Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Leviticus 19:20/רמב"ן על ויקרא י״ט:כ׳

אוְהִיא שִׁפְחָה נֶחֱרֶפֶת לְאִישׁ מְיֹעֶדֶת לְאִישׁ, וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ לוֹ דִמְיוֹן בַּמִּקְרָא, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"ט:כ'). וְהַנִּרְאֶה אֵלַי כִּי הוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן "כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיִיתִי בִּימֵי חָרְפִּי" (איוב כט ד) - "בִּימֵי נְעוּרַי", וְכֵן "לֹא יֶחֱרַף לְבָבִי מִיָּמָי" (שם כז ו), שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לִי לֵב נַעַר, וְיִקָּרְאוּ יְמֵי הַנְּעוּרִים יְמֵי חֹרֶף, כִּי הַחֹרֶף בְּרֵאשִׁית הַשָּׁנִים, וִימֵי הַזִּקְנָה כְּנֶגֶד הַקַּיִץ שֶׁהֵם יְמֵי הָאָסִיף. יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב שֶׁהִיא שִׁפְחָה נַעֲרָה לְאִישׁ יָדוּעַ, כִּי הַפִּילֶגֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר הִיא מְשָׁרֵת אֶת הָאִישׁ וְיִשְׁכַּב עִמָּהּ תִּקָּרֵא נַעֲרָה לוֹ, כִּי גַּם כָּל מְשָׁרֵת הָאָדָם יִקָּרֵא נַעֲרוֹ. וּמֻרְגָּל בִּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים לֵאמֹר עַל הַשּׁוֹכֶבֶת עִם הָאִישׁ - מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת עִמּוֹ. וְהִיא נֶחֱרֶפֶת, שֶׁנַּעֲשֵׂית נַעֲרָה לְאִישׁ וִידוּעָה לוֹ, מסיפד"ה בְּלַעַ"ז. וְכֵן בִּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים (סנהדרין נח), דְּקָרוּ לָהּ רָבִיתָא דִּפְלָנְיָא. וְהָעִנְיָן שֶׁאֵינָהּ אִשְׁתּוֹ לְגַמְרֵי, אֲבָל נָתַן לָהּ קִדּוּשִׁין וְהִיא לוֹ לְנַעֲרָה מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת:

1AND WHOSOEVER LIETH CARNALLY WITH A WOMAN THAT IS A BONDMAID, ‘NECHEREPHETH’ FOR A MAN — “‘Destined’ for a man. I know not of a similar usage of this root [choraph] in Scripture.” This is Rashi’s language. It appears to me that it is associated with the expression, as I was in the days of ‘chorpi,’¹³⁷ meaning, in the days of my youth. Similarly, my heart shall not ‘yecheraph’ me so long as I live,¹³⁸, 27:6. meaning that I will not have the heart of a youth [who has not yet matured in wisdom]. The days of youth are called “the days of choreph” [a term which means “winter”], since the winter is at the beginning of the year, while the days of old age correspond to the summer which are the days of gathering in. Scripture, then, is stating here that she is a bondmaid, a young girl designated for a certain man, for a concubine who ministers to a man and with whom she has sexual relations, is called “his maiden,” just as every ministering person is also called [the master’s] lad. It is very common in the language of the Sages to say of a woman who has sexual relations with a man, that she is “an attendant to him.” And it is this [relationship that is here called] necherepheth, meaning that she has become a maiden [— attendant] to a man, and is known to him, called in the vernacular [i.e., in Spanish] mancipada (designated to a man). In the language of the Sages likewise we find the expression:¹³⁹ “that slave’s girl” [assigned to him by his master]. Thus the meaning thereof is that she is not completely as his wife, but he has betrothed her and she is to him a maiden-attendant.

