Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 5:7/אבן עזרא על במדבר ה׳:ז׳

אוהתודו. איזה מהם שיהיה איש או אשה:

1THEN THEY SHALL CONFESS. Whichever one it be, a man or a woman.

בבראשו. כאשר הוא. לא פחות ממנו:

2IN FULL. Be-rosho (in full) means as it is, not less than it is.²⁴ literally means at its head, or at first. Hence I.E.’s comment.

גוחמישתו יוסף עליו. אם הוא מתודה מעצמו ואם יש עדים עליו יוסף שני חמישיות ומעתיקי הדת אמרו חומש החומש ודעתם רחבה מדעתנו:

3AND ADD UNTO IT THE FIFTH PART. If he confesses on his own. However, if there are witnesses then he shall add two fifths. Those who transmitted the law²⁵ say a fifth of a fifth.²⁶ 108a. See Rashi on Lev. 5:24, “If he denies the fifth (i.e., he asserts that he has repaid both capital and fifth, but has not really paid the latter, for which a claim is now made against him) and takes an oath that he has paid it but afterwards admits the claim, then he must now bring (pay) a fifth in addition to this fifth (a fifth of the original fifth which now become the keren (capital) in addition to it).” (Rosenbaum and Silbermann translation). Their minds are greater than ours.