Talk:Ordeal of the bitter water
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On 14 May 2013, it was proposed that this article be moved from Sotah to Ordeal of the bitter water. The result of the discussion was page moved. |
Accurate name for this topic/article
editIt is logical and accurate that this article be called Sotah for the over-all subject and not just for its so-called "ordeal". Therefore Ordeal of the bitter water was redirceted to here with ALL its contents intact. Thank you, IZAK (talk) 10:23, 30 November 2009 (UTC)
Article written from a Christian POV?
editIn Jewish translations of Numbers, there's nothing about the accused woman being pregnant, nor was the ritual supposed to make her miscarry (it was actually supposed to make her and her lover explode). Here's a Jewish translation: http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9933
Should there be something in here about how Jewish and Christian translations have different POVs on what the Sotah ritual actually is?(162.140.67.10 (talk) 13:07, 16 June 2011 (UTC))
- I fixed the above. Are there any other issues? -- -- -- 20:07, 21 March 2012 (UTC)
The word "embroider" seems to be offering editorial on the life of Mary in a trivializing tone? Justaquery (talk) 03:05, 12 December 2022 (UTC)
Is this MEANT (in source *or* by deliberate misrepresentation) to sound... sexualized or erotic???
edit"Made to swallow the bitter water... that caused the curse... of adultery... while bare breasted... before a priest"?! Is this a fake allusion to ritual fellatio meant to discredit or insult, a real allusion to some pagan pre-Judaic weirdness, a sensationalist translation of something innocent, or for reals? And if for real, is this, then, a really badly written "politically correct" explanation of ritual humiliation of cheating wives or something? 68.183.124.21 (talk) 20:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
Requested move
editLengthy discussion
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The result of the move request was: page moved to Ordeal of the bitter water. Remaining disambiguation can be done with hatnotes. Miniapolis 17:03, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
– restore to "ordeal of the bitter water" the term found in Jacob Neusner The Theology of the halakhah 2001 Page 107 and other English-language scholarly sources relating both to original context in Numbers 5 and also to commentary on Numbers 5 in the Talmud. Sotah should move to Note to closer - since RM was placed Sotah (Talmud) has changed from a redirect to Nashim to a standalone article, see strikeouts in text above, this may mean that Sotah (Talmud) should move to Sotah, see below
If the decision eventually is to split an article on the woman from an article on the process, and the process alone is to be discussed here, another name to consider is "Ordeal of Jealousy" as per the Encyclopedia Judaica. If that is the case, I would still strongly urge that the tractate title remain Sotah (tractate) and that Sotah itself be a brief article explaining that it is the term used for the woman. However, we still don't have a consensus to move this article yet. -- Avi (talk) 16:35, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
Request for clarification: what should this article be abouteditI think the main crux of the disagreement In octi and I share emanates from our different conceptions of what this article should contain. Please correct me if I am wrong but:
If I am correct, I think we need to address this question before deciding on any moves. I would think that if 1 proves to be the consensus, we have the following structure:
If 2 proves to be the consesus, I suggest:
Thoughts? -- Avi (talk) 16:45, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
I think that my concerns would be addressed if Sotah redirects here with a See also at top for the Talmud article (the lede would have to change a tad). I'd prefer that than a DAB page. In that case, I will retract my opposition, and instead recommend that this be moved to "ordeal of jealousy". -- Avi (talk) 17:39, 7 June 2013 (UTC) Okay, so what to do now?editSee above Note to closer - since RM was placed Sotah (Talmud) has changed from a redirect to Nashim to a standalone article, see strikeouts in text above, this may mean that Sotah (Talmud) should move to Sotah, see below Should Sotah (Talmud) move to Sotah, or Sotah be a dab between the ordeal of bitter water and the Tractate? Per WP:TWODABS I believe the first is normal WP:DAB treatment. In ictu oculi (talk) 11:01, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
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Testing the husband
editWe should mention that according to Chazal, the ordeal tests the husband as well, and if he is guilty of the same he is punished similarly. I have to look up the mekoros though, as I don't remember them off-hand. -- Avi (talk) 14:39, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
- Thanks, -- -- --. -- Avi (talk) 21:24, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
Reference point?
