Divine Reciprocity: Biblical Instances of Measure-for-Measure (‘Midah Keneged Midah’) Punishment and Reward (Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9)

This Mishnaic aggadic passage explores the principle of midah keneged midah ("measure for measure"), asserting that individuals are punished according to the nature of their misdeeds.¹

Outline

Intro

The Passage - Divine Reciprocity: Biblical Instances of Measure-for-Measure (‘Midah Keneged Midah’) Punishment and Reward (Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9)

1. Sota (Numbers 5) - A List of 3 parallels

2. Samson (Judges 16): Samson, who "followed his eyes" (i.e., was driven by visual desire), is punished through the gouging of his eyes

3. Absalom (II Samuel 15–18) - A List of 3 parallels

4. Miriam (Exodus 2:4; Numbers 12:15): Miriam waited for Moses as a baby; Israel later waits 7 days for her during her tzara'at

5. Chain of burials

   1. Joseph buries his father Jacob (Genesis 50:7–9)

   2. Moses buries Joseph (Exodus 13:19)

   3. God buries Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6)

   4. God buries all righteous (Isaiah 58:8)

Appendix 1 - Excerpts from the corresponding Tosefta (Tosefta Sotah 3-4)

1. The Sotah Ritual as Enacted Retribution (Numbers 5:18) - A List of 12 parallels (Tosefta Sotah 3:1)

2. Abraham and the Wilderness Generation: Narrative Parallels (Genesis 18; Numbers 10–21) - A List of 8 parallels (Tosefta Sotah 4:1)

Appendix 2 - Outline of the corresponding Tosefta (Tosefta Sotah 3-4)

Appendix 3 - Measure-for-Measure Divine Punishment in the Talmud

1. “He denied the Resurrection; therefore he will not have a share in the Resurrection” (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)

2. Egyptians’ Measure-for-Measure Punishment Through Drowning (Sotah 11a)

3. Vashti’s Punishment as Measure-for-Measure (Megillah 12b)

The Passage

Mishnah_Sotah.1.7-9

Sota (Numbers 5) - A List of 3 parallels

The sota passage exemplifies proportional punishment. She adorned (קשטה) and exposed (גלתה - “revealed") herself for adulterous sex, so God exposes and disfigures² her. The order of bodily punishment corresponds to the anatomical sequence of her sin: thigh first, then belly (בטן).

במדה שאדם מודד,

בה מודדין לו.

1. 1. היא קשטה את עצמה לעברה,

   2. המקום נולה.

2. 1. היא גלתה את עצמה לעברה,

   2. המקום גלה עליה.

3. 1. בירך התחילה בעברה תחלה ואחר כך הבטן,

   2. לפיכך תלקה הירך תחלה ואחר כך הבטן. ושאר כל הגוף לא פלט

The mishna teaches lessons that can be derived from the actions and treatment of a sota.

With the measure that a person measures,

he is measured with it.

1. 1. she, the sota, adorned herself to violate a transgression,

   2. God therefore decreed that she be rendered unattractive;

2. 1. she exposed herself for the purpose of violating a transgression, as she stood in places where she would be noticed by potential adulterers,

   2. so God therefore decreed that her body be exposed publicly;

3. 1. she began her transgression with her thigh and afterward with her stomach,

   2. therefore the thigh is smitten first and then the stomach, and the rest of all her body does not escape punishment.

Samson (Judges 16): Samson, who "followed his eyes" (i.e., was driven by visual desire), is punished through the gouging of his eyes

Samson, who "followed his eyes" (i.e., was driven by visual desire for Delilah), is punished through the gouging (נקרו) of his eyes.

שמשון --

הלך אחר עיניו,

לפיכך נקרו פלשתים את עיניו,

שנאמר (שופטים טז):

"ויאחזוהו פלשתים

וינקרו את עיניו"

The mishna provides additional examples of people who were treated by Heaven commensurate with their actions.

