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Ramban on Deuteronomy 22:19/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ב:י״ט

אוְטַעַם וְעָנְשׁוּ אֹתוֹ מֵאָה כֶסֶף, אַחֲרֵי הַמַּלְקוּת הַנִּדְרָשׁ מִוְיִסְּרוּ אוֹתוֹ (כתובות מו), כִּי הַמִּנְהָג לִכְתֹּב לִבְתוּלָה מֹהַר חֲמִשִּׁים כֶּסֶף, וְהִנֵּה זֶה הוֹצִיא עָלֶיהָ שֵׁם רַע בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁשְּׂנֵאָהּ וְרָצָה לְהוֹצִיאָהּ בְּלֹא כְלוּם, וְלָכֵן עֲנָשׁוֹ הַכָּתוּב בְּמֵאָה כֶסֶף כִּי הַתּוֹרָה תַּעֲנִישׁ בְּכֶפֶל, כְּעִנְיָן שְׁנַיִם יְשַׁלֵּם (שמות כב ג), אע"פ שֶׁהַכְּתֻבָּה מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם לְמִי שֶׁיַּתְנֶה עִמָּהּ אוֹ יִשָּׂאֶנָּה סְתָם, אֲבָל הַמִּנְהָג הָיָה לִכְתֹּב מֹהַר לַבְּתוּלוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם שם טז) כְּמֹהַר הַבְּתוּלוֹת, וְהָרֹב יַעֲשׂוּ כֵן, וְאִם לֹא הָיְתָה כְּתֻבָּה לָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת לָמָּה יָשִׂים עָלֶיהָ עֲלִילוֹת דְּבָרִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבָּא עָלֶיהָ וּשְׂנֵאָהּ, יִכְתֹּב לָהּ גֵּט וְיִפָּטֵר מִמֶּנָּה, דִּכְתִיב (מלאכי ב טז) כִּי שָׂנֵא שַׁלַּח:

1AND THEY SHALL FINE HIM A HUNDRED SHEKELS OF SILVER. The meaning thereof is that after the husband was administered stripes — a punishment deduced from the expression and they shall chastise him²⁰⁷ — [he is to be fined a hundred shekels of silver]. For it was customary to write over a dowry of fifty shekels of silver to a virgin, but this person defamed her because he hated her and he wanted to send her away empty-handed. Therefore Scripture punished him with [a fine of] a hundred silver shekels, for the Torah punishes with a twofold measure, as in the case of the verse, he shall pay double.²⁰⁸ Although a kethubah (marriage contract) is only a matter of Rabbinic ordinance²⁰⁹, 22:15 — Vol. II, p. 387. for whoever made such a condition with her, or who married her without qualification, yet it was customary to write a dowry for virgins, just as it is said, according to the dowry of virgins,²¹⁰, Verse 16. and the majority did so. And if this woman had no kethubah, why should he have put forth wanton charges against her²¹¹ because he came to her and he hated her — he should have written her a bill of divorce and be freed of her, as it is written, if you hate [her] send [her] away.²¹² [Instead he brought wanton charges against her, therefore he is fined double the normal amount of the dowry of virgins even if he had not given her a kethubah.]