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

[dvarin.livejournal.com]

...doesn't dissolving the divine name in a potion break the command not to erase it?

[cellio]

Yes, it does, which is part of why subjecting someone to this ritual is very serious. The torah lays out the specifics (else this would be a non-starter). I expect there's a pile of rabbinic commentary to the effect that preserving a marriage (by proving the woman's innocence) is that important. The ritual itself is pretty degrading, though, so even when she's proven innocent, it's still unpleasant all around -- for her, for her husband (though less so), and for the priests who have to administer it.