ונקתה ונזרעה זרע

סוטה כו א --  תניא ונקתה ונזרעה [זרע] שאם היתה עקרה נפקדת דברי ר' ישמעאל אמר לו  ר' עקיבא אם כן יסתרו כל העקרות ויפקדו וזו הואיל ולא נסתרה הפסידה אם כן מה תלמוד לומר ונקתה ונזרעה זרע שאם היתה יולדת בצער יולדת בריוח נקבות יולדת זכרים קצרים יולדת ארוכים שחורים יולדת לבנים


People often are not careful in reading R' Akiva here. It's clear from the words that his objection is NOT that מי סוטה will act as an incentive for עקרות to be מקלקל, but rather the injustice of a system where those who are מקלקל get a child and those who "stay good" do not. Were the good ones to also get a child through other permissible ways R' Akiva wouldn't have a problem with R' Yishmael. I'm pretty confident that this is the correct way to read it.  Only problem is, as tosafot asks, how to understand R' Akiva's interpretation as better!? In R' Akiva's world also it'll come out an injustice, the "bad girl" getting a better child than the "good girl"....how is his explanation any better?


I'd like to answer that there is no comparison between the existence/non-existence of a child versus a pretty/ugly child. Having a child is an existential true value/asset! Not having one is an existential true loss. That is an injustice of inequality. On the other hand, having a handsome child or an ugly one, shtuyot in the grand scheme of things...