Samson --

followed his eyes,

therefore he was punished measure for measure, as the Philistines gouged out his eyes,

as it is stated:

“And the Philistines laid hold on him,

and put out his eyes” (Judges 16:21).

Absalom (II Samuel 15–18) - A List of 3 parallels

Absalom, who was proud (נתגאה) of his hair, is killed by it.

His sexual offense—having sex with 10 of his father's concubines—leads to his death by 10 of Joab's attendants (נושאי כלי).

His political betrayal of three groups—his father, the court (בית דין), and the people—is punished with a corresponding three spears (שבטים) to the heart.

אבשלום --

1. 1. נתגאה בשערו,

   2. לפיכך נתלה בשערו.

2. 1. ולפי שבא על עשר פילגשי אביו,

   2. לפיכך נתנו בו עשר לונביות,

      1. שנאמר (שמואל ב יח): "ויסבו עשרה אנשים נשאי כלי יואב"

3. 1. ולפי שגנב שלשה לבבות, לב אביו, ולב בית דין, ולב ישראל,

      1. שנאמר (שם טו): "ויגנב אבשלום את לב אנשי ישראל"

   2. לפיכך נתקעו בו שלשה שבטים,

      1. שנאמר (שם יח): "ויקח שלשה שבטים בכפו, ויתקעם בלב אבשלום"

Absalom --

1. 1. was excessively proud of his hair,

   2. and therefore he was hanged by his hair.

2. 1. And furthermore, because he engaged in sexual intercourse with 10 of his father’s concubines (see II Samuel 15:16 and 16:22),

   2. therefore 10 spears [loneviyyot] were put, i.e., thrust, into him,

      1. as it is stated: “And 10 young men that bore Joab’s armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him” (II Samuel 18:15).

3. 1. And because he stole 3 times, committing 3 thefts of people’s hearts: The heart of his father, as he tricked him by saying that he was going to sacrifice offerings; the heart of the court, as he tricked them into following him; and the heart of the Jewish people,

      1. as it is stated: “So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (II Samuel 15:6),

   2. therefore 3 spears were embedded into his heart,

      1. as it is stated: “Then said Joab: I may not tarry like this with you. And he took 3 spears in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive” (II Samuel 18:14).

Miriam (Exodus 2:4; Numbers 12:15): Miriam waited for Moses as a baby; Israel later waits 7 days for her during her tzara'at

(See footnote.)³

וכן לענין הטובה.

מרים --

• המתינה למשה שעה אחת,

  • שנאמר (שמות ב) ותתצב אחתו מרחק,

• לפיכך נתעכבו לה ישראל שבעה ימים במדבר,

  • שנאמר (במדבר יב) והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים.

The mishna continues: And the same is so with regard to the reward of good deeds; a person is rewarded measure for measure.

Miriam --

• waited for the baby Moses for 1 hour at the shore of the Nile,

  • as it is stated: “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4).

• Therefore the Jewish people delayed their travels in the desert for 7 days to wait for her when she was smitten with leprosy,

  • as it is stated: “And Miriam was confined outside of the camp seven days; and the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in again” (Numbers 12:15).

Chain of burials

(See footnote.)⁴

Joseph buries his father Jacob (Genesis 50:7–9)

Joseph buries his father and is honored by Pharaoh's entire court.

יוסף --

זכה לקבר את אביו,

ואין באחיו גדול ממנו,

שנאמר (בראשית נ):

"ויעל יוסף לקבר את אביו,

ויעל עמו גם רכב גם פרשים"

Joseph --

merited to bury his father, resulting in a display of great honor to his father,

and there was none among his brothers greater than he in importance, for he was viceroy of Egypt,

as it is stated:

“And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the Elders of his house, and all the Elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company” (Genesis 50:7–9).

Moses buries Joseph (Exodus 13:19)

מי לנו גדול מיוסף,

שלא נתעסק בו אלא משה.

משה זכה בעצמות יוסף,

ואין בישראל גדול ממנו,

שנאמר (שמות יג) ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו.

