The Mishnah adds further humiliation to the biblical sotah ritual for a suspected adulteress. Other rabbinic texts from the same period critique this expansion, as well as the gender inequality inherent in the ritual itself.
Prof.
Ishay Rosen-Zvi
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The root ק.נ.א “jealous zeal” in the chapter on the sotah (Numbers 5) highlights a key goal of the ritual and its accompanying offering, namely, to remove the husband’s jealous zeal and allow him to remain with his wife without guilt.
Prof.
Hanna Liss
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A New Look at the Meaning of the Sotah and Nazir Rituals
Prof. Rabbi
Stephen A. Geller
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Why was the priestly benediction placed together with the laws of nazir and the laws of sotah?
Prof.
Shawna Dolansky
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Both Chanukah and Purim are celebrations of Jewish victory over their enemies. Nevertheless, Maimonides turns these into holidays of peace.
Prof.
Menachem Kellner
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