Rashi on TanakhNumbers 5

Command Bnei Yisroel. This parshah was said on the day the Mishkon was erected. Eight parshiyos were said on that day, as is stated in Tractate Gittin, perek Hanizakin.

They must expel from the camp. There were three camps when they rested: Within the curtains was the camp of the Shechinah; the surrounding Levite encampment, as stated expressly in the parshah of Bemidbar Sinai, was the camp of the Levites; from there to the end of the encampment of the banners, in all the four directions, was the camp of the Israelites. The metzoro was sent out of all of them. The zav was permitted in the camp of the Israelites, but expelled from the [other] two. A person defiled by the dead was permitted even among the [encampment of] the Levites, being expelled only from the encampment of the Shechinah. All this, the Rabbis derive from Scriptural passages in Maseches Pesachim.

Defiled by a [departed] soul. [Onkelos renders] דִּמְסָאָב לִטְמֵי נַפְשָׁא דֶאֱנָשָׁא, (“who were defiled by the bones of a human soul.”) In my opinion, the word means “human bones” in Aramaic. There are many [examples] in Bereishis Rabbah, “ טַמְיָא “ אַדְרִיאָנוּס שְׁחִיק — may [his] “bones” be crushed.

Acting treacherously against Adonoy. Scripture now reiterates the parshah of the thief who swears falsely, previously stated in the Portion of Vayikra, “[If a person sins] . . . and acts treacherously against God, lying to his fellow . . .” It is repeated here for the sake of two innovations. Firstly, Scripture writes “And they confess . . . [their sin],” teaching that he (the thief) is not required to pay the fifth and bring the asham (guilt-offering) when convicted by the testimony of witnesses, unless he confesses to the act. And secondly, [to teach] that property stolen from a proselyte must be given to the kohanim.

Principal amount of his guilt. This is the principal [payment] concerning which he took the oath.

To whom he is indebted. To the one to whom he is liable.

But if the man has no redeemer. As the claimant died who put him (the thief) to the oath — without heirs.

To whom the debt may be returned. When he (the thief) recants and confesses to his crime. The Rabbis remark, ‘Is there anyone in Yisroel without redeemers, whether a son, brother, or paternal blood relation [branching] upward to [the patriarch] Yaakov? But [this refers to] a proselyte who died without heirs.

The debt being returned. This is the principal and the fifth thereof.

To Adonoy, [then] to the kohein. God takes possession of it, then gives it to the kohein [serving] in that watch.

Besides the ram of forgiveness. Mentioned in Vayikra, which he is required to bring.

Every terumah-gift, etc. R’ Yishmael said, “Is terumah-gift brought to the kohein? Does he not seek it, himself, in the granary? Then why does the Torah state, ‘ . . . which they bring to the kohein?’ These are the bikurim-gifts, about which it is stated, ‘[. . . the first fruits of your land] must be brought to the House of Adonoy, your God.’ But one does not know what must be done with them. The Torah therefore states, ‘ . . . to the kohein, it shall belong to him.’ Scripture teaches, concerning the bikurim-gifts, that they must be given to the kohein.

A man’s sacred objects shall be his. Since the priestly and Levite gifts are mandated, one might assume that they may confiscate them forcefully. The Torah therefore teaches that “A man’s sacred objects shall be his,” informing [us] that the executory benefits belong to the [original Israelite] owner. Many other homiletical interpretations are offered by Sifri. Midrash Aggadah [states], “A man’s sacred objects shall be his” [states]: If someone withholds his tithes, and refuses to give them, [then] “[they shall] be his” — the tithes. Ultimately, his land will yield only one tenth of its normal produce.

Shall be his. Great riches.

If any man’s wife goes astray. What is written [immediately] above this subject? “A man’s sacred objects shall be his.” (v. 10) [This implies that] If you withhold the kohein’s gifts, then by your life! You will find it necessary to visit him, to bring the sotah to him.