Who, to us, had a greater burial than Joseph,

as it was none other than Moses who involved himself in transporting his coffin.

Moses merited to be the only person involved in the transportation of Joseph’s bones to be buried in Eretz Yisrael,

and there was none among the Jewish people greater than he,

as it is stated: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him” (Exodus 13:19).

God buries Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6)

Moses is in turn buried by God (המקום).

מי גדול ממשה,

שלא נתעסק בו אלא המקום,

שנאמר (דברים לד) ויקבר אתו בגיא.

Who had a greater burial than Moses,

as no one involved himself in his burial other than God Himself,

as it is stated: “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor; and no man knows of his sepulcher unto this day” (Deuteronomy 34:6).

God buries all righteous (Isaiah 58:8)

לא על משה בלבד אמרו,

אלא על כל הצדיקים,

שנאמר (ישעיה נח):

"והלך לפניך צדקך

כבוד ה' יאספך"

The mishna comments: Not only with regard to Moses did the Sages say that God takes part in his burial,

but also with regard to all the righteous individuals,

as it is stated:

“Your righteousness shall go before you

and the glory of YHWH shall gather you in” (Isaiah 58:8).

Appendix 1 - Excerpts from the corresponding Tosefta (Tosefta Sotah 3-4)

The Sotah Ritual as Enacted Retribution (Numbers 5:18) - A List of 12 parallels (Tosefta Sotah 3:1)

Tosefta_Sotah.3.1

The degradation of the Sotah woman (Numbers 5:18 - as part of the Ordeal of the bitter water) is described in detail, with each humiliation seen as a reversal of an act she performed to seduce her partner.

Reversal of Adornment (list items #1-7):

• She spread a shawl (סדין - for allure); the Kohen removes her scarf (צעיפה) and places it under her feet.

• She braided (קלעה) her hair; the Kohen unbraids it (סותרה)

• She beautified (קשטה) her face; her face turns green/yellow (מוריקות)

• She applied kohl (כחלה) on her eyes; her eyes bulge out (בולטות)

• She gestured with her finger; her fingernails fall off (נושרות)

• She exposed her skin (בשרה - literally: “flesh”); the Kohen tears her robe (חלוקה) to show her “disgrace” (קלונה).

Sex and parallel Bodily Decomposition (#9-10):

• She opened her thighs; her thigh decays ( נימסית).

• She received him on her stomach (כרסה); her stomach distends ( נופחת).

Pleasure and Substitution (#11-12):

• She fed him delicacies; her offering (מנחתה) is animal fodder (barley).

• She served him wine in fine vessels; she is forced to drink bitter water from a cheap earthenware shard (מקידה).

וכן [אתה מוצא] בסוטה

שבמדה שמדדה בה מדדו לה

1. 1. היא עמדה [לפניו כדי שתהא נאה לפניו

   2. לפיכך כהן מעמידה לפני הכל להתראות קלונה

      1. שנאמר (במדבר ה׳:י״ח) והעמיד הכהן את האשה לפני ה' וגו'

2. 1. היא פרסה לו סדין

   2. לכך נוטל כהן צעיפה מעל ראשה ומניח תחת רגליו

3. 1. היא קלעה לו שער

   2. לפיכך כהן סותרה

4. 1. היא קשטה לו פניה

   2. לפיכך פניה מוריקות

5. 1. היא כחלה לו עיניה

   2. לפיכך עיניה בולטות

6. 1. היא הראתו באצבעה

   2. לפיכך צפרניה נושרות

7. 1. היא הראתו את בשרה

   2. לפיכך כהן קורע חלוקה ומראה קלונה לרבים

8. 1. היא חגרה לו בפנים

   2. לפיכך כהן מביא חבל מצרי וקושר למעלה מדדיה וכל הרוצה לראות בא ורואה

9. 1. היא פתחה] לו ירכה

   2. לפיכך ירכה נימסית

10. 1. היא קבלתו על כרסה

    2. לפיכך כרסה [נופחת]

11. 1. היא האכילתו [מעדנים]

    2. לפיכך מנחתה מאכל בהמה

12. 1. היא השקתו [יינות בכוסות משובחין]

    2. לפיכך כהן משקה אותה מים [מרים] במקידה של חרס

And thus you find with a Sotah

that with the [same] measurement that she measured, she is measured with it.

