daf bit: Sotah 19

[cellio]

The torah describes the ritual of the sotah, a woman accused by her husband of adultery. If the husband insists, the woman can be forced to drink a potion in which a parchment containing the divine name has been disolved. If she is guilty, unpleasant things happen to her; if she is innocent, there is no effect. The consequences can be severe, so the g'mara discusses whether a husband can force this ritual more than once. If she has been proven innocent, can he accuse her again later? And if she is divorced and remarries, can she again be put in jeopardy by the second husband? And does it matter if she is accused of impropritety with the same man both times? In the case of the same husband and the same lover all agree that she must go through this trial only once (no matter how many alleged incidents there are); in the case of two husbands and two different lovers all agree that she is subject to this trial twice. The other cases -- one husband and two lovers, or two husbands and one lover -- are disputed. (18b - 19a)

Comments

[zevabe.livejournal.com]

There is debate regarding what promise is given to the innocent Sotah. One opinion guarantees her children (this leads nicely to a midrash that Hannah wanted to be warned not to seclude herself with any certain someone (she didn't care who) so that she could make herself a sotah and then be innocent and have children...not sure if that is more or less awful than the things women must now endure to have children through fertility treatments). The other opinion says that her future children will be better.

[cellio]

Tomorrow's daf covers this, as it turns out (and thus tomorrow's daf bit). Not Channah; that's elsewhere. But the reward and the reasoning that hey, if she gets kids out of it, wouldn't any but the most virtuous women set themselves up for the accusation to get the reward?