7b: Bad Cop

We have come to the end of apologetics for the Sota ritual. In the mishna on 7a-7b it is described in detail and is rather disturbing. First it is in public, and other women are encouraged to watch -- ostensibly to discourage them from ever putting themselves in that situation. It is interesting that the Sota's servants are not allowed to be there lest it embolden her not to cop to her alleged infidelity. Next there is this good cop/bad cop routine that the judges put her through - trying to convince her to confess so as to avoid the Sota ritual. If she confesses she forfeits her ketubba and is divorced - not a good position for a woman to be in during this period of history. If she refuses to confess -- let the humiliation begin! Her shirt is ripped off and her hair is exposed. This act of exposing her breasts and hair is rightly questioned by R Yehuda, who seems to have the obvious concern that this act defeats the purpose of the whole ritual. If this is all a way to guard against infidelity by making an example out of this woman, then why add to licentiousness with nudity in the streets? The gemara discusses this issues - which is sticky because the Torah requires this disrobing by the rabbis are clearly uncomfortable with this part of the ritual. She is then made to look ugly -- putting on black clothes and losing her jewelry.

I would like to think that, because of the barbarity of this ritual, our reading of the gemara until now has been accurate -- the rabbis are doing everything they can to try to avoid a woman having to go through this. But is that just my modern bias coming through? Is this limiting similar to the limiting of the ben sore u'more and the eye for an eye business? Is it different because it is a woman involved? Disturbing stuff...