1. 1. She stood in front of him in order that she appear pleasing before him;

   2. therefore, the Kohen stands her before everyone to display herself in disgrace,

      1. as it is said (Num. 5:18), "And the Kohen stands the woman before God [and lets loose (the hair of) the woman's head], etc."

2. 1. [Similarly,] she spread out her shawl before him;

   2. therefore, the Kohen removes the scarf from her head and places it under her feet.

3. 1. She plaited her hair to please him;

   2. therefore, the Kohen loosens [her hair].

4. 1. She adorned her face for him;

   2. therefore, her face turns green [after drinking the bitter waters].

5. 1. She painted her eyelids for him;

   2. therefore, her eyes bulge out [after drinking].

6. 1. She beckoned to him with her finger;

   2. therefore, her fingernails fall off.

7. 1. She exposed her flesh for him;

   2. therefore, the Kohen rends her cloak and exposes her disgrace to the masses.

8. 1. She girded herself inside [her clothes];

   2. therefore, the Kohen brings an Egyptian rope and ties it above her breasts, and anyone who wants to see comes and sees.

9. 1. She opened her thighs for him;

   2. therefore, her thigh wastes away [after drinking].

10. 1. She received him on her stomach;

    2. therefore, her stomach distends.

11. 1. She fed him delicacies;

    2. therefore, her grain offering (i.e., barley, see Num. 5:15) is animal fodder.

12. 1. She gave him wine to drink in the finest cups;

    2. therefore, the Kohen makes her drink the bitter waters from a broken fragment (makida) of an earthenware vessel.

Abraham and the Wilderness Generation: Narrative Parallels (Genesis 18; Numbers 10–21) - A List of 8 parallels (Tosefta Sotah 4:1)

Tosefta_Sotah.4.1

The passage highlights how Abraham’s hospitality—running to welcome guests, providing water, food, and shade—was reciprocated by God in His treatment of Israel in the wilderness: clouds of glory (ענני כבוד), flowing well,⁵ manna, and quail (שליו).⁶

וכן אתה מוצא באברהם --

שבמדה שמדד בה מדדו לו

1. 1. אברהם רץ לפני מלאכי השרת שלש ריצות

      1. שנא' (בראשית י״ח:ו׳) וירא וירץ לקראתם וגו' וימהר אברהם האהלה אל שרה וגו' ואל הבקר רץ אברהם

   2. אף המקום ב"ה רץ לפני בניו שלש ריצות

      1. שנא' (דברים ל״ג:ב׳) ה' מסיני בא וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן וגו'

2. 1. באברהם הוא אומר (בראשית י״ח:ד׳) וישתחו אפים

   2. אף המקום ב"ה [בישראל] בניו לעתיד לבא

      1. שנא' (ישעיהו מ״ט:כ״ג) והיו מלכים אומניך ושרותיהם מניקותיך [וגו']

3. 1. באברהם הוא אומר (בראשית י״ח:ד׳) יוקח נא מעט מים

   2. אף המקום ב"ה [בישראל] ונתן לבניו באר במדבר [...]

4. 1. באברהם הוא אומר (בראשית י״ח:ה׳) והשענו תחת העץ

   2. אף המקום נתן לבניו שבעה ענני כבוד במדבר [...]

5. 1. באברהם הוא אומר (בראשית י״ח:ז׳) ואקחה פת לחם וסעדו לבכם וגו'

   2. אף המקום ב"ה נתן לבניו מן במדבר [...]