בבִּקֹּרֶת תִּהְיֶה יֵשׁ עַל בֵּית דִּין לְבַקֵּר הַדָּבָר שֶׁלֹּא לְחַיְּבוֹ מִיתָה, "כִּי לֹא חֻפָּשָׁה" וְאֵין קִדּוּשֶׁיהָ גְּמוּרִין, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על ויקרא י"ט:כ'). וְכֵן אָמְרוּ כָּל הַמְפָרְשִׁים. וְאִם כֵּן יַזְהִיר הַכָּתוּב בַּבִּקּוּר הַזֶּה מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא דּוֹמָה לְאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, אוּלַי יִטְעוּ בָּהּ. וְאֵין פֵּרוּשָׁם מָתוֹק בְּפִי, כִּי בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁיְּבֻקַּר הַדָּבָר וְלֹא יָמִיתוּ הָאָדָם חִנָּם, וְכֵן יְבַקְּרוּ בְּכָל חַיָּבֵי הַמִּיתוֹת. וַאֲנִי סוֹבֵר שֶׁהִיא מִלָּה יְחִידִית בַּכָּתוּב, אֲבָל הִיא מֻרְגֶּלֶת בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּית, וּבְדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ מִלְּשׁוֹן "הֶפְקֵר", כִּי עִקַּר הַלָּשׁוֹן "הֶבְקֵר", כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (פאה פ"ו מ"א), בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים הֶבְקֵר לָעֲנִיִּים הֶבְקֵר, וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים עַד שֶׁיַּבְקִיר אַף לָעֲשִׁירִים כַּשְּׁמִטָּה. וּתְנַן נָמֵי (שביעית פ"ט מ"ד), אוֹכְלִין עַל הַמֻּבְקָר אֲבָל לֹא עַל הַשָּׁמוּר. וְתִרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן "אֲנָשִׁים רֵקִים וּפֹחֲזִים" (שופטים ט ד) - "סְרִיקִין וּבָקְרִין", כְּלוֹמַר בַּעֲלֵי הֶבְקֵר, "בְּשִׁקְרֵיהֶם וּבְפַחֲזוּתָם" (ירמיהו כג לב) - "וּבַקָּרוּתְהוֹן". וְאָמְרוּ כִּי "תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּהּ" (שמות כג יא) תַּרְגּוּם יְרוּשַׁלְמִי "וּתְבַקְּרִנַּהּ". וְכֵן בְּכָל מָקוֹם בַּמִּשְׁנָה הַלָּשׁוֹן בְּבֵי"ת, אֲבָל הִרְגִּילוּ בַּגְּמָרָא לוֹמַר מִמֶּנּוּ "הֶפְקֵר", כִּי הָאוֹתִיּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה מִתְחַלְּפוֹת אֶצְלָם תָּמִיד, כַּאֲשֶׁר אוֹמְרִים (פסחים מה) מִן "עָבְשׁוּ פְרוּדוֹת" (יואל א יז) - "עִפּוּשׁ". וְכֵן בַּכָּתוּב בִּמְקוֹמוֹת הַרְבֵּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְתִּי בְּפָסוּק "נָשַׁפְתָּ בְּרוּחֲךָ" (שמות טו י). וּפֵרוּשׁ הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה שֶׁאָמַר בַּשִּׁפְחָה הַזֹּאת, אע"פ שֶׁהִיא נֶחֱרֶפֶת לְאִישׁ לֹא תִּהְיֶה לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, כִּי בִּקֹּרֶת תִּהְיֶה לוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר מֻפְקֶרֶת תֵּחָשֵׁב אֶצְלוֹ, וְלֹא יוּמְתוּ כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַנּוֹאֵף וְהַנּוֹאֶפֶת בְּאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, כִּי לֹא חֻפָּשָׁה לִהְיוֹת אִשְׁתּוֹ גְּמוּרָה, אֲבָל יָבִיא זֶה עָלֶיהָ אָשָׁם בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהִיא נֶחֱרֶפֶת אֵלָיו. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על ויקרא י"ט:כ') שֶׁאָמַר "בִּקֻּרְתָּא תְּהֵא", לְשׁוֹנוֹ כִּלְשׁוֹן יוֹנָתָן בֶּן עֻזִּיאֵל (שופטים ט ד) בְּמִלַּת "בָּקְרִין":

2BIKORETH’ (AN INVESTIGATION) SHALL BE MADE. “It is for the court to investigate the matter in order not to make him liable to death [that is to say, if she were a free woman betrothed to a man, and she had committed adultery, the punishment would be death, but this is not the case in this instance]. BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT FREE, and her betrothal was not complete.” This is Rashi’s language, and so did all the commentators¹⁴⁰. interpret the verse. And if so, Scripture then is warning the court to make this investigation because she is like a married woman, and they might [easily] make a mistake [in deciding his punishment]. But their interpretation does not please me, for it is a fact that is self-understood that the matter will be investigated, and that the court will not kill a person in vain. For they do such