Grounds for the Ordeal

Although the Bible does not state that a man must have evidence of his wife’s adultery before subjecting her to the sotah ordeal, rabbinic law requires circumstantial evidence of misconduct. The woman must seclude herself with another man for a sufficient length of time to commit adultery after being warned not to do so. Absent the seclusion and the warning, a husband, no matter how jealous or suspicious, cannot subject his wife to the ordeal. Because baseless accusations are inadmissible, the rabbinic treatment of the accused woman adopts a presumption of guilt. Her husband may not have sex with her, and if he is a priest, she may not eat the priestly dues (terumah) to which she is otherwise entitled until she has passed the trial. If the husband dies before she has a chance to undergo the ordeal and they do not have children, she does not marry his brother, as required by Deuteronomy 25:5–6 (a process called levirate marriage, or yibbum). Rather, she must release herself from the obligation through the ḥalitsah ritual (Deuteronomy 25:7–10).