6. 1. באברהם [הוא] אומר (בראשית י״ח:ח׳) ואל הבקר רץ אברהם

   2. אף המקום ב"ה הגיז לבניו שליו מן הים

      1. שנא' (במדבר י״א:ל״א) ורוח נסע מאת ה' ויגז שלוים מן הים וגו' [...]

7. 1. באברהם מהו אומר (בראשית י״ח:ט״ז) והוא עומד עליהם וגו'

   2. אף המקום ב"ה הגין [את] בניו במצרים שנא' (שמות י״ב:כ״ג) ופסח ה' על הפתח

8. 1. באברהם מהו אומר (בראשית יח) ואברהם הולך עמם לשלחם

   2. אף המקום ב"ה הלוה את בניו ארבעים שנה שנא' (דברים ב׳:ז׳) זה ארבעים שנה ה' אלהיך עמך וגו'.

And similarly you find regarding Abraham,

that with the measurement that he measured, he was measured.

1. 1. Abraham "ran" (i.e., acted with alacrity) before the ministering angels on three occasions,

      1. as it is said (Gen. 18:2), "And he saw [them] and he ran to meet them, etc."; and (Gen 18:6) "And Abraham hastened into his tent, to Sarah, etc."; and (Gen. 18:7), "And to the flocks ran Abraham [and he took a young ox], etc."

   2. Thus, so too God "ran" before his descendants on three occasions,

      1. as it is said (Deut. 33:2), "Hashem came from Sinai and He shone forth from Sei'r for them; He sent out beams from Mount Paran, etc."

2. 1. Regarding Abraham it says, "he bowed down to the earth,"

   2. so too God [did so] with Israel his descendants in the future,

      1. as it is said (Is. 49:23), "And kings will tend to your children, and their queens shall serve you as nurses; [They shall bow to you, face to the ground], etc."

3. 1. Regarding Abraham it says (Gen. 18:4, Fox tr.), "Pray let a little water be fetched,"

   2. so too God [did so] with Israel, and he gave to [Abraham's] descendants a well in the desert [...]

4. 1. Regarding Abraham, it says (Gen. 18:4), "... and recline under the tree,"

   2. so too God gave to his descendants seven clouds of glory in the desert [...]

5. 1. Regarding Abraham, it says (Gen. 18:5), "And I will bring you a loaf of bread so that your hearts may be strengthened, etc."

   2. So too God gave manna to his descendants in the desert [...]

6. 1. Regarding Abraham, it says (Gen. 18:7), "And to the flocks ran Abraham [and he took a young ox], etc."

   2. So too, God swept in quail for his descendants from the sea,

      1. as it is said (Num. 11:31), "And a wind blew out from Hashem, and swept in quail from the sea, etc." [...]

7. 1. Regarding Abraham, what does it say, but (Gen. 18:17), "And he stood over them [under the tree, and they ate]."

   2. So too God protected his descendants in Egypt, as it is said (Ex. 12:23), "And Hashem passed over the entrances, etc."

8. 1. With Abraham, what does it say, but (Gen. 18:17), "And Abraham went with them, to escort them."

   2. So too, God attached himself to his descendants for forty years, as it is said, "These forty years, Hashem your God is with you, etc."

Appendix 2 - Outline of the corresponding Tosefta (Tosefta Sotah 3-4)

Measure-for-Measure Punishment (Tosefta Sotah 3)

Tosefta_Sotah.3.1-6

1. General - Midah Keneged Midah (Isaiah 27:8; 9:4; Ecclesiastes 7:27)

2. The Sotah Ritual (Numbers 5:18) - A List of 12 parallels

3. The Generation of the Flood (Job 21:9–15; Gen. 6:17; 7:11)

4. The Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:4–8)

5. The People of Sodom (Job 28:5–8; Ezek. 16:49)

6. Egypt (Ex. 1:22; 15:4)

7. Sisera (Judg. 5:19)

8. Samson (Judg. 14:3; 16:21)

9. Absalom (2 Sam. 14:25–15:7; 18:14–15)

10. Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:23–35)

