Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 21:24/רמב"ן על שמות כ״א:כ״ד

אעַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן הַיָּדוּעַ בְּקַבָּלַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהוּא מָמוֹן (מכילתא כאן, ב"ק פד.), וְיָבֹא כַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה בְּתַשְׁלוּמִין "וּמַכֵּה נֶפֶשׁ בְּהֵמָה יְשַׁלְּמֶנָּה נֶפֶשׁ תַּחַת נָפֶשׁ" (ויקרא כד יח). וְאָמַר ר"א (אבן עזרא על שמות כ"א:כ"ד) כִּי כַּוָּנַת הַכָּתוּב לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב בְּכָךְ אִם לֹא יִתֵּן כָּפְרוֹ. וְהַכָּתוּב אוֹסֵר עָלֵינוּ שֶׁלֹּא נִקַּח כֹפֶר לְנֶפֶשׁ רֹצֵחַ אֲשֶׁר הוּא רָשָׁע לָמוּת (במדבר לה לא), אֲבָל נִקַּח כֹּפֶר בְּמִי שֶׁהוּא רָשָׁע לִכְרוֹת אֵבָר מֵאֵיבָרָיו. וְלָכֵן לֹא נִכְרֹת אוֹתוֹ לְעוֹלָם, אֲבָל יְשַׁלֵּם כְּדֵי דָּמָיו. וְאִם אֵין לוֹ יִהְיֶה דָּמָיו עָלָיו חוֹב עַד שֶׁתַּשִּׂיג יָדוֹ וְנִגְאָל. וְהָרְאָיָה לְדִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים מַה שֶׁאָמַר לְמַעְלָה (שמות כ"א:י"ט) רַק שִׁבְתּוֹ יִתֵּן וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא, וְאִם נַעֲשֶׂה בָּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַכֶּה אֶת רֵעֵהוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בּוֹ, מַה יְשַׁלֵּם אַחֲרֵי כֵן, וְהוּא גַּם הוּא צָרִיךְ שֶׁבֶת וְרִפּוּי. וְאֵין טַעֲנָה מִפְּנֵי הַמִּתְרַפֵּא מְהֵרָה, כִּי אֵין זֶה פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא. אֲבָל הַכָּתוּב יְדַבֵּר בְּכָל אָדָם. וְגַם אִם נִתְרַפֵּא יוֹתֵר מַהֵר, כְּבָר לָקַחְנוּ נִקְמָתוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי עָשִׂינוּ לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בְּשָׁוֶה:
וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט אֵין הַצָּלָה מִזֹּאת הַשְּׁאֵלָה, לְבַד אִם יֹאמְרוּ כִּי הַמַּכֶּה אֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן מוּם בַּעֲמִיתוֹ (ויקרא כד יט) וְהוּא מוּם קָבוּעַ שֶׁיִּשָּׁאֵר בּוֹ, כְּגוֹן עַיִן יָד וָרֶגֶל וּכְוִיָּה שֶׁיִּשָּׁאֵר מִמֶּנָּה הָרֹשֶׁם לְעוֹלָם, אָז נַעֲשֶׂה כְּמוֹתָהּ בְּגוּפוֹ, וְהוּא מַה שֶׁאָמַר (שם כ) "כַּאֲשֶׁר יִתֵּן מוּם בָּאָדָם כֵּן יִנָּתֶן בּוֹ", וְאֵין בָּזֶה תַּשְׁלוּמֵי שֶׁבֶת וְרִפּוּי כְּלָל, אֲבָל אֲשֶׁר יַכֶּה אוֹתוֹ בְּאֶבֶן אוֹ בְּאֶגְרוֹף עַל בְּגָדָיו וְנָפַל לְמִשְׁכָּב וְנִתְרַפֵּא רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה וְלֹא נִשְׁאַר בְּגוּפוֹ מוּם, בָּזֶה אָמַר (שמות כ"א:י"ט) רַק שִׁבְתּוֹ יִתֵּן וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא. וְהִנֵּה הַכָּתוּב שֶׁהִזְכִּיר כְּוִיָּה וּפֶצַע וְחַבּוּרָה, כְּפִי מַשְׁמָעוֹ כָּל הַנְּזָקִים הָאֵלּוּ בַּכְּלָל הַזֶּה, וְהַפֶּצַע וְהַחַבּוּרָה יִתְרַפְּאוּ לְגַמְרֵי. וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב שָׁם (ויקרא כד יט) "וְאִישׁ כִּי יִתֵּן מוּם בַּעֲמִיתוֹ", רָצָה לִכְלֹל כָּל הַמַּכּוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא הֶאֱרִיךְ שָׁם לְהַזְכִּיר פֶּצַע וְחַבּוּרָה וּכְוִיָּה, וְאָמַר מוּם, כִּי כָּל מַכֶּה יַעֲשֶׂה מוּם לִשְׁעָתוֹ, וַאֲפִלּוּ הַמִּתְרַפֵּא נִקְרָא מוּם, כְּאָמְרֵנוּ מוּם עוֹבֵר (בכורות לז:). וְהַתּוֹרָה קָרְאָה גָרָב אוֹ יַלֶּפֶת אוֹ מְרוֹחַ אָשֶׁךְ מוּם (ויקרא כא כ), וְכֻלָּם עוֹבְרִים וּמִתְרַפְּאִים. וְכָתוּב "יְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין בָּהֶם כָּל מוּם" (דניאל א ד). וְהַכְּלָל כִּי הַקַּבָּלָה בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֱמֶת:

1EYE ‘TACHATH’ (FOR) EYE. It is known in the tradition of our Rabbis¹³⁶ that this means monetary compensation. Such usage [of the term tachath to indicate] monetary compensation is found in the verse: And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall pay for it; life ‘tachath’ life,¹⁵² [in which case tachath surely indicates monetary compensation]. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that Scripture uses such a term to indicate that he really is deserving of such a punishment, [that his eye be taken from him], if he does not give his ransom. For Scripture has forbidden us to take ransom for the life of a murderer, that is guilty of death,¹⁵³ but we may take ransom from a wicked person who cut off any of the limbs of another person. Therefore we are never to cut off that limb from him, but rather he is to pay monetary compensation, and if he has no money to pay, it lies as a debt on him until he acquires the means to pay, and then he is redeemed.Proof for what the Sages have said [that eye ‘tachath’ eye means he pays him the value of his eye], is in what He has said above [with reference to one who injures another person], only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.¹⁵⁴ But if we were to do to the assailant exactly as he has done to the injured man, why does he have to pay after that? He himself is in need of amends for the loss of his own time and costs of his own healing! And it would not be valid to argue that the assailant is to give the injured man [the difference in cost between a slow recovery and] a fast recovery,¹⁵⁵ really means that the eye of the assailant be removed, and Verse 19 that deals with his obligation to pay for the loss of time and cost of healing of the injured, applies to that difference as explained above. — This argument is actually mentioned in the Talmud (Baba Kamma 84a.). But, argues Ramban, it is not the plain meaning of Scripture, for the simple meaning of Verse 19 is that it speaks of the assailant having to pay for the whole loss of time and costs of healing. Therefore it constitutes a proof that eye ‘tachath’ eye means monetary compensation, as explained above. since this is not the plain meaning of Scripture. Rather, Scripture speaks of all people, and even if his recovery [i.e., the assailant’s] were to be fast, we would have long taken our punishment of him, in doing to him exactly as he did!¹⁵⁶ cannot be meant literally, but means the monetary value of the eye.If we explain the verses according to the literal interpretation of Scripture, there is no escape from this question,¹⁵⁷, and in the other it speaks of the assailant’s duty to pay for the loss of his time and costs of healing, and the question appears why he should pay this additional payment when we have already punished him. There is no escape from this question except by saying that etc. [see text]. Ramban will finally allude to why he mentions all this: it is to show what sophistry we have to display if we seek to follow only the plain meaning of Scripture! We thus have no recourse but to Tradition. unless they¹⁵⁸). See Vol. I, p. 154. will say that if someone maims his neighbor so that he deprives him permanently of some bodily member, such as an eye, hand, or foot, or causes a burn which leaves a permanent mark, then we are to do likewise to the assailant’s body, this being the case of the verse which says, As he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him,¹⁵⁹ and in that case there is no monetary compensation paid for loss of time and cost of healing. But if he hits him with a stone or with his fist on his clothes, and he is laid up in bed but then is completely healed without any crippling effect remaining upon his body, in that case He said, only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.¹⁵⁴ All the injuries specified in the verse, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe,¹⁶⁰ are included, according to the plain meaning of Scripture, in this preceding general principle, for a wound and stripe may be completely healed. And as for that which Scripture states there, And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor, as he hath done so shall it be done to him,¹⁶¹ it too was meant to include all injuries, but He did not mention there at length the cases of wounding, striping, and burning [as He did here]. He used the term mum (blemish), for every wound causes at least a temporary blemish. Thus even if it is of the kind which heals, it is still called “a blemish,” just as we say: “a passing blemish,”¹⁶² and the Torah calls scabbed, or scurvy, or hath his stones crushed¹⁶³ “a blemish” although they are temporary and can be healed,¹⁶⁴ and it is further written, youths in whom there was no blemish.¹⁶⁵ The general principle everywhere is that the Tradition is always true.¹⁶⁶