Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 22:23/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ב:כ״ג
אעִנְיַן נַעֲרָה הַמְאֹרָסָה, כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִרְאוּ עֵדִים מֵרָחוֹק אִישׁ תּוֹפֵס בְּנַעֲרָה וְשָׁכַב עִמָּהּ בָּעִיר, וְהֵרִימוּ הָעֵדִים קוֹלָם וְהִתְרוּ בָּהֶם, עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מכות ו ב) יִתְחַיְּבוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם סְקִילָה. שֶׁגַּם הָאִשָּׁה בְּחֶזְקַת מְזַנָּה לְדַעַת, כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא צָעֲקָה כְּלָל, כִּי דֶּרֶךְ כָּל אֲנוּסָה לִצְעֹק בָּעִיר לְהוֹשִׁיעָהּ וּלְהַצִּילָהּ. וְאִם יִרְאוּ אוֹתָהּ בַּשָּׂדֶה שֶׁיַּחֲזִיק בָּהּ וְיִשְׁכָּבֶנָּה, הֲרֵי זוֹ בְּחֶזְקַת אֲנוּסָה וּפְטוּרָה. וְטַעַם צָעֲקָה, יִתָּכֵן שֶׁצָּעֲקָה. אוֹ טַעְמוֹ אִם צָעֲקָה אֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ לָהּ, כִּי אֲפִלּוּ שָׁמְעוּ שֶׁלֹּא צָעֲקָה פְּטוּרָה כֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵין שָׁם מוֹשִׁיעִים לָהּ. וְהַכְּלָל אִם יֵשׁ לָהּ מוֹשִׁיעִים בֵּין בָּעִיר בֵּין בַּשָּׂדֶה חַיֶּבֶת, אֵין לָהּ מוֹשִׁיעִים בֵּין בָּעִיר בֵּין בַּשָּׂדֶה פְּטוּרָה, שֶׁלֹּא דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב אֶלָּא בַּהוֹוֶה:
1The subject of the betrothed maiden219 concerns a case of witnesses seeing from afar a man taking hold of a maiden and lying with her in the city, whereupon the witnesses shouted and warned them [of the sin thereof and its death-penalty]. In the opinion of our Rabbis, both of them are liable to stoning, for the woman also is under presumption of voluntary adultery since she did not cry out at all, for, it is normal for any woman who is raped in the city to scream for help and to be saved. If, however, the witnesses saw in the field that the man grabbed her and lay with her, she is under presumption of having been raped and is therefore free of punishment. The meaning of the phrase [For he found her in the field;] she cried220 is thus “that she probably screamed” [for even though the witnesses did not hear her cry it is presumed that she cried for help]; or it may mean even if she had cried — “there was none to save her,” for even if they heard that she did not cry she is free of punishment since there was none to save her. In general, if there are people to save her [and she did not cry] whether it be in the city or the field she is guilty; where there is none to save her whether it be in the city or the field she is free. Scripture speaks of the common case [i.e., that in the city there are people to save her, and in the field there are none — but the law as explained is the same in all cases].
בוְאָמַר עַל דְּבַר אֲשֶׁר עִנָּה אֶת אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ, וְלֹא יִקָּרֵא עִנּוּי רַק הַשּׁוֹכֵב בְּאֹנֶס, וְזוֹ כְּבָר חִיֵּב אוֹתָהּ כִּמְזַנָּה לְרָצוֹן. אֲבָל עִנְיַן הַכָּתוּב כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר נִרְאֶה שֶׁהָאִישׁ אוֹחֵז בָּהּ וְשׁוֹכֵב עִמָּהּ, נָדוּן הָאִשָּׁה כְּמִתְרַצָּה, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיְתָה יְכוֹלָה לְהִוָּשֵׁעַ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְנֶחְשָׁב הָאִישׁ כִּמְעַנֶּה אוֹתָהּ, כִּי לֹא פִּתָּהּ וְלֹא דִּבֵּר עַל לִבָּהּ לְהִשָּׁמַע אֵלָיו. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי בְּדִין הַצְּעָקָה אִם רָאִינוּ נַעֲרָה שֶׁהֶחֱזִיק בָּהּ הָאִישׁ וְהִיא נִלְחֶמֶת בּוֹ בְּכָל כֹּחָהּ וּבוֹכָה וְאוֹחֶזֶת בִּבְגָדָיו אוֹ בְּשַׂעֲרוֹתָיו לְהִמָּלֵט מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא יָדְעָה לִצְעֹק, לָמָּה תִּסָּקֵל, אֶלָּא גַּם הַצְּעָקָה בַּהוֹוֶה, לָדוּן בָּהּ מִן הַסְּתָם בָּעִיר מְפֻתָּה וּבַשָּׂדֶה אֲנוּסָה:
2Scripture states, and the man, because he afflicted the wife of his fellow.221 Now the term “affliction” applies only to forcible cohabitation, and yet the same verse already declared her guilty as if she committed adultery voluntarily!222. Ramban asks: Since the term “affliction” applies only to forcible rape, how could she be condemned as if she had submitted voluntarily? The answer follows in the text. But the purport thereof is as follows: When we see a man take hold of a woman and lie with her we adjudge the woman to be consenting because she could have been saved from him, and we consider the man as if he is afflicting her for he did not entice her nor appeal to her to submit to him.Now, I know not the precise meaning of this law of “crying out.” If we see a maiden being overpowered by a man and she fights him with all her strength, weeps and takes hold of his clothes or his hair to save herself from him, and she did not realize [enough] to cry out, why should she be stoned? Rather, the “crying out” of which Scripture speaks is also the common case to deduce that ordinarily [if she did not cry for help] in the city it was a seduction [for had she cried out, people would have come to her rescue] and in the field [we presume] she was forced.