Chumashחומש

וכי יהיה באיש חטא משפט מות. סְמִיכוּת הַפָּרָשִׁיּוֹת מַגִּיד שֶׁאִם חָסִים עָלָיו אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ, סוֹף שֶׁיֵּצֵא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה וְיַעֲבֹר עֲבֵרוֹת וְיִתְחַיֵּב מִיתָה בְּבֵית דִּין (עי' תנחומא):

וכי יהיה באיש חטא משפט מות AND IF THERE BE IN A MAN A SIN DESERVING THE JUDGMENT OF DEATH — The juxtaposition of these sections (this and that of the rebellious son) tells us that if father and mother spare him (the rebellious son), he will in the latter end turn to mischief and commit sins for which he will become liable to the death penalty by the court (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 1).

ותלית אתו על עץ. רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ, כָּל הַנִּסְקָלִין נִתְלִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי", וְהַמְבָרֵךְ ה' בִּסְקִילָה (סנהדרין מ"ה):

ותלית אתו על עץ [AND IF THERE BE IN A MAN A SIN DESERVING THE JUDGMENT OF DEATH] THOU SHALT HANG HIM ON A TREE — Our Rabbis said, All those who have to be put to death by stoning must afterwards be hanged, for it is said here (v. 23) “for cursing of God ends in hanging”, and we are told that one who curses God is punished with stoning (cf. Leviticus 24:15—16; Sanhedrin 45b).

כי קללת אלהים תלוי. זִלְזוּלוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הוּא, שֶׁאָדָם עָשׂוּי בִּדְמוּת דְּיוֹקָנוֹ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם בָּנָיו; מָשָׁל לִשְׁנֵי אַחִים תְּאוֹמִים שֶׁהָיוּ דּוֹמִים זֶה לָזֶה, אֶחָד נַעֲשָׂה מֶלֶךְ וְאֶחָד נִתְפַּס לְלִסְטִיּוּת וְנִתְלָה, כָּל הָרוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ אוֹמֵר הַמֶּלֶךְ תָּלוּי. כָּל קְלָלָה שֶׁבַּמִּקְרָא לְשׁוֹן הָקֵל וְזִלְזוּל, כְּמוֹ (מלכים א ב') "וְהוּא קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת":

כי קללת אלהים תלוי FOR HE THAT IS HANGED IS A קללת אלהים — i.e., a degradation of the Divine King, for man is made in His image and the Israelites are His children. A parable! It may be compared to the case of two twin brothers who very closely resembled each other: one became king and the other was arrested for robbery and was hanged. Whoever saw him on the gallows thought that the king was hanged (Sanhedrin 46b). — Wherever the term קללה occurs in Scripture it has the meaning of bonding in light esteem and despising, as e.g., (1 Kings 2:8) “[Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim] who cursed me with a severe curse (קללני קללה נמרצת)” (cf. II Samuel 16:5—8).

והתעלמת. כּוֹבֵשׁ עַיִן כְּאִלּוּ אֵינוֹ רוֹאֵהוּ:

והתעלמת [THOU SHALT NOT SEE ANY OF THY BROTHER'S HERD … GO ASTRAY] AND HIDE THYSELF [FROM THEM] — i.e. one, as it were closes his eyes tight as though one does not see it.

לא תראה … והתעלמת. לֹא תִרְאֶה אוֹתוֹ שֶׁתִּתְעַלֵּם מִמֶּנּוּ, זֶהוּ פְּשׁוּטוֹ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ פְּעָמִים שֶׁאַתָּה מִתְעַלֵּם וְכוּ' (ספרי; בבא מציעא ל'):

לא תראה … והתעלמת THOU SHALT NOT SEE … AND HIDE THYSELF [FROM THEM] — “thou shalt not see it, that thou hide thyself from it” (i.e. you see it only to hide thyself from it), this is the plain sense of the verse. Our Rabbis, however, said that the omission of the particle לא before the verb והתעלמת (one would expect כי תראה … לא תתעלם) suggests: There are times when you may hide yourself from it, etc. (Sifrei Devarim 225:4; Bava Metzia 30a).

עד דרש אחיך. וְכִי תַעֲלֶה עַל דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁיִּתְּנֵהוּ לוֹ קֹדֶם שֶׁיִּדְרְשֵׁהוּ? אֶלָּא דָּרְשֵׁהוּ שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא רַמַּאי (בבא מציעא כ"ז; עי' ספרי):

עד דרש אחיך [AND IT SHALL BE WITH THEE] UNTIL THY BROTHER ENQUIRES [FOR IT] — But would it ever enter your mind that one could give it back before he enquires for it (Scripture distinctly states that you do not know to whom the animal belongs)?! But the meaning of the verse is: Thou shalt make diligent enquiries of him that he should not be a fraudulent claimant (Bava Metzia 27b. 28a; cf. Sifrei Devarim 223:4).