11. Nebuchadnezzar (Isa. 14:13–15; Dan. 4:25–30)

Measure-for-Measure Reward (Tosefta Sotah 4)

Tosefta_Sotah.4.1-5

Tosefta_Sotah.4.1-4a

1. Abraham and the Wilderness Generation: Narrative Parallels (Genesis 18; Numbers 10–21) - A List of 8 parallels

2. Measure-for-Measure in Burial: Joseph and Moses (Exodus 13:19; Deuteronomy 34:6)

   1. Moses Takes Responsibility for Joseph's Remains (Exodus 13:19); The Chain of Delegation and Deferral (Joshua 24:32)

   2. Serakh Bat Asher and the Miraculous Retrieval

   3. Two Arks Travel Together

   4. Moses’s Own Burial (Deuteronomy 34:6)

Measure-for-Measure Punishment (Part 2)

Tosefta_Sotah.4.4b-5

1. Initial Transgressors Are Punished First (Genesis 6; Exodus 1; Numbers 13; Jeremiah 23)

2. What You Seek Is Taken: The Case of the Sota and Others (Genesis 3; Sotah 5)

   1. The primeval snake is cursed for trying to take Adam’s place.

   2. Other biblical figures—Cain, Korach, Balaam, Doeg, Ahitophel, Gehazi, Absalom, Adonijah, and Haman—are framed as paradigms of overreach: what they desired was denied, and what they had was taken

Appendix 3 - Measure-for-Measure Divine Punishment in the Talmud

“He denied the Resurrection; therefore he will not have a share in the Resurrection” (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)

(See footnote)⁷

וכל כך למה?

תנא:

• הוא — כפר בתחיית המתים

• לפיכך — לא יהיה לו חלק בתחיית המתים

שכל מדותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא מדה כנגד מדה

And why is one punished to that extent for saying that there is no resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah?

The Sages taught in a baraita:

• He — denied the resurrection of the dead;

• therefore — he will not have a share in the resurrection of the dead,

as all measures dispensed by God to His people are dispensed measure for measure, i.e., the response is commensurate with the action.

Egyptians’ Measure-for-Measure Punishment Through Drowning (Sotah 11a)

(See footnote.)⁸

והיינו דאמר רבי אלעזר:

מאי דכתיב ״כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם״ —

בקדירה שבישלו, בה נתבשלו.

And this is what R' Elazar says:

What is the meaning of that which is written: “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, for in that which they conspired [zadu] against them” (Exodus 18:11)?

The phrase means: In the pot in which they cooked, they themselves were cooked, as they were punished through drowning, measure for measure, for drowning the Jewish babies.

Vashti’s Punishment as Measure-for-Measure (Megillah 12b)

(See footnote.)⁹

שבמדה שאדם מודד —

בה מודדין לו,

מלמד:

שהיתה ושתי הרשעה מביאה בנות ישראל

ומפשיטתן ערומות

ועושה בהן מלאכה בשבת.

היינו דכתיב:

״אחר הדברים האלה

כשוך חמת המלך אחשורוש

זכר את ושתי

ואת אשר עשתה

ואת אשר נגזר עליה״,

כשם שעשתה — כך נגזר עליה.

Vashti was punished in this humiliating way for it is with the measure that a man measures to others

that he himself is measured.

In other words, God punishes individuals in line with their transgressions, measure for measure.

This teaches that

the wicked Vashti would take the daughters of Israel,

and strip them naked,

and make them work on Shabbat.

Therefore, it was decreed that she be brought before the king naked, on Shabbat.

This is as it is written:

“After these things,

when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased,

he remembered Vashti,

and what she had done,

and what was decreed against her” (Esther 2:1).

That is to say, just as she had done with the young Jewish women, so it was decreed upon her.

1. On these passages, see Noam Zohar, Secrets of the Rabbinic Workshop: Redaction as a Key to Meaning (2007, Hebrew), p. 73 and on.

And see Appendix 3 at the end of this piece: “Measure-for-Measure in the Talmud”.

