Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 21:18/רמב"ן על שמות כ״א:י״ח

אבְּאֶבֶן אוֹ בְּאֶגְרוֹף עַל לְשׁוֹן רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אֶגְרוֹף הוּא הַיָּד שֶׁיִּקָּבְצוּ הָאֶצְבָּעוֹת לְתוֹךְ הַכַּף לְהַכּוֹת בָּהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאוֹמְרִין בַּעֲלֵי אֶגְרוֹפִין (קידושין עו:), אֶגְרוֹפוֹ שֶׁל בֶּן אֲבַטִּיחַ (כלים יז יב), וְכֵן "בְּאֶגְרוֹף רֶשַׁע" (ישעיה נח ד), יַד רָשָׁע הַמַּכֶּה. וְהִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב שְׁתֵּי הַכָּאוֹת, אַחַת קָשָׁה וְהִיא הָאֶבֶן, וְאַחַת קַלָּה וְהִיא הָאֶגְרוֹף לֹא תָּמִית בָּהּ עַל הָרֹב, לוֹמַר כִּי בִּשְׁתֵּיהֶן צָרִיךְ אֹמֶד וְחוֹבְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ. וְאִם יָמוּת זֶה כְּגוֹן שֶׁהִכָּהוּ עַל נַפְשׁוֹ רֹצֵחַ הוּא מוֹת יוּמַת, וְאִם לֹא יָמוּת יְשַׁלֵּם שֶׁבֶת וְרִפּוּי:
וּבַמְּכִילְתָּא (כאן) רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר הִקִּישׁ אֶבֶן לְאֶגְרוֹף וְאֶגְרוֹף לְאֶבֶן, מַה הָאֶבֶן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ כְּדֵי לְהָמִית אַף אֶגְרוֹף שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בּוֹ כְּדֵי לְהָמִית וּמַה אֶגְרוֹף בְּיָדוּעַ אַף אֶבֶן בְּיָדוּעַ, הָא אִם נִתְעָרְבָה בַּאֲבָנִים אֲחֵרוֹת הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר. לוֹמַר שֶׁאִם נִתְעָרְבָה בַּאֲבָנִים אֲחֵרוֹת מְשַׁעֲרִין אֶת הַקַּלָּה שֶׁבָּהֶן, וְאִם אֵין בָּהּ כְּדֵי לְהָמִית פּוֹטְרִין אוֹתוֹ. וַאֲחֵרִים אָמְרוּ (הראב"ע והרד"ק כאן) כִּי אֶגְרוֹף רֶגֶב עָפָר, מִלְּשׁוֹן "עָבְשׁוּ פְרֻדוֹת תַּחַת מֶגְרְפֹתֵיהֶם" (יואל א יז), וְהָאָלֶ"ף כְּאָלֶ"ף "אֶזְרוֹע" (ירמיה לב כא), וְהוּא דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות כ"א:י"ח) שֶׁאָמַר "בְּכוּרְמֵיזָא". וְהִזְכִּיר אֶת אֵלֶּה ג"כ, לֵאמֹר כִּי גַּם בְּרֶגֶב יוּמָת אִם הִכָּהוּ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ כְּדֵי לְהָמִית, וְזֶהוּ לְהַבְדִּיל הַחֶרֶב מֵהֶם שֶׁאֵין צָרִיךְ אֹמֶד כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ חֲכָמִים (סנהדרין עו:):

1WITH A STONE OR ‘B’EGROF’ (WITH HIS FIST). Judging from certain expressions of the Rabbis, egrof is the hand closed tightly, with the fingers gathered into the palm for the purpose of striking someone with it. Thus they speak of ba’alei egrofin [literally: “men of fists,” or men of power];¹²⁴ “egrofo (the fist) of Ben Abtiach.”¹²⁵ Similarly ‘b’egrof’ of wickedness¹²⁶ means the hand of wickedness that strikes. Scripture thus mentioned two kinds of hitting — the hard one, with a stone, and the lighter one, with the fist, which in most cases does not cause death — in order to declare that in both cases an estimate [of the power of the stone or the fist with which he struck him] is needed, and the assailant is meanwhile imprisoned. If the assailed person dies, such as where he struck him a mortal blow, he is a murderer; he shall surely be put to death,¹²⁷ but if he does not die, the assailant has to pay him for the loss of his labor and for the cost of the healing.In the Mechilta [we find the following text]:¹²⁸ “Rabbi Nathan says: He has likened the stone to the fist and the fist to the stone. Just as the stone can cause death, so also the blow of the fist must be such that it is capable of causing death. And just as the fist is something that can be identified [and measured for the power of its blow], so also the stone must be such as can be identified. But if the stone with which he struck him became mixed up with other stones, the assailant is free.” This means if the stone became mixed up with other stones, they [e.i., the judges] estimate the lightest one and if it is incapable of causing death, they free the assailant.Other scholars¹²⁹). have said that the word egrof means “a clod of earth,” the term being derived from the expression: the grains shrivel under ‘megr’fotheihem’ (their clods of earth),¹³⁰ and the letter alef [in the word egrof is redundant], as is the alef in the word ezro’a [“arm,” where the word is really zro’a]. And this is the opinion of Onkelos who translated b’egrof — b’churmeiza (a piece of white stone or glazed tile). He mentioned these things also in order to tell us that the assailant who hits him with a clod of earth is also liable to be put to death, if he struck him on a sensitive spot where it is capable of causing death. This is to distinguish the law of the sword from the stone and egrof, for no estimate [of a sword or weapon] needs to be taken [since even a minute piece of metal — such as a needle — can also cause death], as the Sages have mentioned.¹³¹