Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Deuteronomy 25:1/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ה:א׳

אכִּי יִהְיֶה רִיב בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים, עַל דֶּרֶךְ קַבָּלַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מכות יג) שֶׁהַמַּלְקוּת הוּא בְּחַיָּבֵי הַלָּאוִין, מָה עִנְיָן לוֹ בְּרִיב אֲשֶׁר בֵּין שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים, הָאוֹכֵל נְבֵלָה בְּבֵיתוֹ לוֹקֶה, וְכֵן הַזּוֹרֵעַ שָׂדֵהוּ אוֹ כַּרְמוֹ כִּלְאַיִם, וְהַבָּא עַל אַחַת מֵהַנָּשִׁים הָאֲסוּרוֹת בְּלָאו, וְכָל שְׁאָר הַלָּאוִין. וְעוֹד מָה טַעַם וְהִצְדִּיקוּ אֶת הַצַּדִּיק. לְפִיכָךְ דְּרָשׁוּהוּ בְּעֵדִים זוֹמְמִין (שם ב), יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה רִיב בֵּין שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים וְנִגְּשׁוּ אֶל הַמִּשְׁפָּט וּשְׁפָטוּם עַל פִּי שְׁנֵי עֵדִים כַּאֲשֶׁר נִצְטַוּוּ, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יַצְדִּיקוּ אֶת הַצַּדִּיק וְיַרְשִׁיעוּ אֶת הָרָשָׁע שֶׁלֹּא כַּמִּשְׁפָּט הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְהָיָה אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע, שֶׁלֹּא נוּכַל לְקַיֵּם בּוֹ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת לְאָחִיו, וְיִהְיֶה זֶה כְּגוֹן שֶׁהֵעִידוּ עָלָיו שֶׁהוּא בֶּן גְּרוּשָׁה אוֹ עֶבֶד אוֹ מַמְזֵר, אוֹ שֶׁהֵעִידוּ עָלָיו שֶׁעָבַר עַל אֶחָד מִן הַלָּאוִין, יִלְקֶה אַרְבָּעִים. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה רִיב בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים וְיִלְקֶה בּוֹ, כְּגוֹן שֶׁחָבַל בּוֹ בְּפָחוֹת מִשְּׁוֵה פְּרוּטָה, אוֹ שֶׁקִּלֵּל חֲבֵרוֹ בַּשֵּׁם, אוֹ שֶׁמִּשְׁכֵּן אוֹתוֹ בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁעוֹשִׂים בָּהֶם אֹכֶל נֶפֶשׁ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם, וְדִבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּהוֹוֶה, כִּי בַּעַל הָרִיב יַגִּישֶׁנּוּ לְבֵית דִּין וְעַל יָדוֹ יִלְקֶה. וְטַעַם הָאַרְבָּעִים כְּפִי מִדְרָשׁוֹ (תנחומא ישן במדבר כח), לְפִי שֶׁעָבַר עַל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁנִּתְּנָה בְּאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, וְגָרַם מִיתָה לְעַצְמוֹ שֶׁנּוֹצַר לְאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, יִלְקֶה אַרְבָּעִים וְיֵצֵא יְדֵי עוֹנְשִׁין. עִנְיַן הַיִּבּוּם וְסוֹדוֹ וְהַחֲלִיצָה וְטַעְמָהּ כְּבָר הִזְכַּרְתִּים (בראשית לח ח):

1IF THERE BE A QUARREL BETWEEN MEN. According to the tradition of our Rabbis that stripes are administered to those who are guilty of having violated negative commandments³⁶⁶ [and not in civil cases, the question arises] what is its [the stripes’] connection with a quarrel between two people? He who eats n’veilah (carrion) in his home is liable to stripes! So also he who sows his field or his vineyard with diverse seeds, or he who cohabits with any of the women forbidden by a plain prohibitive law [i.e., one not involving the court-imposed death-penalty], and all the rest of the negative commandments [are all typical of the transgressions punishable by stripes. All involve negative commandments, not civil suits as is the case in the verse before us.] Additionally, what is the meaning of the phrase and they shall justify the righteous³⁶⁷ [since a civil case does not involve questions of wickedness and righteousness]? Therefore, the Rabbis have interpreted³⁶⁸ the verse as referring to plotting witnesses. Scripture says: “In case, If there be a quarrel between two men, and they come high unto judgment and they will judge them through the testimony of two witnesses, as we have been commanded.³⁶⁹ [Afterwards, two other witnesses came to court and testified that the first pair of witnesses were elsewhere at the time when the event they testified about allegedly took place. Thus the person found guilty as a result of the original testimony is shown to be ‘righteous’ while the plotting witnesses have been proven ‘wicked.’] Then the judges will justify the righteous [through the second pair of witnesses] and condemn the wicked contrary to the first judgment; then it shall be if the wicked man [i.e., the first pair of witnesses] deserve to be beaten. ”³⁷⁰ This applies to where the command and ye shall do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother³⁷¹ as well, but Scripture implicitly excludes the offspring from liability [for it says, and ye shall do unto him, but not to his offspring] as he had ‘purposed to do unto his brother.’ Therefore the witnesses are scourged for their false testimony (Makkoth 2 a-b). cannot be carried out upon them — such being the case if they testified [against a priest] that he is the son of a divorced woman [and therefore not qualified to be a ministering priest in the Sanctuary], or that he is a slave or a bastard [who is prohibited from the priesthood or from marriage to a Jew], or if they testified against someone that he transgressed one of the negative commandments [which are punishable by stripes] — in all these cases they [the plotting witnesses] are punishable by stripes.It is possible that there be a quarrel between men resulting in stripes — such as where someone assaulted his fellow [causing a damage of] less than a perutah,³⁷² [a small coin], there are no stripes. But if the damages are less than a prutah, he is punishable by stripes. (Kethuboth 32b). or that he cursed his fellow with the Name of G-d,³⁷³ or that someone exacted a utensil necessary for the preparation of food as security for a loan, and similar cases. Scripture speaks of the common occurrence that the party to a dispute [with his fellow] will bring him to court and he will be punished with stripes because of him.Now, the reason for the forty stripes, according to the Midrash,³⁷⁴ 28. is because he transgressed against the Torah which was given in forty days and he caused death upon himself who was formed in the forty days following conception; let him, therefore, be given forty stripes, and be freed of his punishment [of death].I have already mentioned the subject of levirate marriage and the secret thereof, as well as of Chalitzah (the loosening of the shoe) and its reason.³⁷⁵