The passage starts with the seemingly straightforward case of a suspected adulteress in (Numbers 5:12): "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: If the wife of any man will stray and commit a trespass against him." But hold on, the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, don't stop there. They see something more profound lurking beneath the surface.
They ask, what if this isn't just about a husband and wife? What if it’s an allegory for the relationship between God and Israel?
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interprets the "man" in the verse as none other than the Holy One, blessed be He! As it says in (Exodus 15:3), "The Lord is a Man of war." And who is the "wife" who might stray? According to (Hosea 2:18), God says, "…you will call Me my spouse [ishi]." That’s right, it's Israel!
So, when the verse speaks of a wife straying, the Rabbis see it as Israel straying from following God. Remember the Golden Calf incident? As we find in (Exodus 32:8), "They have quickly strayed [saru]," which is closely related to the word "stray [tiste]" in our original verse. The Midrash even points out the Aramaic translation, "They have quickly strayed [satu]."
And what is this "trespass" the wife commits? It's idol worship, of course! Bamidbar Rabbah connects this to (Numbers 31:16), "To commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor."
The Midrash doesn't stop there. It continues to unpack the verses, drawing parallels between the details of the suspected adulteress's situation and the events surrounding the Golden Calf.
For example, the verse says, "And a man had lain with her carnally [shikhvat zera]..." The Rabbis connect this to Aaron, who crafted the calf. The "carnally" part? That refers to the way the calf was worshipped – by passing their offspring [zaram] before it in the fire, reminiscent of (Leviticus 18:21) where God says, "And you shall not give from your offspring [umizarakha] to pass to Molekh."
The verse continues, "And it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded..." The Midrash interprets this as Israel thinking they could hide their actions from God, echoing (Psalms 94:7) ("They said: The Lord will not see") and (Job 22:14) ("Clouds obscure for Him, and He does not see"). They believed they were acting in secret. As (Isaiah 29:15) says, "Woe to those who go to the depths from the Lord to conceal [lastir] a scheme […and they say: Who sees us and who knows of us]?"
Even the lack of a witness is interpreted symbolically: "And there is no witness [ve’ed] against her" means there was no prophet to warn them. They even killed Hur, who dared to rebuke them!
What about the "spirit of jealousy [kina]"? That, says the Midrash, refers to God's own jealousy, as stated in (Exodus 20:5): "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous [kana] God." God warns Israel, just as it says in (Exodus 32:7): "Go, descend, because your people has become corrupted…"
The story culminates in the offering the husband brings on behalf of his wife. In our allegorical reading, "The man shall bring" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, bringing His "wife," Israel, "to the priest," which is Moses. As (Psalms 99:6) says, "Moses and Aaron were among His priests." The offering of "one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour" represents the Ten Commandments, and the "barley flour" symbolizes how Israel, through idol worship, had become like dispersed flour. The lack of oil and frankincense signifies that God initially refused to be appeased, echoing His words in (Exodus 32:10) ("Now, let Me be…").
But ultimately, as we know, God relents. The priest brings her near, meaning Moses prays on their behalf. And God, in His mercy, forgives them, as it says in (Exodus 32:14): "The Lord reconsidered the evil."
So, what does this all mean? It's a powerful reminder that our relationship with God is like a marriage. It requires faithfulness, commitment, and a constant effort to stay true. And when we stray, as we inevitably do, repentance and forgiveness are always possible. The story of the Golden Calf, and the suspected adulteress, serves as a constant call to return to the covenant, to remember our commitment, and to strive for a deeper connection with the Divine.
