The Priest Administers the Oath to the Suspected Wife

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 9:35 View source
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team ·

Our journey begins with a rather dramatic scene from (Numbers 5:21), describing the ritual of the sotah, the woman suspected of adultery. The priest says, "May the Lord render you as a curse and as an oath among your people, in the Lord causing your thigh to fall and your belly to distend." Heavy stuff. The Rabbis in Bamidbar Rabbah 9 meticulously dissect this verse, teasing out layers of meaning and legal implications.

First, the phrase "The priest shall administer… the oath…" teaches us something vital about the process. The scroll containing the curse had to be written after she accepted the oath. As it says, "...first '[The priest] shall administer…the oath' is written, and then: '[The priest] shall write…[in a scroll]' (Numbers 5:23)." This highlights the importance of her consent and acknowledgement.

Next, the text focuses on the phrase "the oath of the curse." According to this passage, this phrase teaches us that every oath in the Torah should be understood as both a curse and an oath. Because "oath" is sometimes used without further explanation, and here it's explicitly defined as a curse and an oath, we can infer that all oaths carry this double weight.

But what kind of curse? The text refers to another verse, (Leviticus 5:1), which mentions an ala (אָלָה), another word for curse. The Rabbis use a method of interpretation called gezerah shavah, a comparison of similar words appearing in different contexts. Because ala appears in both verses, they argue that an oath is rendered like an ala, and vice versa.

So, what does it mean to be "as a curse and as an oath"? Bamidbar Rabbah explains that women would curse by saying, "May what befell her befall you." And they would take oaths by saying, "May what befell her befall me if I do not do such and such." Talk about a deterrent!

The text also points out that this curse and oath are meant to be "among your people," implying that the public humiliation is most potent within the community. There’s a significant difference, the text suggests, between being shamed among those who know you and being shamed among strangers. Ouch.

Then comes the really graphic part: "In the Lord causing your thigh to fall and your belly to distend." This is described as the "women's examination," a physical consequence of guilt. Rabbi Yosei HaGelili adds a fascinating, and perhaps surprising, perspective: this punishment applies not only to the woman but also to her paramour! The verse tells us that just as the punishment will be visited upon her, so the punishment will be visited upon him. The logic? If someone causes another to sin, they share the responsibility and the consequences. He argues that if this holds true for punishment, how much more so should it hold true for reward?

Finally, the woman says, "Amen, amen." Why two "amens"? Bamidbar Rabbah uses this repetition to teach that all oaths in the Torah should be answered with "amen." If you don't answer "amen," the oath is considered vain. The double "amen" also suggests that the oath can be extended to cover past actions. Even if the sotah wasn't previously accused, her oath now includes earlier events.

Rabbi Elazar, quoting Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra, breaks down the significance of "amen" further: "Amen for acceptance; amen for an oath; amen, your statement is confirmed." He then provides biblical examples for each: acceptance from a sotah, an oath from Jeremiah, and confirmation from the Book of Kings.

What can we take away from this deep dive into Bamidbar Rabbah? It's a reminder of the weight our words carry, the importance of integrity, and the interconnectedness of actions and consequences. It’s also a glimpse into a world where oaths were a central part of communal life, carrying both legal and spiritual significance.

Themes

Hell/Gehenna Torah Prophecy Repentance Judgment

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