The Autistic Parashah | Naso
Parashat Naso is a complex and multifaceted portion that offers much for reflection, especially through an inclusive lens. It's also the longest single parasha in the Torah.
As we delve into our Torah portion, we encounter troubling aspects that demand our attention and critique, particularly the Sotah ritual and the exclusion of those deemed ritually impure from the camp.
The Sotah ritual, described in Numbers 5:11-31, is a disturbing and oppressive practice. It subjects a woman suspected of adultery (by her husband) to a humiliating ordeal, with no parallel process for men. This gendered application, and the physical and emotional humiliation it entails, is deeply problematic. As Rabbis Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg explain in their book For Times Such as These, the laws of Sotah, as expanded in the Talmud, fostered a culture of mistrust of women and of treating women's bodies as property.
