Midrash · Halachah
Sifrei Devarim 219/ספרי דברים רי״ט
א(דברים כא יט) וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ – מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאֵינוֹ חַיָּב עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לוֹ אָב וָאֵם, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אִם לֹא הָיְתָה אִמּוֹ רְאוּיָה לְאָבִיו – אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה.
1Pisqa’ 219391. “Then his father and mother shall seize him” (Dt. 21:19).This teaches thathe can only be liable for punishmentwhile he has a [living] father and mother:words of R. Meir.R. Judah says:If his mother was unsuited [by improper lineage]40 and the father was of unimpaired lineage. See Pisqa’ 196.1. to marry his father,the son cannot be held liablefor punishment as a persistently incorrigible son. 41
בוְהוֹצִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְאֶל שַׁעַר מְקֹמוֹ – מִצְוָה בְּזִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וּבְשַׁעַר מְקוֹמוֹ.
22. “And they shall take him to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place” (Dt. 21:19)—it is essential that the elders of his city[bear witness] at the gate of his home.
ג(דברים כא כ) וְאָמְרוּ אֶל זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ בְּנֵנוּ זֶה – זֶהוּ שֶׁלָּקָה בִּפְנֵיכֶם, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאִם מֵת אֶחָד מֵהֶם אֵינוֹ נִסְקָל.
3“And they shall say to the elders of his city: This son of ours” (Dt. 21:20)—“this one,” who has recently been beaten before you.The phrase, ours, teaches thatif one parent has died, the son is not stoned.
דהָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם גִּדֵּם אוֹ חִגֵּר אוֹ אִלֵּם אוֹ סוּמָה אוֹ חֵרֵשׁ – אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ״ – וְלֹא גִדְּמִים, ״וְהוֹצִיאוּ אוֹתוֹ״ – וְלֹא חִגְּרִים, וְאָמְרוּ – וְלֹא אִלְּמִים, בְּנֵנוּ זֶה – וְלֹא סוּמִים, אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ בְּקֹלֵנוּ – וְלֹא חֵרְשִׁים. מַתְרִים בּוֹ בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה וּמַלְקִים אוֹתוֹ; חָזַר וְקִלְקֵל – נִדּוֹן בְּעֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ, וְאֵינוֹ נִסְקָל עַד שֶׁיְּהוּ שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּנֵנוּ זֶה – זֶהוּ שֶׁלָּקָה בִּפְנֵיכֶם. זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא – זוֹלֵל בְּבָשָׂר וְסוֹבֵא בְּיַיִן, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין רְאָיָה לַדָּבָר – זֵכֶר לַדָּבָר (משלי כג כ): ״אַל תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי יָיִן בְּזֹלְלֵי בָשָׂר לָמוֹ״, וְאוֹמֵר (משלי כג כא): ״כִּי זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא יִוָּרֵשׁ, וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָה״.
4If one of them is an amputee, or lame, or mute, or blind, or deaf,he cannot be held liable for punishmentas a stubbornly incorrigible son,for it is said:“They shall seize him” (Dt. 21:19)—so they cannot be amputees.“Bring him out to the gate” (Dt. 21:19)—so they cannot be lame.“And they shall declare” (Dt. 21:19)—so they cannot be mute.“This son of ours” (Dt. 21:19)—[since this implies gesturing towards the son,]they cannot be blind.“Does not heed our voice” (Dt. 21:19)—[since they observe that he doesn’t heed,]they cannot be deaf!The elders then warn him,before three witnesses,[of the consequences of his acts,]and administer a beating.If he repeated his offenses,he is brought to a Court of Twenty-Three.But he is not stoned unlessthree of the original elders are in session,as it is said:“This son of ours” (Dt. 21:20)—this one who has recently been beaten before you.“Is a gluttonous drunkard” (Dt. 21:20)—stuffing himself with meatand swilling wine.423. Now, even though[the Torah contains] no clear proscriptionagainst drunken gluttony,43the Prophets44 suggest as much:“Don’t be among the wine-swillers or the meat-bingers!” (Prov. 23:20).And He says:“For the wine-swiller and meat-binger will know want,and their stupor will clothe them in tatters!” (Prov. 23:21)