Sotah

("wife suspected of adultery"). Fifth tractate of Order Nashim in the Mishnah. Its nine chapters deal primarily with the laws pertaning to a wife suspected of marital infidelity and her trial by the Sanhedrin (cf. Num. 5:11-31; Deut. 20:1-9, 21:1-9). The procedure included bringing an offering to the priest, the mixing of the "holy water" with the dust of the Sanctuary, the loosening of the woman's hair, the administering of a special oath, and the requirement for her to drink the "bitter waters" before the court. Also covered in this tractate are various laws dealing with blessings or oaths which must be said in the Holy Tongue (Hebrew) and those which may be said in another language, exemptions from military service, and the procedure called "breaking the heifer's neck" if a man is found slain outside the city with no witnesses to his murder (Deut. 21:1-9). The name Sotah is derived from the verb seti or satoh (in Aramaic) which means to stray from the path of righteousness. The subject matter is amplified in both Talmuds and in the Tosefta.

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