Chumashחומש

אביו ואמו קלל. לְרַבּוֹת לְאַחַר מִיתָה (שם; סנהדרין פ"ה):

אביו ואמו קלל HE HATH CURSED HIS FATHER OR HIS MOTHER — These apparently redundant words are intended to include as subject to the death penalty one who curses his parents after their death (Sanhedrin 85b).

דמיו בו. זוֹ סְקִילָה, וְכֵן כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר דָּמָיו בּוֹ, דְּמֵיהֶם בָּם; וְלָמַדְנוּ מֵאוֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהֶם בָּאֶבֶן יִרְגְּמוּ אֹתָם דְּמֵיהֶם בָּם (ספרא; כריתות ה'). וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא, כְּמוֹ דָּמוֹ בְרֹאשׁוֹ (יהושע ב') — אֵין נֶעֱנָשׁ עַל מִיתָתוֹ אֶלָּא הוּא, שֶׁהוּא גָרַם לְעַצְמוֹ שֶׁיֵּהָרֵג:

דמיו בו HIS BLOOD IS UPON HIM — This implies execution by stoning; similarly wherever the expressions דמיו בו or דמיהם בם occur. We learn this Halachic rule from the case of אוב and ידעוני of whom Scripture expressly states, (v. 27) [“they shall surely be put to death], they shall overwhelm them with stones, their blood is upon them (דמיהם בם)” (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 10 7; cf. Sanhedrin 54a; Keritot 5a). But according to the literal sense of the passage it means the same as the expression דמו בראשו (Joshua 2:19): “[whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street his blood shall be upon his own head] (דמו בראשו)” where the meaning is: No one deserves punishment on account of his death except himself, for he brought it upon himself that he should be killed (i. e. it was his own fault).

ואיש. פְּרָט לְקָטָן:

ואיש AND THE MAN [THAT COMMITTETH ADULERY SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH] — a man, thus excluding a minor (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 10 8).

אשר ינאף את אשת איש. פְּרָט לְאֵשֶׁת קָטָן, לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁאֵין לְקָטָן קִדּוּשִׁין, וְעַל אֵיזוֹ אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ חִיַּבְתִּי לְךָ?

אשר ינאף את אשת איש WHO COMMITTETH ADULTERY WITH ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE — a man's wife, thus excluding the wife of a minor from the death penalty. This teaches us that a minor cannot enter into a marriage contract. And in reference to what married woman do I make you liable to the death penalty?

אשר ינאף את אשת רעהו. פְּרָט לְאֵשֶׁת גּוֹי, לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁאֵין קִדּוּשִׁין לְגוֹי (ספרא; סנהדרין נ"ב):

אשר ינאף את אשת רעהו IF HE COMMITTETH ADULTERY WITH THE WIFE OF HIS FELLOW-MAN — his fellow-man, thus excluding the wife of a heathen; this teaches us that a heathen cannot enter into a marriage contract according to Jewish law (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 10 8; Sanhedrin 52b).

מות יומת הנאף והנאפת. כָּל מִיתָה הָאֲמוּרָה בַתּוֹרָה סְתָם, אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא חֶנֶק (ספרא; סנהדרין נ"ה):

מות יומת הנאף והנאפת THE ADULTERER AND THE ADULTRESS SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH — Wherever a death penalty is mentioned in Scripture without being precisely defined, only strangulation is intended (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 10 8; Sanhedrin 55b).

תבל עשו. גְּנַאי; לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר מְבַלְבְּלִין זֶרַע הָאָב בְּזֶרַע הַבֵּן:

תבל עשו THEY HAVE WROUGHT תבל — i. e. they have done a shameful deed. Another interpretation is that תבל is connected with בלל to "intermingle" and signifies that they mingle (בּלל) the seed of the father with the seed of the son.

משכבי אשה. מַכְנִיס כְּמִכְחוֹל בִּשְׁפוֹפֶרֶת:

משכבי אשה means he inserts as a brush into a tube [i.e. in the manner of marital intercourse].

ישרפו אתו ואתהן. אֵי אַתָּה יָכוֹל לוֹמַר אִשְׁתּוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה יִשְׂרְפוּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי נְשָׂאָהּ בְּהֶתֵּר וְלֹא נֶאֶסְרָה עָלָיו, אֶלָּא אִשָּׁה וְאִמָּהּ הַכְּתוּבין כָּאן שְׁתֵּיהֶן לְאִסּוּר — שֶׁנָּשָׂא חֲמוֹתוֹ וְאִמָּהּ; וְיֵשׁ מֵרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים אֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא חֲמוֹתוֹ, וּמַהוּ אֶתְהֶן? אֶת אַחַת מֵהֶן וְלָשׁוֹן יְוָנִי הוּא הֵן אַחַת (ספרא; סנהדרין ע"ו):

