The Parsha of Sotah
The Torah describes the details of a Sotah: if a woman acts in a manner that
causes her husband to suspect her of infidelity, he should warn her not to
go into seclusion with that other man. If she violates this warning, then
the husband is to take her to the Kohain. The Kohain will give her the
“bitter waters” to drink. If she was unfaithful, she will instantly die. If
she was not unfaithful, she will be redeemed and blessed.
When the Torah lays out the details, it uses an unusual expression: כי תשטה
“If a man will ‘tistheh’ his wife. The word “tishteh” comes from the root “shoteh,”
which means insanity. As if to say, if a man will accuse his wife of
insanity.” Rashi is troubled by the use of this expression. He explains
based on the Gemearah, adulterers do not sin until a wave of insanity enters
them. The Siftei Chachmim explains this means “until their yetzer harah
teaches them it is permitted.”
It seems clear from the Siftei Chachaim that the modus operandi of the
yetzer harah is to convince the potential sinners that the act that tempts
them is permitted. Only when he succeeds -- and they are convinced -- will
they then transgress.
This statement -- people only sin when they are convinced that it is
permitted -- seems difficult to understand. If we are dealing with a pious,
proper Jewish woman who got into a bad situation, she knows that the act
that she wants to commit is forbidden. How can the Yetzer Harah teach her
that it is permitted? On the other hand, the Torah may be speaking about the
opposite extreme - a woman who has gone off the path and just doesn’t care -
why does she need the yetzer harah to tell her it is permitted? She just
doesn’t care.
So on both sides of the spectrum, the Yetzer Harah either should not be able
to convince the person that it is permitted, or he shouldn’t need to
convince them.
I never do anything wrong
The answer to this question is based on understanding one of the most
consistent quirks of human nature: “I never do anything wrong.” Whether
dealing with sophisticated adults or schoolchildren, whether Supreme Court
justices or convicted felons, the human seems never to do anything wrong.
Wardens will tell you that their jails are filled with self-proclaimed
innocent men. Criminals aren’t wrong. Villains aren’t wrong. Murderers
aren’t wrong. You won’t find a gangster proclaiming,“Yes, it is evil to
murder and pillage, but what can I do? I am weak and give into my desires.”
Instead, you will hear an entire belief system explaining that his approach
is actually better for society and the world.
The question is why? Why can’t man just utter the words: it is wrong to
steal, but I want to do it anyway?
The inner workings of the human
The reason for this has to do with the inner working of the human. HASHEM
created man out of two distinct parts. One is comprised all of the drives
and passions found in the animal kingdom; it is simply base instincts and
desires. The other part of man is pure intellect: holy, good and giving.
That part of me wishes to be generous and noble and only aspires for that
which is good.
Because this part of me is made up of pure intellect and wisdom, it would
never allow me to sin. It sees the results too clearly. It understands that
all of HASHEM’s commandments are for my good and that every sin damages me.
Because of this crystal clear insight, the human would not have free will to
sin. In theory, he could be tempted to sin, but he would never actually come
to the act – it would be akin to sticking his hand in a fire.. In theory he
could do it, but it would never happen - it is dumb. So if HASHEM created
man with just these two parts, man would not have free will in a practical
sense.
To allow man to be tempted, thereby to choose his course and be rewarded for
his proper choices, HASHEM put another component in man: imagination, the
creative ability to form a mental picture and feel it as vividly as if it
were real. Armed with an imagination, man can create fanciful worlds at his
will and actually believe them. If man wishes to turn to evil, he can create
rationales to make these ways sound noble and proper - and fool himself at
least. If he wishes, he can do what is right, or if he wishes, he can turn
to wickedness. Even his brilliant intellect won’t prevent him. He is capable
of creating entire worldviews that explain how the behavior he desires is
righteous, correct, and appropriate. Now man has free will.
The answer to the Rashi is on two levels. First off, we see the power of
rationalizing. Even a fully mature, pious woman who grew up in the best of
homes can be convinced, on some level, that illicit relations are permitted.
The yetzer harah will use her imagination and create clever and creative
ways to explain that black is white, in is out, and arayos is permitted. As
ridiculous as it sounds, that is the power given to the yetzer harah.
The second idea is that even that woman who seems to be off the derech and
wouldn’t need an excuse – really does. No human can ever do something that
is wrong. Because of the greatness of her soul and the truth that she knows
deep down inside, she understands that for a married woman to go to another
man is forbidden. The only way that she can perpetrate this act is if she
has a rational way of explaining how in fact it is permitted. The human is
incapable of doing something wrong. The only way he can do something wrong
is by making it right.
There are two major concepts that we see in this Rashi. 1. We see the
greatness of the human. Without this superimposed force called imagination,
man’s soul is so great that he couldn’t possibly sin. 2. Because of the
greatness of man’s soul, to allow for free will, HASHEM created this force
that allows man to believe exactly what he wants to. So now even the very
pious woman can be deluded into thinking the impossible: arayos is
permitted. The power of her imagination is such that the yetzer harah can
paint a picture that makes the forbidden permitted. And so, while we see the
greatness of man, we also see how susceptible we are to being duped into
believing whatever we wish to believe.
For more on this topic listen to Shmuz #19 -
I Never Do Anything Wrong