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: If the wife of any man will stray and commit a trespass against him” (Numbers 5:12). Another matter: “If [the wife of any man] will stray [tiste]…” – the Rabbis interpret the verse regarding the act of the calf. “Man” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, who is called man, as it is stated: “The Lord is a Man of war” (Exodus 15:3). “If the wife [of any man] will stray” – this is Israel, who strayed from following Him, just as it says: “They have quickly strayed [saru]” (Exodus 32:8), and it is translated: “They have quickly strayed [satu].” And they are called His wife, as it is stated: “It shall be on that day, the utterance of the Lord, that you will call Me my spouse [ishi]” (Hosea 2:18). Likewise it says: “You shall sanctify them [vekidashtam] today and tomorrow” (Exodus 19:10); “you shall be holy [kedoshim]” (Leviticus 19:2).170Both verses are expounded as an allusion to betrothal [kiddushin]. “And commit a trespass against him” – this is the trespass of idol worship, just as it says: “To commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor” (Numbers 31:16). “And a man had lain with her carnally, and it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded and she was defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she was not coerced” (Numbers 5:13). “And a man had lain” – this is Aaron, who crafted the calf for them. “Carnally [shikhvat zera]” – as that was the way of its worship; they would pass their offspring [zaram] before it in the fire, just as it says: “And you shall not give from your offspring [umizarakha] to pass to Molekh” (Leviticus 18:21). “And it was hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she was secluded” – Heaven forfend, they thought to themselves as though the supernal eye does not see, just as it is written: “They said: The Lord will not see” (Psalms 94:7), and it says: “Clouds obscure for Him, and He does not see” (Job 22:14). “And she was secluded [venistera]” – just as it says: “Woe to those who go to the depths from the Lord to conceal [lastir] a scheme […and they say: Who sees us and who knows of us]” (Isaiah 29:15). “And she was defiled” – just as it says: “Like the impurity of the menstruant their way was before Me” (Ezekiel 36:17). “And there is no witness [ve’ed] against her” – there was no prophet in their midst who could warn [sheya’id] them; just as it says: “The Lord warned Israel and Judah by means of every prophet of every vision” (II Kings 17:13), as they had already killed Ḥur because he was rebuking them. “And she was not coerced” – they performed it of their own volition, and that is why they were punished. “A spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was defiled, or a spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was not defiled” (Numbers 5:14). “A spirit of jealousy [kina] overcame him” – “for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous [kana] God” (Exodus 20:5). “And he warned his wife” – just as it says: “Go, descend, because your people has become corrupted…” (Exodus 32:7). “And she was defiled” – just as it says: “They prostrated themselves to it and they sacrificed to it” (Exodus 32:8). “Or a spirit of jealousy overcame him, and he warned his wife, and she was not defiled” – as there were many upright people in their midst but the Holy One blessed be He was jealous regarding all of them. He sought to eliminate the good with the wicked, as it is stated: “Now, let Me be, and My wrath will be enflamed against them, and I will eliminate them” (Exodus 32:10). “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” – this is the Holy One blessed be He. “His wife” – this is Israel. “To the priest” – this is Moses, who was a priest all seven days of the inauguration. And it says: “Moses and Aaron were among His priests” (Psalms 99:6). What is the bringing? He brought their sentence to Moses, as He said to him: “Go, descend, because your people has become corrupted” (Exodus 32:7). “And he shall bring her offering on her behalf” – as He gave to Moses at that time two Tablets of Testimony, as it is stated: “When He finished…He gave Moses [the two Tablets of Testimony]” (Exodus 31:18). “One-tenth of an ephah” – as the Ten Commandments were written upon them. “Barley flour” – due to the iniquity of idol worship, Israel became like flour, just as it says: “Take a millstone and grind flour” (Isaiah 47:2).171See Shir HaShirim Rabba 3:4, where the phrase is interpreted as referring to Israel. And the Holy One blessed be He dispersed them among the nations, just as it says: “I dispersed them among all nations” (Zechariah 7:14), as in the commandment: “You shall not have [other gods]” (Exodus 20:3) – He alluded to the four kingdoms.172In that commandment it says: “Who reckons the iniquity of the fathers against the children, against the third generation and against the fourth generation to My enemies” (Exodus 20:5). The four generations are an allusion to the four kingdoms to which Israel was exiled. “He shall not pour oil upon it” – as the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Now, let Me be…” (Exodus 32:10); “and he shall not place frankincense upon it” – just as it says: “Let Me alone…” (Deuteronomy 9:14), saying that he should mention neither the merit of the patriarchs nor the merit of the matriarchs. “For it is a meal offering of jealousy” – just as it says: “I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people” (Deuteronomy 9:13). “A meal offering of remembrance” – as in the commandment: “You shall not have [other gods]”; Israel will be remembered positively for those who recognize the futility of idol worship, as it is stated: “Who shows kindness for thousands […for those who love Me]” (Exodus 20:6). “A reminder of iniquity” – for those who stray after it, as it is stated: “Who reckons the iniquity of the fathers [against the children]” (Exodus 20:5). “The priest shall bring her near and have her stand before the Lord” (Numbers 5:16). “The priest shall bring her near” – as he prayed on their behalf, just as it says: “Moses implored the Lord…” (Exodus 32:11). “And have her stand before the Lord” – as the Holy One blessed be He forgave and said that He would not eliminate them all, just as it says: “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14).
