The episode of the scarlet letter seems minimal compared to the ordeals of the Sotah, found in this week’s Parasha. Bible scholar Alice Bach explains how the Sotah, the case of a woman accused by her husband of adultery, is the only instance in the Torah when a person can be accused of a capital crime without two witnesses. Once accused by her husband, as part of the ritual, the woman was brought before a Kohen and required to drink bitter waters filled with dust from the floor.
- Why do you think the Torah contains such a specific ritual for this scenario of suspected adultery?
- Why do you think the Kohen was brought in to handle this case?