an investigation in all cases involving the death penalty!Now it is my opinion that this [word bikoreth] is a unique one in Scripture, but it is a common term in the Aramaic language and in the expressions of our Rabbis, namely, the word hefkeir [“ownerless” — with the letter beth in bikoreth and the letter fei in hefkeir interchanging]. For the word is essentially hevkeir [with the letter veth, which is equivalent to the beth in bikoreth], just as the Rabbis have said [in a Mishnah]:¹⁴¹ “The School of Shammai say: Hevkeir [produce that is proclaimed ownerless] for the benefit of the poor [only], is deemed hevkeir [and therefore the produce is free from the obligation to give tithes, since ownerless produce is exempt from tithes].¹⁴² [with the letter veth] instead of hefkeir [with the letter fei]. And the School of Hillel say: [It is not valid] unless the owner makes it equally free for the rich, just as in the Sabbatical year” [when the produce of the field is free for poor and rich alike, and is exempt from tithes]. And again we have been taught [in a Mishnah]:¹⁴³ “One may eat [produce of the Sabbatical year] which has been brought into the house al hamuvkar¹⁴⁴ instead of hamufkar. In our text of the Mishnah the latter usage is found. [only as long as similar produce is still found ‘free’ in the field as food for the animals], but not as long as it is still found watched over in private ownership.” Yonathan ben Uziel also translated, vain and light fellows¹⁴⁵ as “idlers uvakrin,” — “and ‘free’ men” [i.e., men defying the law]. By their lies and ‘by their wantonness’¹⁴⁶ [Yonathan ben Uziel translated] uvakrithon¹⁴⁷ [uvakrithon] instead of the fei [ufakrithon — “and their irreverence”]. (“and by their irresponsibility”). They also say¹⁴⁸ that the expression, and the seventh year thou shalt let it rest ‘u’n'tashta’,¹⁴⁹ the Jerusalem Targum¹⁵⁰ renders as uthevakarno [“and thou shalt renounce ownership thereof,” thus also using the root hefkeir in the form of hevkeir]. Similarly throughout the Mishnah [the term hefkeir] is written with a veth [i.e., hevkeir]. But in the Gemara they became used to saying hefkeir [with a fei], as these letters [the veth and the fei] were used interchangeably by them, just as from the expression the grains ‘ovshu’ (shrivel),¹⁵¹ they used the word ‘ofshu’ (musty). This is likewise found in many places in the Scriptures, as I have mentioned on the verse Thou didst blow with Thy wind.¹⁵² And the interpretation of this verse [before us] is as follows: He says concerning this bondmaid that “although she is ‘attending’ this man, she is not considered his wife because she is to him bikoreth, that is to say, she is treated by him as a loose person, and therefore they are not to be put to death as is the law of the adulterer and the adulteress when the woman is [properly] married; for freedom has not been given to her [from her status as a bondmaid] to be his real wife [and therefore he who lies carnally with her is not to be put to death], but instead he is to bring a guilt-offering because she is designated for a man.” And Onkelos who translated ‘bikoreth’ shall be made as “bikurto shall be made,” uses a language similar to that of Yonathan ben Uziel, in his rendition [of the Hebrew ufochazim¹⁴⁵ (and light follows)] as uvakrin (men defying the Law).¹⁵³ as bikurto is thus similar to Yonathan’s rendition of the Hebrew ufochazim as uvakrin, which is of the root hevkeir, or in its later form hefkeir, which denotes something ownerless, loose, etc. It thus corroborates Ramban’s interpretation that the word bikoreth in the verse before us is of the term hefkeir, as explained in the text.