabbi Yossi does include the directions in verse 21 and at the end of verse 22.
Rabbi Yehuda
According to Rabbi Yehuda, the curses are only verses 21 and 22, but without any of the directions.
Thus, he excludes the beginning of verse 21 and the last phrase in verse 22.
What Are They Arguing About?
This is an instance when the English cannot capture the full meaning of the Hebrew.
The words “these curses” are the translation of the Hebrew “ha’alot ha’eileh.”
If we’re willing to ignore the Hebrew grammar, we could translate these words as “the curses the these.” As incorrect as it is, that reading will help us understand the approach of these 3 sages.
Here’s Rabbi Meir’s understanding of these words:
- “curses” means the actual curses.
- “the curses” INCLUDES the curses that are implied in the blessing of Numbers 5:19 “you shall be free…”
- “these” means to exclude the curses written in Deuteronomy 28.*
- “the these” means to exclude the commands written at the beginning of verses 19 and 21 and the woman’s acceptance “And the woman shall say: Amen, amen.”
* You may be wondering why Deuteronomy 28 is mentioned. That chapter contains the Tochachah, the Admonition for not obeying God’s Torah. In Deuteronomy 29:11, that section is called “His curses” based on the same Hebrew word as here.
Rabbi Yossi overall agrees with Rabbi Meir. But, he points out that Rabbi Meir doesn’t take into account the full Hebrew phrase: “et ha’alot ha’eileh.”
It is a widely accepted principle in Torah interpretation that the word “et” indicates to include something that would otherwise be excluded.
In this instance, Rabbi Yossi understands “et” to include the commands and the woman’s acceptance.
Rabbi Yehuda agrees with all of Rabbi Meir’s points except for #2. According to R. Yehuda, both “the curses” and “the these” are meant as exclusions.
- “curses” means the actual curses.
- “the curses” EXCLUDES the curses that are implied in the blessing of Numbers 5:19 “you shall be free…”
- “these” means to exclude the curses written in Deuteronomy 28.
- “the these” means to exclude the commands written at the beginning of verses 19 and 21 and the woman’s acceptance “And the woman shall say: Amen, amen.”
Summary of Their Argument
Based on Kehati’s commentary on the Mishna Sotah 2:3, here’s a summary of their opinions:
- R. Meir: “the curses” includes all the words the priest says to the woman.
- R. Yossi: “the curses” includes everything the priest says plus the commandment to the priest and the woman’s acceptance.
- R. Yehuda: “the curses” means only the clearly stated curses in Numbers 5:21-22.
Rabbi Hirsch Explains
Here are few more points on Numbers 5:23 based on the commentary of Rabbi Hirsch.
the priest shall write – He only writes the required texts after the woman accepts the oath by saying, “Amen, amen.”
in a book – this means on a piece of parchment that meets the requirements for parchment that could be used to write a Torah scroll.
he shall dissolve them in the bitter water – The writing is not blotted out by the water, but dissolved into the water.
Further Reading
Rabbi Hirsch in his Torah commentary has a long discussion of Numbers 5:11-31. Highly recommended.
Also, one reason I chose to write this article is because it illustrates the weakness of relying on translations. The argument in the Mishna only makes sense if we understand the Hebrew of the verse.
Don’t refrain from learning Biblical Hebrew. It’s a rewarding study and there are plenty of resources that can help you.