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Ramban on Exodus 22:21/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ב:כ״א

אוְטַעַם כָּל אַלְמָנָה אֲפִילּוּ עֲשִׁירָה בַּעֲלַת נְכָסִים, כִּי דִּמְעָתָהּ מְצוּיָה וְנַפְשָׁהּ שְׁפָלָה. וְאָמַר אִם עַנֵּה תְעַנֶּה אֹתוֹ, כָּל יָחִיד מֵהֶם, עַל כֵּן כְּתִיב אַחֲרָיו וְהָיוּ נְשֵׁיכֶם אַלְמָנוֹת, בְּעֹנֶשׁ הָאַלְמָנָה וְצַעֲקָתָהּ, וּבְנֵיכֶם יְתוֹמִים, בְּצַעֲקַת הַיָּתוֹם. וְהָעֹנֶשׁ הַזֶּה לֹא מָנוּ אוֹתוֹ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּכְלַל חַיָּבֵי מִיתָה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם בַּבָּרַיְתָא דִּוְאֵלּוּ הֵן שֶׁבְּמִיתָה הַשְּׁנוּיָה בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין (פג.). וְהַטַּעַם, שֶׁאֵין זֶה מִיתָה כְּמִיתַת בְּנֵי אָדָם בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהֶם "וּמֵתוּ בוֹ כִּי יְחַלְּלֻהוּ" (ויקרא כב ט), "וְלֹא תָמוּתוּ" (במדבר יח לב), אֲבָל עָנַשׁ בְּכָאן שֶׁיַּהֲרֹג אוֹתָם בְּחֶרֶב אוֹיֵב אוֹ בַמִּלְחָמָה יֵרֵד וְנִסְפָּה בְּלֹא הוֹדַע, וְהָיוּ נְשֵׁיהֶם אַלְמָנוֹת לְעוֹלָם וּבְנֵיהֶם יְתוֹמִים לְעוֹלָם:

1ANY WIDOW — even a rich one of quite considerable wealth — YE SHALL NOT AFFLICT, for her tears are frequent and her soul is depressed. He states, If thou afflict ‘otho’²⁹⁹ [“him” in the singular], meaning any one [who is a widow or a fatherless child]. Therefore it is written after that, and your wives shall be widows,³⁰² in punishment for your causing the cry of the widow, and your children fatherless,³⁰² in punishment for the cry of the orphan.This punishment [And My wrath shall glow, and I will kill you with the sword etc.]³⁰² is not counted by our Rabbis amongst those brought upon people who are liable to death by the hand of Heaven, as listed in the Beraitha,³⁰³ Note 209. “These are the people who are liable to death by the hand of Heaven” taught in Tractate Sanhedrin.³⁰⁴ The reason for this is that the death mentioned here is unlike the usual death of people by the hand of Heaven, of whom it is said, and they die therein, if they profane it;³⁰⁵ and ye die not.³⁰⁶ But here the punishment is that they will die by the enemy’s sword, or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away³⁰⁷ without anyone knowing it, and their wives will thus have to remain forever widows, and their children always be fatherless.