The Bitter Waters of the Sotah
In Parashat Nasso 5:11-31, Hashem tells about a woman that is suspected of adultery by her husband. I assume you know the details... So the husband takes her to the Bet Hamikdash, to Cohen for the test. A Cohen gives her a drink of bitter waters, if she is guilty, she dies there, but if she is not, she is blessed with a child.
We have another incident of the bitter waters in a different parsha. In Parashat Beshalach 15:23-25, right after the Am Yisrael goes through the Yam Suf, the nation becomes thirsty, but couldn't drink the waters of the Marah, since they were bitter. So, they asked Moshe, who in turn asked Hashem. And Hashem showed him a piece of wood, that he threw into the water and it became sweet. And.. the nation drank.
I believe there's something about this piece of wood. So, let's look at it closer.
Have you ever wondered, why Aron HaKodesh, looks this way? - click here
In Parashat Terumah, we are told about the details of the Aron HaKodesh. A wooden box covered with gold from the inside out. On the cover of the box, there are two golden figures of angels - Keruvim facing each other with their wings stretched forward. Inside the box are two sets of Luchot - the 10 Commandments. And on the side of the box, two golden loops on each side, through which wooden poles covered with gold were inserted. The ends of each pole are wider than the opening of the loops, which makes it impossible to insert the poles through the loops, so the Zohar says - that miracle occurs, and the poles pass through the loops miraculously.
It is a very holy and mystical structure, where every part of it represents something.
The tablets with 10 Commandments that are inside the box - represent a Ketuba - a marriage contract. When man and woman get married - they get a Ketuba, and the 10 Commandments is a Ketuba between the nation of Israel and Hashem, since on Shavuot when we receive the Torah, Hashem marries the nation of Israel.
Each wedding ceremony or chupa has 2 witnesses, and the two Keruvim - the golden angels on top of the Aron HaKodesh also serve as witnesses. Every time Cohen HaGadol goes into Kadosh Kedoshim on Yom Kippur, based on certain signs of the Keruvim, he determines whether Hashem is happy with the way the nation is leading the way of life or not.
The wooden poles are covered in gold on the sides of the Aron HaKodesh, which represent man and woman or to be exact - a husband and wife. Why are the poles covered in gold, you ask? Simple...what is Tzeniut or Modesty? When a couple follows the laws of modesty - in front of Hashem they are covered in gold, but by uncovering themselves, or dressing immodestly they are displaying their wooden-like human body, since wood and the human body are physical products grown by Earth, which makes them look lowly in the eyes of G-d.
So, there you have it - two wooden poles, covered in gold, miraculously inserted into the rings, as the Zohar says. The Torah adds: And the poles shall never be removed... But if the wife removes her golden wrapping, abandons her position on Aron HaKodesh, and is suspected of having relations with someone else, other than her husband - Torah requires her to go through a test of bitter waters. If she is guilty she dies, if she is not guilty - she is blessed with a child, and Hashem wraps her back in gold and restores her to her former position.
And this makes Aron HaKodesh a symbol of Loyalty between Husband and Wife, and a symbol of Loyalty between the Nation of Israel and Hashem.
The Midrash says Leviyim carried the Aron HaKodesh by holding the poles from each side. It adds, that it is not the Leviyim who carried the Aron HaKodesh, but it is the Aron HaKodesh that carried the Leviyim in the desert.
So it is, with the husband and the wife. When the couple gets married or later on in life - dedicates their life - their whole existence, to Kabbalat Ol Malchut Shamayim – Accepting the Kingship of Heaven, by following the laws of G-d, and leading a family based on Torah values. It is not the couple who carries the burden of The Kingship of Heaven, but it is The Kingship of Heaven just like Aron HaKodesh that carries the couple through their journey of life - by overflowing them with holiness, abundance, and constant miracles.
Shmuel Katanov
