Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 21:31/רמב"ן על שמות כ״א:ל״א

אאוֹ בֵן יִגָּח אוֹ בַת יִגָּח אָמַר "אוֹ" שֶׁהוּא מוֹסִיף, וְשִׁעוּרוֹ וְהֵמִית אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה אוֹ בֵן יִגָּח אוֹ בַת יִגָּח מִשְׁפָּט אֶחָד לָהֶם. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁיָּבֹא בִּמְקוֹם אִם (הרד"ק בספר השרשים שרש או, וכ"כ רש"י בויקרא ד כג). וְכֵן "אוֹ בְנִבְלַת חַיָּה טְמֵאָה" (ויקרא ה ב), "אוֹ עָשִׂיתִי בְנַפְשִׁי שֶׁקֶר" (שמואל ב י"ח:י"ג), "אוֹ נוֹדַע כִּי שׁוֹר נַגָּח הוּא" (שמות כ"א:ל"ו), וְכֵן רַבִּים לְדַעְתָּם. וְכֻלָּם עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר, תַּשְׂכִּיל בָּהֶם בִּמְקוֹמָם:
וְהֻצְרַךְ הַכָּתוּב לְפָרֵט מִשְׁפַּט הַקְּטַנִּים, עַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זַ"ל (ב"ק מד) בַּעֲבוּר כִּי הֻצְרַךְ לְמַעְלָה (שמות כ"א:כ"ט) לוֹמַר אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה לְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִשְׁוָה אִשָּׁה לְאִישׁ לְכָל נְזָקִים שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, וְיָכוֹל לֹא יְהֵא חַיָּב אֶלָּא עַל אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה גְּדוֹלִים, ת"ל אוֹ בֵן יִגָּח לְחַיֵּב עַל הַקְּטַנִּים כַּגְּדוֹלִים, וְכֵן עָשָׂה הַכָּתוּב בְּ"וְאִישׁ כִּי יַכֶּה כָּל נֶפֶשׁ אָדָם" (ויקרא כד יז) כמ"ש רַשִׁ"י (שם). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהַשּׁוֹר הַמֵּמִית אָדָם גָּדוֹל הוּא רַע מְאֹד, כְּדֹב שַׁכּוּל בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְאִם הוּעַד בִּבְעָלָיו וְלֹא יִשְׁמְרֶנּוּ, הִנֵּה פָּשַׁע פְּשִׁיעָה גְּדוֹלָה וְרָאוּי שֶׁיִּתְחַיֵּב מִיתָה וְכֹפֶר, אֲבָל הַמֵּמִית אֶת הַקְּטַנִּים אֵינוֹ רַע כָּל כָּךְ, וְדֶרֶךְ רֹב הַשְּׁוָרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִירְאוּ מֵהֶם, וְיַעֲלֶה עַל הַדַּעַת שֶׁלֹּא יִתְחַיֵּב בְּעָלָיו, וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי כַּמִּשְׁפָּט הַזֶּה יֵעָשֶׂה לּוֹ:

1O’ (OR) HE HAVE GORED A SON, OR HAVE GORED A DAUGHTER ACCORDING TO THIS JUDGMENT SHALL IT BE DONE UNTO HIM. Scripture uses the word o (‘or’ he have gored a son), because it adds to a phrase mentioned above, the meaning of the whole phrase thus being: “and he hath put to death a man or a woman,¹⁷⁹ or he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, one ordinance shall be for them.” Some scholars¹⁸⁰ say that the word o comes in the place of im (if). Similarly: ‘o’ (if) it be the carcass of an unclean beast;¹⁸¹ ‘o’ (if) I had dealt falsely against mine own life;¹⁸² ‘o’ (if) it be known that the ox was wont to gore.¹⁸³ There are many such cases, in the opinion of these scholars.¹⁸⁰ But all these proofs are false witnesses; you will understand them all in their context.According to our Rabbis,¹⁸⁴ Scripture had to detail the ordinance [in the case of an ox goring] minors, because it found it necessary to say above, And if an ox gore a man or a woman,¹⁸⁵ — in order to teach us that in all laws of the Torah concerning damages G-d has treated woman equally to man — thus I might have thought that one is only liable in the case of a grown man or woman; therefore Scripture says, or he have gored a son, to make him liable for the death of minors as for that of adults. The same method was followed by Scripture in the verse, And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death,¹⁸⁶ as Rashi explained there.¹⁸⁷ (above Verse 12), I know only about a man. How do I know that the same applies to a woman and to a minor? Scripture therefore says, kol nefesh adam (and he that smiteth ‘any man’) — [literally: ‘the soul of any human being’]” (Rashi, Leviticus 24:17).In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, [the ordinance concerning an ox goring minors is stated] because an ox that kills a grown-up person is extremely vicious, as a bear robbed of her cubs¹⁸⁸ in the wilderness, thus if warning hath been given to its owner, and he hath not kept it in,¹⁷⁹ he has committed a grave transgression, and deserves to be liable to death or to pay a ransom [for the redemption of his life]; but an ox that kills minors is not so vicious, for most oxen are not afraid of them, and one might therefore think that their owners are not liable [to the same punishment], therefore Scripture states that according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.