Naso: sotah, Nazir, wine

    

Naso: Sotah, Nazir, wine

  

The word sotah is related to Satan, the obstructor, the misleader ( see Balak) Someone is misled in the sotah situation ... the husband  by his unfounded suspicion, the wife by her expectations from her husband and/or lover.What motivates infidelity? Or should the question be what motivates fidelity? The answer to this is tied to the cause of jealousy.

Does the husband not satisfy the wife's notion  of how her life should be and she looks for some element of that fulfillment elswhere?

Does the husband recognize his inadequacy and therefore suspect his wife?

 

The word Nazir  is related to Zar, stranger.  The Nazir is estranged from humanity, his self imposed sanctitiy is strange and alienating.  He cannot mourn with his community, he cannot drink with his buddies ( what does he do at the Seder?)  ( Jeramiah 35:5)ה וָאֶתֵּן לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי בֵית-הָרֵכָבִים גְּבִעִים מְלֵאִים יַיִן וְכֹסוֹת וָאֹמַר אֲלֵיהֶם שְׁתוּ-יָיִן.  ו וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא נִשְׁתֶּה-יָּיִן  כִּי יוֹנָדָב בֶּן-רֵכָב אָבִינוּ צִוָּה עָלֵינוּ לֵאמֹר לֹא תִשְׁתּוּ-יַיִן אַתֶּם וּבְנֵיכֶם עַד-עוֹלָם.  The nazir is one of the Rachavim, descendants of the Zona and wife of Joshua, striving, in some ways successfully,  to be holier than the Cohanim. It is said that one who sees the Sotah ceremony is tempted to become a Nazir.  The son of the zona (Rachav) with the the name that includes Nadav ( son of Aaron)  will never drink wine