Any man [lit. A man, a man]. This teaches that she is doubly treacherous; against the “man of warfare” on high, and her husband [lit. “man”] below.

[If any man’s] wife goes astray. Our Rabbis teach: Adulterers do not commit adultery unless they are imbued with the spirit of foolishness, as it is written כִּי תִשְׂטֶה [lit. acts foolishly]. and it is written, “the adulterer lacks reason”: The simple explanation of the verse is, “[If any man’s wife] turns aside from the ways of modesty” and arouses his suspicion, as in “turn aside from him, and pass by,” “let your heart not turn to her ways.

And acts treacherously toward him. What is the treachery?

And a man has lain. This excludes a minor and a non-human.

With her. Lying with her disqualifies her. but not laying with her sister (as in the incident of two sisters who resembled one another).

But it was hidden from her husband’s eyes. This excludes a blind man. Therefore, if he (the husband) saw [the adultery] and feigned ignorance, the [bitter] waters do not test her.

She was concealed. Long enough to have been defiled by intercourse.

There is no witness against her. But if even one witness testified that she was defiled [by intercourse], she did not drink [the bitter waters].

There is no witness against her. To the defilement, but there are witnesses to the concealment.

Seized forcibly. Ravished, as in, “. . . siezed her forcibly and laid with her.”

Comes upon him. Before the concealment.

A spirit of jealousy, and he is jealous. The Rabbis interpret this as “warning.” He warns her not to be alone with a certain man,

And she was defiled. Or, comes upon him . . . etc. As if it had said, ‘he warned her and she ignored the warning, but it is not known whether or not she was defiled.’

flour. But not of fine flour.

Barley. But not wheat. [Because] she acted like an animal, her offering consists of animal feed.

He shall not pour oil over it. So that her offering may not be resplendent. for, [olive] oil is identified as light, while she acted in darkness.

He shall not put frankincense on it. The matriarchs are called “frankincense,” as it is said, “. . . and to the hill of frankincense,” but she departed from their ways.

For it is a meal-offering of jealousy. This meal. “Meal” is masculine.

A meal-offering of jealousy (wrath). She arouses a double wrath against her; the wrath of the Supreme Omnipresent Being, and the wrath of her husband.

Sanctified waters. Sanctified in the wash basin. Because the wash basin was made from the copper of the “multitude mirrors,” while this [sotah] departed from their ways. They had relations with their husbands in Egypt beneath the apple tree, but this [sotah] corrupted herself with a stranger — let her be tested by it (the wash basin).

In a clay utensil. She served the adulterer excellent wine in superb goblets — therefore, let her drink the bitter water in a wretched clay cup.

The kohein shall station . . . etc., Has it not already said, ‘ . .and station her before Adonoy’? (V. 16) But, they moved her from place to place to exhaust her, so that she might lose her composure and confess.

Expose. He disentangles the plaits of her hair, to humiliate her. From this we derive that, for daughters of Yisroel, a bared head is debasing.

Before Adonoy. At the Nikanor gate. This was the eastern gateway to the [Temple] courtyard, the route by which everyone entered.

And place, on her palms. To exhaust her, [in the hope] that she might lose her composure and confess, so that the Sacred Name not be erased in the water.

The bitter. Because of their aftermath, when they are bitter to her.

Lethal. Which eliminate her from the world, like the phrase, “. . . lethal thornbush.” But it is inappropriate to translate “accursed waters,” as they are sacred [v.17]. And Scripture does not write אֲרוּרִים, but מְאָרְרִים — affecting others. Even Onkelos did not translate לִיטַיָּא, “accursed,” but מְלַטְטַיָּא, “curse causing” — they reveal the curse in the body of this [sotah].

Shall place her under oath . . . etc. What is the oath? ‘If no [man] laid [with you], be absolved but if he laid [with you], may you choke’! A negative statement expresses, by implication, its positive converse, but we are commanded to open capital cases with the presumption of innocence.

