The 4 Minute Mile (6:2)

It was considered a physical impossibility until Roger Bannister, literally, came running along.  Born in England, young Roger entered the famed halls of Oxford to study medicine.  He would ultimately become a successful consultant neurologist. But what Roger is most famous for is his record breaking run of a mile in less than four minutes.  Within two months, an Australian runner accomplished the same. Eventually, another five athletes would duplicate these hurculean efforts all in the same year.
Most of the sports writers at the time all came to the same conclusion: To run a mile under four minutes was never a mere physical obstacle, it was a psychological barrier. Once broken and not out-of-reach, everyone could follow down the path that Roger had blazed.
This tidbit of running folklore explains a difficult Torah concept. This week’s Biblical reading includes two topics which are placed side-by-side, and our Sages wonder why. The first discussion involves a Sotah, a woman suspected by her husband of infidelity.  In this particular case, there is good reason for the husband’s anxiety, as his wife has already acted indiscreetly and closeted herself with the suspected lover. A formal investigation turns up little as there are no witness who actually saw her commit adultery. In Temple times a mystical truth serum was administered to determine her status. If she drank and was found innocent, she was promised a life of blessing, health, children, etc. Conversely, if she was found guilty, she would die.
The second, juxtaposed topic centered on the vow made by a Nazirite who foreswore wine and all grape products, haircuts, and even attending a family member’s funeral. The medieval commentary, Rashi, explains that the law of the Nazir follows the matter of the Suspected Adulterer to teach us, “That anyone who sees a Sotah in her degradation should refrain from wine.” 
If the connection between the Nazir, Sotah, and Roger Bannister is still unclear, let me elaborate.  Let’s say you saw Rabbi X drive up to a certain non-kosher drive-thru window and buy himself a DOUBLE CHEESE WHOPPER AND A MILK SHAKE! He then surreptitiously pulls his car to the side and (without a blessing) opens his mouth wide to take the first bite. You watch in amazement and disbelief. Suddenly, dark clouds spontaneously gather over the parking lot.  As Rabbi X begins to sink in his teeth…WHAM! A bolt of lightening is launched leaving Rabbi X and his whopper a charred piece of toast.
Let me ask you this question. After witnessing this obvious case of Divine intervention would you be more or less committed to the discipline of keeping kosher? Clearly, the lesson of the experience would be engraved in your psyche and greatly impact your decision.
Similarly, it stands to reason, that if a fellow happened to wander into the Temple at the exact moment the Sotah was receiving her due, he would not need any more reminders to keep him on the steady and kosher path.  After all, he had seen, “The hand of G-d” in action. Nonetheless, about a thousand years ago, the father of all Biblical interpretation, understood it differently. According to Rashi, when a person saw the indignity of the Sotah, the person was not left with the impression that, “Crime does not pay.” The genius of the human psyche is that one will convince himself that the poor Sotah merely fell victim to the “11th commandment” – Thou Shall Not Get Caught!
The Torah was afraid for those who witnessed her shame. Instead of absorbing the more overt lesson (don’t do the wrong thing), a more subtle impression would linger in their minds. What was once taboo, off limits and unimaginable has been breached. True the Sotah paid the price of her infidelity, but the dirty deed was out of the box and into the open. A social barrier had been shattered. The once iron wall of impossibility had been replaced with a picket fence of possibility.
As contemporary moral standards decline, they drag everyone along. A false sense of moral superiority does not do us any good. Since we do not live in a vacuum, we must take into account the real danger that once new, lower standards are established collectively, it seems impossible to reverse the trend. So here comes along the Nazir who realizes that by identifying with the Sotah, he becomes spiritually vulnerable. So what does he do? He swears a solemn oath to a life of holiness, creating personal barriers to withstand society’s laxity.  Because armed with will and discipline a person can reinforce the walls under siege or break all barriers. If you don’t believe me, ask the Nazir and Roger Bannister.