ישרפו אתו ואתהן [AND IF A MAN TAKE A WIFE AND HER MOTHER, IT IS WICKEDNESS] THEY SHALL BE BURNT [WITH FIRE] BOTH HE AND THEY — You cannot say that this means that they shall burn also his first wife (i. e. her whom he married first), because you must admit that he married her legally for she was not forbidden to him as a wife. But the fact is that the case of “a woman and her mother": mentioned here must be a case where both of them are forbidden to him on account of a previous relationship to him, — that, for instance, after having married a woman, he marries also his mother-in-law and her mother. It is these two that have to be burnt. There are, however, some of our Rabbis who say we have here a case of where, in addition to having married a woman, he marries only his mother-in-law (but not also the latter's mother). But what then could be the meaning of אתהן? It means one of them (“את "הן) and this is a Greek word, הן (ξυ) meaning “one" (Sanhedrin 76b; Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 10 12).

ואת הבהמה תהרגו. אִם אָדָם חָטָא בְּהֵמָה מֶה חָטְאָה? אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבָּאָה לָאָדָם תַּקָּלָה עַל יָדָהּ לְפִיכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב תִּסָּקֵל, קַל וָחֹמֶר לָאָדָם, שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְהַבְחִין בֵּין טוֹב לְרַע, וְגוֹרֵם רָעָה לַחֲבֵרוֹ לַעֲבֹר עֲבֵרָה; כַּיּוֹצֵא בַדָּבָר אַתָּה אוֹמֵר אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן אֶת כָּל הַמְּקֹמוֹת (דברים י"ב), הֲרֵי דְבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר, וּמָה אִילָנוֹת שֶׁאֵינָן רוֹאִין וְאֵינָן שׁוֹמְעִין, עַל שֶׁבָּאת תַּקָּלָה עַל יָדָם אָמְרָה תוֹרָה הַשְׁחֵת, שְׂרֹף וְכַלֵּה, הַמַּטֶּה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ מִדֶּרֶךְ חַיִּים לְדַרְכֵי מִיתָה, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה (ספרא):

ואת הבהמה תהרגו AND YE SHALL SLAY THE BEAST — If the man has sinned, what sin has the beast committed? But because the man’s opportunity to stumble (to sin) was occasioned by it, therefore Scripture says, “let it be stoned"! How much the more does this principle apply to a human being who knows to distinguish between good and evil and yet brings evil upon his fellow-man by inducing him to commit a sin. In a similar way you should explain: (Deuteronomy 12:2) “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places [where the nations… served their gods… under every bushy tree]" Now is not the following a logical conclusion? How is it in the case of trees which can neither see nor hear? Merely because an opportunity to sin was occasioned by them Scripture says, "Destroy, burn, exterminate them!״ One who makes his fellow-man deviate from the path of lifeto the path of death, does it not follow all the more that he should be punished? (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 11 5; cf. Sanhedrin 54a, 55a.)

חסד הוא. לְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי חֶרְפָּה חִסּוּדָא; וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ אִם תֹּאמַר קַיִן נָשָׂא אֲחוֹתוֹ חֶסֶד עָשָׂה הַמָּקוֹם, לִבְנוֹת עוֹלָמוֹ מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים פ"ט), עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה (ספרא; סנהדרין נ"ח):

חסד הוא IT IS A WICKED THING — It is an Aramaic expression, the Hebrew חרפה (disgrace) being in that language חסודא (cf. Onkelos on Genesis 34:14). A Midrashic explanation of it (of חסד הוא) is; If you should say, "But Cain married his sister!" then I reply, Cain's case was an exceptional one; an act of kindness (חסד) was done by the Omnipresent in order that His world might be built up through him (i. e. He made the propagation of the human race possible through this union), as it is said (Psalms 89:3) "The world was built up through חסד, loving-kindness" (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 11 11; Sanhedrin 58b).

הערה. גִּלָּה, וְכֵן כָּל לְשׁוֹן עֶרְוָה גִּלּוּי הוּא, וְהַוָּי"ו יוֹרֶדֶת בַּתֵּיבָה לְשֵׁם דָּבָר כְּמוֹ זַעֲוָה מִגִּזְרַת וְלֹא קָם וְלֹא זָע (אסתר ה'), וְכֵן אַחֲוָה מִגִּזְרַת אָח. וְהַעֲרָאָה זוֹ נֶחְלְקוּ בָהּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים זוֹ נְשִׁיקַת שַׁמָּשׁ, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים זוֹ הַכְנָסַת עֲטָרָה (יבמות נ"ה):

הערה means HE HATH UNCOVERED. Similarly the term ערוה everywhere denotes "uncovering". The ו in the word ערוה nakedness, is inserted in the root ערה in order to form a noun of it, just as the noun זעוה, "trembling", is of the same derivation as זע in the phrase (Esther 5:9) "and he stood not up and did not tremble (זע)". Similarly, אחוה "brotherhood", is of the same derivation as אח, brother. As for this term "uncovering" our Rabbis differ in the meaning they give to it (Yevamot 55b). Some say that it is the mere contact of the tip of the organ, while others say that it is the insertion of the tip.