If you have gone astray. כִּי is used in the sense of “if.”

With the oath of accursedness. The oath which contains the curse.

Adonoy shall make you a curse: Everyone will curse through you: ‘May [a curse] befall you the way it befell so-and-so.’

And an oath. Everyone will swear through you: ‘If [my oath is] not [true], may [disaster] happen to me the way it happened to so-and-so. Similarly, it says, “you will leave your names [to be used] as an oath by My chosen.” — the virtuous swear by the punishment of the wicked. Similarly, with regard to blessings, “and through you will be blessed . . . etc., “through you shall [the People of] Yisroel bless, saying. . .”

Your thigh. In the curse, the thigh precedes the abdomen, because her transgression began there.

Swell. As Targum [Onkelos] translates, “swollen.”

To swell the abdomen. [לַצְבּוֹת בֶּטֶן is] like לְהַצְבּוֹת בֶּטֶן, “to cause the abdomen to swell.” This is the function of the פַּתַּח when it vocalizes the ל' . Similarly, לַנְחוֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ, (“to lead them on the way,”) לַרְאוֹתְכֶם בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶר תֵּלְכוּ בָהּ (“to show you the way in which to go.”) Similarly, לַנְפִּל יָרֵך, לְהַנְפִּיל יָרֵךְ (“to cause the thigh to collapse”). The waters swell the abdomen and collapse the thigh.

To swell the abdomen and collapse the thigh. The abdomen and thigh of the adulterer, or perhaps it refers only to the adulteress? When Scripture says, “. . . your thigh to collapse and abdomen to swell,” the [punishment of the] adulteress has been stated.

Amein, Amein. [This is] The acceptance of the oath. Amein for the curse, Amein for the oath. Amein if [I strayed] from this husband, Amein if [I strayed] from a different husband. Amein that I did not stray [when] betrothed, married, levirately engaged or taken to his home.

He shall have the woman drink. It was not done in this order, as he brought her offering first. But Scripture informs you that when he does give her the waters, they will penetrate her with bitterness. Since it [merely] says “abdomen” and “thigh,” how do we know the rest of the body [is affected]? The Torah states “and [the waters] shall enter her,” completely. If so, why does the Torah say “abdomen” and “thigh”? Since they began the transgression, the punishment began with them.

To become bitter. They will be harmful and bitter for her.

And shall wave. He moves it forward, back, up, and down. She, too, waves with him, with her hand above the hand of the kohein.

And bring it. This refers to placing it at the southwest corner of the altar before taking the handful, like the other minchah- offerings.

Its commemoration. This is the handful. Through its burning, the mincha-offering is remembered on high. (Sifri, 5:72.)

He shall make her drink the water. [This is written] to add that if she said, ”I will not drink” after the scroll was erased, we coerce her, forcing her to drink against her will, unless she says “I am defiled.”

Her abdomen will swell. Although, in the curse, Scripture mentions the thigh first, the water tested her just the way it entered her.

The woman will be a curse. As I explained, everyone will use her to curse.

Among her people. There is a difference between a person disgraced among those who know her, and a person disgraced among those who do not know her.

But if the woman was not defiled. During this concealment.

And is pure. From any other place.

She will be cleansed. Of the lethal waters. Furthermore, “she will bear seed” — if she suffered during childbirth, her labor will now be painless. If she gave birth to swarthy [babies], they will now be light.

If (lit., or) [he is] a man. As in, “If it was known.” As if it had said, “If he is a vengeful man, and, therefore, he shall have the woman stand.”

The man is cleansed of sin. If the water affected her, let him not be tormented saying: “I was responsible for her death.” He is cleansed from punishment. Another interpretation: After he (the kohein) causes her to drink, she is permitted to be with him (her husband), and he is cleansed of sin. For, the [untested] sotah is forbidden to [have intimate relations with] her husband.