2. נולה - “makes disgusting".

This is described in the previous Mishnah section, that this is launching off of, in Mishnah_Sotah.1.5b-6a, where it’s described how the priest begins by seizing (אוחז) the woman’s clothes to expose her bare chest (“heart”) and unbraiding her hair. If relevant, her white garment (מתכסה בלבנים) is replaced with black. Her jewelry is removed to “render her disgusting” (לנולה).

The full passage:

וכהן אוחז בבגדיה,

אם נקרעו נקרעו,

אם נפרמו נפרמו,

עד שהוא מגלה את לבה,

וסותר את שערה.

[...]

היתה מתכסה בלבנים --

מכסה בשחורים.

היו עליה כלי זהב וקטליאות, נזמים וטבעות --

מעבירים ממנה כדי לנולה.

The mishna continues describing the sota rite. And the priest grabs hold of her clothing and pulls them, unconcerned about what happens to the clothing.

If the clothes are torn, so they are torn;

if the stitches come apart, so they come apart.

And he pulls her clothing until he reveals her heart, i.e., her chest.

And then he unbraids her hair.

[...]

If she was dressed in white garments —

he would now cover her with black garments.

If she was wearing gold adornments, or chokers [katliyot], or nose rings, or finger rings —

they removed them from her in order to render her unattractive.

3. I previously cited in this section in the appendix to my piece “Pharaoh’s Strategy, Miriam’s Watchfulness, and Divine Retribution: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-10 (Sotah 11a)“.

I summarized there:

The Mishnah emphasizes that just as punishment is given measure for measure, so too is reward.

Miriam waited for a short amount of time by the Nile to watch her infant brother Moses, as described in Exodus 2:4.

In return, when she was afflicted with tzara'at (skin disease), the Israelites delayed their journey for seven days to wait for her recovery, as stated in Numbers 12:15.

4. This Mishnah passage uses a three-part rhetorical structure to articulate a hierarchy of honor through burial, escalating from Joseph to Moses to God Himself.

Structural Formula:

1. X buried Y

2. None was greater than X among his peers

3. But X himself was buried only by Z

4. Who is greater than X? Z

This recursive structure relies on:

• Honor-by-agency: the one who buries is implicitly in a position of kavod over the buried.

• Progressive elevation: Each figure is described as the greatest of their generation, but still subordinate to the one who tended to their burial.

• Scriptural prooftexts reinforce each step.

Implications:

• Death as theological theater: Burial becomes a medium for expressing divine hierarchy.

• Moral messaging: Even the greatest (Joseph, Moses) depend on others. No one is self-sufficient, even in death.

• Divine uniqueness: Only God buries without being buried — the final step underscores divine transcendence.

5. באר ; see also Marah (Bible) - Wikipedia.

6. On this passage, see Zohar, ibid., p. 75-76.

7. Source: “Pt1 Scripture, Logic, and Polemic: Proofs for the Principle of the Mass Resurrection of the Jewish Dead in the Future Messianic Era (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)”, section “Measure for Measure: The Consequence of Denying Resurrection (II Kings 7:1-2, 7:20)”.

And see my footnote there for similar concepts, from a comparative perspective: poetic justice, karma, and ‘Just-world phenomenon / fallacy’.

8. Source: the concluding line of “Pharaoh’s Strategy, Miriam’s Watchfulness, and Divine Retribution: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-10 (Sotah 11a)”, sections “Pharaoh’s Strategy Against Israel and Divine Retribution (Exodus 1:10): Singular Language in Pharaoh’s Statement; Debate Over the Method of Punishment; Choosing Water as a Means of Destruction; The Egyptians’ Own Water-Based Punishment” and “Egyptians’ Measure-for-Measure Punishment Through Drowning (Exodus 18:11; Genesis 25:29)”.

9. Source: “Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:10-14 (Megillah 12b)”, section “Vashti’s Punishment as Measure for Measure (Esther 2:1): Vashti’s Cruelty; Fitting Punishment”.