About This Text
Composed: Talmudic Israel, c.375 – c.425 CE
Sotah is a tractate in Seder Nashim (“Order of Women,” which addresses family law). Its first six chapters discuss laws relating to a sotah, or woman whose husband suspects her of adultery. The tractate outlines the process the sotah experiences, beginning with a warning issued by her husband and her seclusion with another man and through the steps of the ritual performed in the Temple in order to determine her culpability. The last three chapters discuss other rituals that involve recitation.