Sotah

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Sotah resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Sexuality in Tanakh (Part 3) - Sexual Fields and the Wayward Woman

Rabbi David Debow

Class

The Comfort Zone: Sotah 44

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  Part of the purpose of the harsh treatment of the Sotah is convincing the suspected adulteress to admit her infidelity. By doing so she is given a divorce and can move on with her life as no further punishment is given. We assure her that…
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I Thought I Was Humble: Sotah 40

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  In our last post we discussed the Talmudic tendency to group together sayings of one particular sage quoting another. In discussing various prayers the congregation might say while the kohanim are blessing the people,…
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Please Bless Me: Sotah 38

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  Originally meant as an oral “text” the Talmud features a number of mnemonic devices to aid in recall and memorization. Thus unrelated topics may be grouped together because of similarities in language. Probably the most famous…
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Do Not Pray: Sotah 37

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  It is an amazing aspect of the human condition that two people can see the same thing yet see it most differently. That is likely why the Torah both requires and at the same time allows us to accept the testimony of two witnesses. Even if…
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Language Barriers: Sotah 33

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  One of most bitter and divisive (Jewish) fights of the 19th century was that regarding the use of the vernacular in the synagogue - whether in prayer or even in speech. To say the opposition to such was vehement would be an…
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Mind Your Own Business: Sotah 21

Rabbi Jay Kelman

In our last post we discussed how a rasha arum, a cunning evildoer, is amongst the mevali olam, those who are destroyers of the world. We focused on two aspects of such a person - those that relate to religious hypocrisy. I…
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The Religious Hypocrite: Sotah 22

Rabbi Jay Kelman

  “He [Rabbi Yehoshua] used to say: a pious fool, a cunning evildoer, an ascetic woman and the wounds of the ascetics destroy the world” (Sotah 20a). Our sages understood that as humans we make mistakes, sin and are riddled with…
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The Bare Torah: Sotah 21

Rabbi Jay Kelman

In our last post we discussed the view of Rabbi Eliezer that one who teaches his daughter Torah is as if he has taught her tiflut, frivolity. To support this assertion the Gemara quotes the proof text "I wisdom, I dwell with arma" (Mishlei 8:12).…
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Our Daughter's Torah: Sotah 21

Rabbi Jay Kelman

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It is this notion that lay at the heart of one of the most important disputes of the Talmud (though many are aware of only one side of the dispute) and whose application was one of the most important…
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