Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 5:17/רמב"ן על דברים ה׳:י״ז
אוּבֵאוּר וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁוְא, לֶאֱסֹר לְהָעִיד עַל חֲבֵרוֹ אֲפִלּוּ דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ כְּלוּם וְלֹא יִתְחַיֵּב בּוֹ כְּלוּם בְּבֵית דִּין, כְּגוֹן שֶׁיָּעִיד אָמַר פְּלוֹנִי לִתֵּן לָזֶה מָנֶה וְלֹא קָנָה מִיָּדוֹ, כִּי שָׁוְא דָּבָר בָּטֵל:
1NEITHER SHALT THOU BEAR ‘EID SHAV’ (VAIN WITNESS)172 (false witness). Ramban explains that the admonition here prohibits bearing such false testimony even when it cannot possibly harm the neighbor at all and is consequently “vain” and worthless in court. The prohibition in Exodus, on the other hand, concerns the kind of false testimony which aims to really harm the other person. Thus the verse here explains the full extent of the admonition. AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR. He explained this in order to prohibit even [false] meaningless testimony that will cause no harm at all to his neighbor in court, as, for example, if he testifies, “So-and-so said he will give a hundred [dinars] to that person, but did not obligate himself to do it” [such false testimony is consequently in “vain” and we are prohibited from so doing]. For the term shav [in the above admonition, as elsewhere] signifies “vain, worthless” talk.