והשבתו לו. שֶׁתְּהֵא בוֹ הֲשָׁבָה, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאכַל בְּבֵיתְךָ כְּדֵי דָּמָיו וְתִתְבָּעֵם מִמֶּנּוּ. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ, כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה וְאוֹכֵל יַעֲשֶׂה וְיֹאכַל וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה וְאוֹכֵל יִמָּכֵר (בבא מציעא כ"ח):

והשבתו לו AND THOU SHALT RESTORE IT TO HIM — it is necessary that there be some restoration — that it (the animal) should not eat in your house to its own value, and you claim this from him (in which case there is no actual restoration of what has been lost). From here, they (the Rabbis) derived the law: Whatever works and requires food (as, for instance, oxen, etc., the cost of whose food is set off by the value of its labour) should work and eat; whatever does not work but requires feeding (as, for instance, sheep) should be sold and the money restored to the man who lost it (Bava Metzia 28b).

לא תוכל להתעלם. לִכְבֹּשׁ עֵינְךָ כְּאִלּוּ אֵינְךָ רוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ:

לא תוכל להתעלם THOU MAYEST NOT HIDE THYSELF — i.e. You must not cover your eyes, pretending not to see it.

הקם תקים. זוֹ טְעִינָה – לְהַטְעִין מַשּׂאוֹי שֶׁנָּפַל מֵעָלָיו:

הקם תקים [THOU SHALT NOT SEE THY BROTHER’S ASS OR ANY OF HIS HERD FALL DOWN BY THE WAY, AND HIDE THYSELF FROM THEM] THOU SHALT SURELY RAISE UP — This refers to the duty of loading — to re-load the burden that fell from it.

עמו. עִם בְּעָלָיו, אֲבָל אִם הָלַךְ וְיָשַׁב לוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ הוֹאִיל וְעָלֶיךָ מִצְוָה אִם רָצִיתָ לִטְעֹן טְעֹן, פָּטוּר (שם ל"ב):

עמו [THOU SHALT SURELY UPLOAD] WITH HIM — i.e. with the owner. But if he goes aside and sits down and says to him, “Since it is a duty for you to load it, if you want to load, go ahead and load!” — [“I” am not commanded to do it”], he is exempt from doing it (cf. Bava Metzia 32a).

לא יהיה כלי גבר על אשה. שֶׁתְּהֵא דּוֹמָה לְאִישׁ, כְּדֵי שֶׁתֵּלֵךְ בֵּין הָאֲנָשִׁים, שֶׁאֵין זוֹ אֶלָּא לְשֵׁם נִאוּף (עי' ספרי):

לא יהיה כלי גבר על אשה THE APPAREL OF A MAN SHALL NOT BE ON A WOMAN — so that she look like a man, in order to consort with men, for this can only be for the purpose of adultery (unchastity) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 226:1; Nazir 59a).

ולא ילבש גבר שמלת אשה. לֵילֵךְ לֵישֵׁב בֵּין הַנָּשִׁים. דָּ"אַ — שֶׁלֹּא יַשִּׁיר שְׂעַר הָעֶרְוָה וְשֵׂעָר שֶׁל בֵּית הַשֶּׁחִי (נזיר נ"ט):

ולא ילבש גבר שמלת אשה NEITHER SHALL A MAN PUT ON A WOMAN’S GARMENT in order to go and stay unnoticed amongst women. Another explanation of the second part of the text is: it implies that a man should not remove the hair of the genitals and the hair beneath the arm-pit (Nazir 59a).

כי תועבת. לֹא אָסְרָה תוֹרָה אֶלָּא לְבוּשׁ הַמֵּבִיא לִידֵי תוֹעֵבָה (עי' ספרי):

כי תועבת FOR [ALL THAT DO SO ARE] AN ABOMINATION [UNTO THE LORD THY GOD] — This implies that the Torah forbids only the wearing of a garb that leads to abomination (unchastity) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 226:1).

כי יקרא. פְּרָט לִמְזֻמָּן (חולין קל"ט):

כי יקרא IF [A BIRD’S NEST] CHANCE TO BE [BEFORE THEE IN THE WAY … THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE MOTHER WITH THE YOUNG] — If it chance to be, this excludes that which is always ready at hand (in thy court yard) (Sifrei Devarim 227:1; Chullin 139a).

לא תקח האם. בְּעוֹדָהּ עַל בָּנֶיהָ:

לא תקח האם THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE MOTHER so long as she is sitting upon the young.

למען ייטב לך וגו'. אִם מִצְוָה קַלָּה שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ חֶסְרוֹן כִּיס אָמְרָה תוֹרָה "לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים", קַל וָחֹמֶר לְמַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְווֹת חֲמוּרוֹת (שם קמ"ב):

למען ייטב לך וגו׳ THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH THEE etc. — If in the case of an easy command which involves no monetary loss, Scripture states “Do this in order that it may be well with thee and thou mayest prolong thy days”, it follows à fortiori that this at least will be the grant of the reward for the fulfilment of commands which are more difficult to observe (Chullin 142a).