“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.