editIn octuli, perhaps I am just obtuse, but what does your recent edit add to the understanding of the topic? I'm not even sure what it means. Thanks. -- Avi (talk) 14:50, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- Given that the actual ordeal was no longer practised I think Helena Zlotnick's point is that afterwards it was a reference point to future alternative "tests" of adultery. In ictu oculi (talk) 14:56, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- I am not certain that:
- That is encylopedic
- The source supports that contention
- Even if it is relevant, if it is lede-worthy
- Even the sentence as you write it, in my opinion, does not add meaningful information knowledge to the article, and I personally would think it is not necessary, certainly in the lede. I will move it to the body for now, but I'd like to hear others' opinions as to whether or not this sentence is helpful for fleshing out the article. Thank you. -- Avi (talk) 16:18, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- I added "According to Helena Zlotnick," to avoid giving a minority view undue weight. I am not aware of any other sources holding Zlotnick's view. -- -- -- 20:47, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- Do you think that it adds anything to the article, or should be removed? -- Avi (talk) 20:49, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- From our Orthodox Jewish POV, it should definitely be removed. But I can not comment on how it should be treated by Wikipedia rules. (After all, you're the administrator here, not me). -- -- -- 21:29, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- Maybe so, but for the purposes of editing the article I'm no more and no less editor than anyone else in good standing. I don't see any benefit to the article that this sentence brings, from any perspective. -- Avi (talk) 22:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- Helena Zlotnick is not in fact the only commentator to ask the question how/if at all does this apply in the modern era. In ictu oculi (talk) 04:36, 25 May 2013 (UTC)
- Understood; the Talmud itself discusses the inability to perform the rite in the modern era (well, modern for them :-) ). My question is, all the sentence does is say "Sotah has been discussed in the 20th century." It's discussed daily by hundreds or thousands of people learning Meseches Sotah, what relevance does that have to this article? Thanks. -- Avi (talk) 22:59, 26 May 2013 (UTC)
- Well it's partly a prompt to improve a very badly structured/sourced article. Normally we have (i) ancient near east material, (ii) rabbinical era commentary, modern 2013 synagogue application (iii) Christian and muslim development if any, in this article as far as I know none. In this article if anyone can pick out 2013 application from the mess they are cleverer than me. In ictu oculi (talk) 01:05, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
- I don't understand. Are you saying that nowadays, the ordeal of bitter water is (only?) refered to when searching for replacements for testing adultery? Is anyone searching for such replacements nowadays? -- -- -- 03:20, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
- Yes, Helena Zlotnick, and also Jacob Neusner and Nahmanides, say that since the end of the ordeal of bitter water, the main use of the ordeal of bitter water - as in Sotah - is mainly refered to when searching for replacements for testing adultery? Since it isn't done, what other modern use is there? The only other context is academics discussing the original ordeal in Ancient Israel. In ictu oculi (talk) 01:27, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
- I don't understand. Are you saying that nowadays, the ordeal of bitter water is (only?) refered to when searching for replacements for testing adultery? Is anyone searching for such replacements nowadays? -- -- -- 03:20, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
- Well it's partly a prompt to improve a very badly structured/sourced article. Normally we have (i) ancient near east material, (ii) rabbinical era commentary, modern 2013 synagogue application (iii) Christian and muslim development if any, in this article as far as I know none. In this article if anyone can pick out 2013 application from the mess they are cleverer than me. In ictu oculi (talk) 01:05, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
- Understood; the Talmud itself discusses the inability to perform the rite in the modern era (well, modern for them :-) ). My question is, all the sentence does is say "Sotah has been discussed in the 20th century." It's discussed daily by hundreds or thousands of people learning Meseches Sotah, what relevance does that have to this article? Thanks. -- Avi (talk) 22:59, 26 May 2013 (UTC)
- Helena Zlotnick is not in fact the only commentator to ask the question how/if at all does this apply in the modern era. In ictu oculi (talk) 04:36, 25 May 2013 (UTC)
- Do you think that it adds anything to the article, or should be removed? -- Avi (talk) 20:49, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- I added "According to Helena Zlotnick," to avoid giving a minority view undue weight. I am not aware of any other sources holding Zlotnick's view. -- -- -- 20:47, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
- I am not certain that:
Were her breasts bared?
editThe article seems to contradict itself on this matter stating:
- "The Mishnah also states that the garment she was wearing was ripped to expose her heart. A rope was tied above her breasts so that her clothes did not completely fall off. The Mishnah, however, argues that the clothing on the woman's upper body was also stripped away, leaving her bare-breasted."
It cites Mishna, Sotah, 1:5, but as far as I can tell the Mishnah says:
- "וְקוֹרֵעַ עַד שֶׁהוּא מְגַלֶּה אֶת לִבָּהּ... וְקוֹשְׁרוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִדָּדֶיהָ כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִפְּלוּ הַבְּגָדִים וְנִמְצֵאת עֲרֻמָּה"[1]
I don't see any further elaboration in the Talmude[2], Nor in Mishneh Torah[3]. however, the Jewish encyclopedia states:
- "He rent her garment so that her breast was exposed, and loosened her hair; she was draped in black; all ornaments were removed from her person, and a rope was tied around her chest."[4]
Doesnt cover all of Numbers 5:11-31
editsee above Johnphantom (talk) 00:29, 29 October 2019 (UTC)
Template:Bibleverse
editThis template creates an external link. The external links content guideline states that external links "should not normally be used in the body of an article". Furthermore, the use of inline parenthetical referencing is now deprecated on Wikipedia. Place external links to the Bible in footnotes, but be aware that the Bible may be considered a primary source, which should be used with care in sourcing Wikipedia articles.
I only changed the first one in the article because I want to see how this is received. (talk) 12:07, 23 October 2022 (UTC)