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Perek 4

Mishnayos Shevuos Perek 4 Mishnah 13

שבועות פרק ד׳ משנה י"ג

13
The mishna discusses the formula of an oath of testimony. If the plaintiff said to the witnesses: I administer an oath to you concerning your refusal to testify if you do not come and testify on my behalf, or even if he said: I command you, or I bind you, although he did not employ an unequivocal formula of an oath, these witnesses are liable for taking a false oath of testimony. If one administered the oath to the witnesses in the name of heaven and in the name of earth, these witnesses are exempt from liability for taking a false oath of testimony, as that is not an oath in the name of God. If one administered the oath to the witnesses in the name of alef dalet, i.e., Adonai; in the name of yod heh, the Tetragrammaton; in the name of the Almighty [Shaddai]; in the name of the Lord of Hosts [Tzevaot]; in the name of the Gracious and Compassionate One; in the name of He Who is Slow to Anger; in the name of He Who is Abounding in Loving-kindness; or in the name of any of the appellations of God, even though he did not mention the ineffable name of God, these witnesses are liable for taking a false oath of testimony. One who curses God employing any of these names or appellations of God is liable to be executed through stoning; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis deem him exempt, as they hold that one is liable for cursing God only if he employs the ineffable name of God. One who curses his father or his mother employing any of these names or appellations of God is liable to be executed through stoning; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis deem him exempt, as they hold that one is liable for cursing his father and his mother only if he employs the ineffable name of God. One who curses himself or another employing any of these names or appellations of God violates a prohibition. If one says: The Lord God shall strike you (see Deuteronomy 28:22), and likewise if one says: God shall strike you if you do not come to testify, that is a curse that is written in the Torah, and in such a case one is certainly liable if he fails to testify. If one says to the witnesses: God shall not strike you, or: God shall bless you, or: God shall benefit you if you come and testify, Rabbi Meir deems him liable, as one may infer from that statement that if he fails to testify God will strike him, or will not bless or benefit him. And the Rabbis deem him exempt because the curse is not explicitly stated.
מַשְׁבִּיעַ אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם, מְצַוֶּה אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם, אוֹסֶרְכֶם אָנִי, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ חַיָּבִין. בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְטוּרִין. בְּאל"ף דל"ת, בְּיו"ד ה"א, בְּשַׁדַּי, בִּצְבָאוֹת, בְּחַנּוּן וְרַחוּם, בְּאֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד, וּבְכָל הַכִּנּוּיִין, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ חַיָּבִין. הַמְקַלֵּל בְּכֻלָּן, חַיָּב, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין. הַמְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ בְּכֻלָּן, חַיָּב, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר, וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין. הַמְקַלֵּל עַצְמוֹ וַחֲבֵרוֹ בְּכֻלָּן, עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. יַכְּכָה אֱלֹהִים, וְכֵן יַכְּכָה אֱלֹהִים, זוֹ הִיא אָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַתּוֹרָה. אַל יַכְּךָ, וִיבָרֶכְךָ, וְיֵיטִיב לְךָ, רַבִּי מֵאִיר מְחַיֵּב וַחֲכָמִים פּוֹטְרִין:
י"ג

מצוה אני עליכם וכו' - and he when he says, “I command you,” in an oath.

המקלל בכולם – when he blasphemes God with one of them.

ר' מאיר מחייב – [the punishment of] stoning.

וחכמים פוטרין – for specifically on the unique name [of God], with stoning, as it written (Leviticus 24:16): “if he pronounces the name LORD [he shall be put to death. The whole community shall stone him.], and on the euphemisms, with the explicit prohibition in the Torah [required for punishing trespassers] of (Exodus 22:27):”You shall not revile God [nor put a curse upon a chieftain among your people].” But with the oath of testimony, the Sages agree with Rabbi Meir that he is liable on the euphemisms like he is liable on the explicit name [God] for in the oath [of testimony] it is written (Leviticus 5:1): “When he has heard a public imprecation (against one who withholds testimony).

המקלל עצמו – as it written (Deuteronomy 4:9): “[But] take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously” and all "השמר לך" /”take utmost care” and "פן" /lest or "אל"/do not (see Talmud Zevahim 106a) introduces nothing other than a prohibitory law.

והמקלל חבירו – as it is written (Leviticus 19:14): “You shall not insult (literally, “curse”) the deaf [or place a stumbling block before the blind],” even a deaf person (the Rabbis understand this as “deaf and mute”- see Tractate Terumot, Chapter 1, Mishnah 2) who does not hear [only], and he is not strict with his insult/curse of “you shall not insult (literally curse)” , and all the more so, all other people who heard and he is strict about.

יככה אלהים וכן יככה אלהים – if he said to witnesses, “may God smite you if you do not testify on my behalf. Or that he heard a person who was reading the curses that are in the Torah (see Deuteronomy 28:27-28,35): “May the LORD strike you with the Egyptian inflammation:” “The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness and dismay;” “The LORD will afflict you at the knees and thighs with a severe inflammation,” and he said to the witnesses, “”May God strike you if you do not testify on my behalf” or he said, “May God not strike you if you testify on my behalf,” or “May God bless you if you testify on my behalf,” or “May it go well with you if you testify on my behalf,” in all of these, Rabbi Meir declares liable, [by implication] “from ‘no’ you understand ‘yes’” (see Tractate Nedarim 11a), “”God should not strike you down if you testify o my behalf”, but if you don’t testify on my behalf, God will strike you. And similarly, “God will bless you if you testify on my behalf,” but if you you will not testify on my behalf, He will curse you. But in all of these, the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.

מצוה אני עליכם וכו׳ והוא שיאמר מצוה אני עליכם בשבועה, אוסרכם אני בשבועה:

המקלל בכולם. מברך את השם באחד מהם:

ר׳ מאיר מחייב. סקילה:

וחכמים פוטרין. דעל שם המיוחד דוקא בסקילה, דכתיב (ויקרא כ״ד:ט״ז) בנקבו, שם יומת. ועל הכינויים באזהרה דאלהים לא תקלל (שמות כ״ב). ובשבועת העדות מודים חכמים לר״מ דחייב על הכינויים כמו שחייב על השם המיוחד. דבשבועת [עדות] כתיב (ויקרא ה׳:א׳) ושמעה קול אלה:

המקלל עצמו. דכתיב (דברים ד׳:ט׳) השמר לך ושמור נפשך מאד, וכל השמר פן ואל אינו אלא לא תעשה:

והמקלל חבירו. דכתיב (ויקרא י״ט:י״ד) לא תקלל חרש, אפילו חרש שאינו שומע ולא קפיד אקללתו לא תקלל, וכל שכן שאר כל אדם דשמע וקפיד:

יככה אלהים וכן יככה אלהים. אם אמר לעדים יככה אלהים אם לא תעידוני. או ששמע אחד שקורא בקללות שבתורה יככה אלהים, ואמר הוא לעדים וכן יככה אלהים אם לא תעידוני. או שאמר אל יככה אלהים אם תעידוני. או יברכך ה׳ אם תעידוני. וייטיב לך אלהים אם תעידוני. בכל אלו ר״מ מחייב, דמכלל לאו אתה שומע הן, אל יככה אלהים אם תעידוני, הא אם לא תעידוני יככה. וכן יברכך אלהים אם תעידוני, הא אם לא תעידוני יקללך. ובכל אלו אין הלכה כר״מ: