Tanach
Devarim 19:15-21 דברים י״ט:ט״ו-כ״א
Part of: ShoftimShoftim, Aliyah 6Chapter 19
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
לֹֽא־יָקוּם עֵד אֶחָד בְּאִישׁ לְכׇל־עָוֺן וּלְכׇל־חַטָּאת בְּכׇל־חֵטְא אֲשֶׁר יֶֽחֱטָא עַל־פִּי ׀ שְׁנֵי עֵדִים אוֹ עַל־פִּי שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־עֵדִים יָקוּם דָּבָֽר׃
One witness may not arise against a man about any sin or for any transgression or transgression that he transgresses; by the word of two witnesses or by the word of three witnesses let a matter be established.
One witness may not arise against a man about any sin or for any transgression or transgression that he transgresses; by the word of two witnesses or by the word of three witnesses let a matter be established.
Rashi
לכל עון ולכל חטאת. לִהְיוֹת חֲבֵרוֹ נֶעֱנָשׁ עַל עֵדוּתוֹ, לֹא עֹנֶשׁ גּוּף וְלֹא עֹנֶשׁ מָמוֹן, אֲבָל קָם הוּא לִשְׁבוּעָה; אָמַר לַחֲבֵרוֹ תֵּן לִי מָנֶה שֶׁהִלְוִיתִיךָ, אָמַר לוֹ אֵין לְךָ בְיָדִי כְּלוּם וְעֵד אֶחָד מְעִידוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ, חַיָּב לִשָּׁבַע לוֹ (שבועות מ'):
For any sin or transgression. To have his fellow penalized by his testimony, whether by corporal or monetary punishment. However, he may rise up to require him to take an oath. If someone says to his fellow, ‘Repay that which I lent you,’ he replies, ‘I owe you nothing,’ and a single witness testifies that he owes [the money,] he is obligated to take an oath.
על פי שני עדים. וְלֹא שֶׁיִּכְתְּבוּ עֵדוּתָם בְּאִגֶּרֶת וְיִשְׁלְחוּ לְבֵית דִּין, וְלֹא שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד תֻּרְגְּמָן בֵּין הָעֵדִים וּבֵין הַדַּיָּנִים (ספרי):
By the word of two witnesses. But they cannot write their testimony in a letter and send it to the court; nor may a translator stand between the witnesses and the justices.
כִּֽי־יָקוּם עֵד־חָמָס בְּאִישׁ לַעֲנוֹת בּוֹ סָרָֽה׃
If false witnesses arise against a man and bear fallacious testimony against him;
If false witnesses arise against a man and bear fallacious testimony against him;
Rashi
לענות בו סרה. דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ, שֶׁהוּסַר הָעֵד הַזֶּה מִכָּל הָעֵדוּת הַזֹּאת. כֵּיצַד? שֶׁאָמְרוּ לָהֶם וַהֲלֹא עִמָּנוּ הֱיִיתֶם אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בְּמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי (מכות ה'):
And bears fallacious testimony against him. The story is utterly untenable, as the witness was dissociated from the entire testimony. How is this? When other witnesses said to them, ‘But weren’t you with us on that day at another location?!’
וְעָמְדוּ שְׁנֵֽי־הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־לָהֶם הָרִיב לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה לִפְנֵי הַכֹּֽהֲנִים וְהַשֹּׁפְטִים אֲשֶׁר יִהְיוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵֽם׃
The two men shall stand, who are involved in the dispute, before Adonoy, before the kohanim and the judges who are in those days.
The two men shall stand, who are involved in the dispute, before Adonoy, before the kohanim and the judges who are in those days.
Rashi
ועמדו שני האנשים. בְּעֵדִים הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר וְלִמֵּד שֶׁאֵין עֵדוּת בְּנָשִׁים, וְלִמֵּד שֶׁצְּרִיכִין לְהָעִיד עֵדוּתָן מֵעוֹמֵד (שבועות ל'):
The two men shall stand. Our passage refers to the witnesses. This teaches that women cannot testify, and that the witnesses must testify while standing.
אשר להם הריב. אֵלּוּ בַעֲלֵי הַדִּין:
Who are involved in the dispute. This refers to the litigants.
לפני ה'. יִהְיֶה דּוֹמֶה לָהֶם כְּאִלּוּ עוֹמְדִין לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים פ"ב) בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט (סנהדרין ו'):
Before Adonoy. It should seem to them, as if they stand before the Omnipresent, as it is said, “He [God] judges in the midst of judges.”
אשר יהיו בימים ההם. יִפְתָּח בְּדוֹרוֹ כִּשְׁמוּאֵל בְּדוֹרוֹ, צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לִנְהֹג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד:
Who are in those days. Yiftach, in his generation, is like Shmuel in his generation — you must treat him reverently.
וְדָרְשׁוּ הַשֹּׁפְטִים הֵיטֵב וְהִנֵּה עֵֽד־שֶׁקֶר הָעֵד שֶׁקֶר עָנָה בְאָחִֽיו׃
When the judges shall investigate thoroughly and behold, the witness testified falsely, they testified falsely against their brother;
When the judges shall investigate thoroughly and behold, the witness testified falsely, they testified falsely against their brother;
Rashi
ודרשו השפטים היטב. עַל פִּי הַמְזִמִּין אוֹתָם, שֶׁבּוֹדְקִים וְחוֹקְרִים אֶת הַבָּאִים לַהֲזִימָם בִּדְרִישָׁה וַחֲקִירָה:
The judges shall investigate thoroughly. This is directed at those asserting that the witnesses were conspirators. They shall investigate and interrogate those accusing them of conspiracy, by the prescribed method of investigation and interrogation.
והנה עד שקר העד. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עֵד — בִּשְׁנַיִם הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר:
Behold, the witness testified falsely. Wherever “witness” is mentioned, Scripture refers to two.
וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת לְאָחִיו וּבִֽעַרְתָּ הָרָע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃
You are to do to [each of] them as he conspired to do to his brother, and eliminate the evil from among you;
You are to do to [each of] them as he conspired to do to his brother, and eliminate the evil from among you;
Rashi
כאשר זמם. וְלֹא כַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ הָרְגוּ אֵין נֶהֱרָגִין (מכות ה'):
As he conspired. But not as he did. From here it is derived that if the execution was carried out, the witnesses are not executed.
לעשות לאחיו. מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לאחיו? לִמֵּד עַל זוֹמְמֵי בַת כֹּהֵן נְשׂוּאָה שֶׁאֵינָן בִּשְׂרֵפָה אֶלָּא כְּמִיתַת הַבּוֹעֵל שֶׁהִיא בְחֶנֶק, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כ"א) "הִיא בָאֵשׁ תִּשָּׂרֵף" – הִיא וְלֹא בוֹעֲלָהּ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר כָּאן לאחיו, כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת לְאָחִיו, וְלֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם לַעֲשׂוֹת לַאֲחוֹתוֹ, אֲבָל בְּכָל שְׁאָר מִיתוֹת הִשְׁוָה הַכָּתוּב אִשָּׁה לְאִישׁ וְזוֹמְמֵי אִשָּׁה נֶהֱרָגִין כְּזוֹמְמֵי אִישׁ, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהֱעִידוּהָ שֶׁהָרְגָה אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, שֶׁחִלְּלָה אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, נֶהֱרָגִין בְּמִיתָתָהּ, שֶׁלֹּא מִעֵט כָּאן אֲחוֹתוֹ אֶלָּא בְמָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְקַיֵּם בָּהֶן הֲזַמָּה כְּמִיתַת הַבּוֹעֵל (ספרי; סנהדרין צ'):
To do to his brother. What does the Torah teach with “to his brother”? It teaches that witnesses who conspired against the daughter of a kohein who was married are not executed by burning, but by the method of execution of the adulterer, which is asphyxiation, as it is said, “She . . . shall be burned by fire” — she, but not the adulterer. This is why “to his brother” is said here — “as he conspired to do to his brother,” but not as he conspired to do to his sister. However, with all the other executions, the Torah likens women to men, and conspirators against a woman are executed as are conspirators against a man. For example, if they testified that she committed murder or desecrated Shabbos, they are executed by the same method as she would have been. For “his sister” is not excluded here except where the punishment for conspiracy may be fulfilled with the adulter’s [type of] execution.
וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיִרָאוּ וְלֹֽא־יֹסִפוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת עוֹד כַּדָּבָר הָרָע הַזֶּה בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃
And the remainder will hear and be fearful, and they will not repeat this evil thing among you.
And the remainder will hear and be fearful, and they will not repeat this evil thing among you.
Rashi
ישמעו ויראו. מִכָּאן שֶׁצְּרִיכִין הַכְרָזָה – אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי נֶהֱרָגִין עַל שֶׁהוּזַמּוּ בְּבֵית דִּין (סנהדרין פ"ט):
Will hear and be fearful. From here we derive that there must be a proclamation, ‘So and so were executed for conspiratorial testimony in court.’
וְלֹא תָחוֹס עֵינֶךָ נֶפֶשׁ בְּנֶפֶשׁ עַיִן בְּעַיִן שֵׁן בְּשֵׁן יָד בְּיָד רֶגֶל בְּרָֽגֶל׃ {ס}
You are not to have compassion: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
You are not to have compassion: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Rashi
עין בעין. מָמוֹן, וְכֵן שֵׁן בְּשֵׁן וְגוֹ' (ספרי; בבא קמא פ"ד):
Eye for eye. Monetary payment. Similarly, “tooth for tooth, etc.”
עד אחד. זֶה בָנָה אָב – כָּל עֵד שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה שְׁנַיִם אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן פֵּרֵט לְךָ בוֹ אֶחָד (סנהדרין ל'):
One witness. This establishes a source construct: Wherever “witness” is mentioned in the Torah, the reference is to two, unless specified as one.