וערות אחות אמך וגו'. שָׁנָה הַכָּתוּב בְּאַזְהָרָתָן, לוֹמַר שֶׁהֻזְהַר עֲלֵיהֶן בֵּין עַל אֲחוֹת אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ מִן הָאָב, בֵּין עַל אַחְיוֹתֵיהֶן מִן הָאֵם, אֲבָל עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת אֲחִי אָבִיו לֹא הֻזְהַר אֶלָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אֲחִי אָבִיו מִן הָאָב (עי' יבמות נ"ד):

'וערות אחות אמך וגו‎‎‎ [AND THOU SHALT NOT UNCOVER] THE NAKEDNESS OF THY MOTHERS SISTER [NOR OF THY FATHER’S SISTER] — Scripture repeats the prohibition regarding these (although they had been mentioned already in Leviticus 18:12, 13) to tell us that one is prohibited in respect to them, both in regard to one's father's or mother's sister on their father's side, and in regard to their sisters on their mother's side. But as regards a marriage being forbidden with the wife of one's father’s brother (cf. Leviticus 18:14) the prohibition (i.e. the איסור ערוה מדאורייתא) applies only to the wife of the brother of one's father when he is the father’s brother on the father’s side (i. e. when both have one father) (cf. Yevamot 54b).

אשר ישכב את דדתו. הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה בָּא לְלַמֵּד עַל כָּרֵת הָאָמוּר לְמַעְלָה שֶׁהוּא בְעֹנֶשׁ הֲלִיכַת עֲרִירִי:

אשר ישכב את דדתו AND IF A MAN SHALL LIE WITH HIS AUNT… [THEY SHALL DIE CHILDLESS] — This verse is intended to teach that the "excision" mentioned above (18:29, where "all these abominations includes the union prohibited in v. 14 of that chapter) consists in their (the offenders’) passing from this world childless.

ערירים. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, בְּלָא וְלָד, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי (בראשית ט"ו); יֵשׁ לוֹ בָנִים, קוֹבְרָן, אֵין לוֹ בָנִים, מֵת בְּלֹא בָנִים, לְכָךְ שִׁנָּה בִשְׁנֵי מִקְרָאוֹת אֵלּוּ — עֲרִירִים "יָמֻתוּ", עֲרִירִים "יִהְיוּ", ערירים ימתו. אִם יִהְיוּ לוֹ בִשְׁעַת עֲבֵרָה לֹא יִהְיוּ לוֹ כְּשֶׁיָּמוּת, לְפִי שֶׁקּוֹבְרָן בְּחַיָּיו, ערירים יהיו. אִם אֵין לוֹ בִּשְׁעַת עֲבֵרָה, יִהְיֶה כָל יָמָיו כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוּא עַכְשָׁו (ספרא; יבמות נ"ה):

ערירים — Translate this as the Targum renders it: בלא ולד, childless. Similar is, (Genesis 15:2) "and I will pass away childless (ערירי)”. If he has children he will bury them (i. e. they will die during his life-time); if he has no children when this sin is committed he will die childless (he will beget no children afterwards). That is why Scripture varies the expression in these two verses (this and the following) here stating ערירים ימתו, "they shall die childless", and there ערירים יהיו, "they shall be childless". The expression ערירים ימתו implies: if he has any children at the time he commits the sin, he shall have none remaining when he dies because he will bury them during his lifetime; ערירים יהיו on the other hand, implies: if he has no children at the time when he commits the sin, he shall remain all his life just as he was then (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 12 7; Yevamot 55a).

נדה הוא. הַשְּׁכִיבָה הַזֹּאת מְנֻדָּה הִיא וּמְאוּסָה; וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ לֶאֱסֹר הַעֲרָאָה בָהּ כְּנִדָּה שֶׁהַעֲרָאָה מְפֹרֶשֶׁת בָּהּ — אֶת מְקֹרָהּ הֶעֱרָה (יבמות נ"ד):

נדה הוא means, this cohabitation ought to be kept at a distance (avoided) and is loathsome. Our Rabbis explained that these words prohibit the slightest approach to her [I.e. one is liable for superficial contact, as is defined in the commentary on verse 18] just as though she were a נדה in the case of whom such intimacy is expressly stated as forbidden, as it says, (v. 18) “he hath uncovered her fountain” (cf. Yevamot 54a).