Sotah 1:4-5

Sotah 1:4

The woman is brought to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, and they warn her as they do witnesses in capital cases (in the hopes that she might be encouraged to confess). They say, “My daughter, the following things cause much misconduct: wine, levity, immaturity and bad neighbors. Act for the sake of God’s great Name, which is written in holiness, so that it will not have to be blotted out in water.” They say things that neither she nor her father’s family should ever have to hear (i.e., they relate the story of Yehuda and Tamar, and how Yehuda admitted his guilt, and similar incidents).

Sotah 1:5

If she confesses infidelity, she signs a document acknowledging that she is not entitled to the value of her kesubah, after which she leaves. If she maintains her innocence, they bring her to the East Gate, which faces the entrance to the Nicanor Gate, where women suspected of adultery were given the sotah water to drink, where women were purified after giving birth, and where people were purified from tzaraas. A kohein grabs her garment by the neck and if it rips or tears, so be it, until he uncovers her heart (i.e., upper chest) and her hair. Rabbi Yehuda says that if her chest or hair is particularly attractive, he does not uncover it (as this might incite the young kohanim present).