Sotah 012
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BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI
of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel
RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP
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Samson followed his eyes: therefore the Philistines put out his eyes (as it is said: 'And the Philistines took him and put out his eyes'). Absolom beautified his hair: therefore he was hanged by his hair. And because he had conjugal relations with ten of his fathers mistresses he had ten spears thrust into him (as it is said: 'And then of Joab's armed force surrounded him'). And he stole the hearts of three: his father, the Bet Din and the men of Israel (as it is said: 'And Absolom stole the heart of the men of Israel'); this is why he was struck by three clubs (as it is said: 'And he took in his hand three clubs and thrust them into Absolom's heart').
EXPLANATIONS:
1:
The previous mishnah gave the opinion that the treatment which the Sotah had to undergo as part of the ceremony of the 'cursing waters' was a punishment of the nature of 'measure for measure'. (The Gemara [Sanhedrin 90a] says that 'measure for measure characterises all God's punishments'.) Our present mishnah seeks to reinforce that concept by bringing further examples of the application of this principle. 2:
Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. He returned and told his father and his mother: 'I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me as wife.' Then his father and his mother said to him: 'Is there no woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?' Samson said to his father: 'Get her for me; for in my eyes she is pleasing.'
The moral which our mishnah seeks to draw is that just as Samson was led astray by his eyes, taking into account only the fact that Delilah was 'pleasing to his eyes', and this in direct contradiction to the admonitions of his parents, so it was his fate that those same eyes be punished. The main agent of his tragedy was this woman, Delilah, for whom he had so lusted. The continuation of the story in the bible [Judges 16:18-21] is as follows:
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines… Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand. She lulled him [Samson] to sleep on her knees… He awoke out of his sleep, and said, 'I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.' But he didn’t know that God had departed from him. The Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with brass fetters; and he did grind in the prison-house.
To be continued next year.
DISCUSSION:
Orin Rotman writes:
In your recent response to Michael Lewyn you posit "The purpose of the 'test' (as developed by the sages) seems to be to offer the husband divine proof that he may continue to live happily with his innocent wife." Along those lines, another scenario is suggested. The husband is out all day or for extended periods of time. The nosey neighbors however are looking in constantly and are gossiping/reporting to the husband. The social pressure in the neighborhood to control the wife, who the husband may trust emphatically, becomes unbearable as he is now under suspicion from the neighbors for cohabiting with a suspected (and in their eyes, an actual) adulteress. This ceremony may be their only way of shutting up the neighbors! I respond: While not rejecting the possibility that the ceremony might effect the purpose that Orin describes I do not think that this can be its original and prime purpose. If, for instance, the neighbours suspected the woman's husband of being a murderer they would have to 'make do' with the evidence (or lack thereof) as presented in a Bet Din. It is only the husband's suspicions that can be laid to rest by his wife's clear 'vindication' by heaven. Another consideration: if the husband is so concerned about the gossip that his malicious neighbours are putting about he could solve the problem by divorcing his wife. Under biblical law this was his prerogative and he needed no other reason for his action than his desire to do so. It seems to me that the ceremony of the 'cursing waters' is geared up to the desire of the husband to continue his marital relationship with his wife; he just needs reassurance – and this is vouchsafed him from heaven! This is our last shiur before Rosh ha-Shanah. It is my prayer that on this Day of Judgement, Rosh ha-Shanah, we all be found worthy to be inscribed in the book of life – a life of safety, satisfaction and fulfillment. Many subscribers have written to me with their personal best wishes for the New Year: I hope they will not be offended if I respond to their kindness in this general way. They are many and I am but one. A very happy New Year to everybody. |
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