כִּ֤י תִבְנֶה֙ בַּ֣יִת חָדָ֔שׁ וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ מַעֲקֶ֖ה לְגַגֶּ֑ךָ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂ֤ים דָּמִים֙ בְּבֵיתֶ֔ךָ כִּֽי־יִפֹּ֥ל הַנֹּפֵ֖ל מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ (ס)

If you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, and you shall not place blood, cause blood to be spilled, in your house, if someone falls from it. In ancient times, roofs were flat and were utilized as living space. Therefore a parapet was necessary to prevent one from falling off the roof.

לֹא־תִזְרַ֥ע כַּרְמְךָ֖ כִּלְאָ֑יִם פֶּן־תִּקְדַּ֗שׁ הַֽמְלֵאָ֤ה הַזֶּ֙רַע֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּזְרָ֔ע וּתְבוּאַ֖ת הַכָּֽרֶם׃ (ס)

You shall not sow your vineyard with diverse kinds. It is prohibited to sow grain seeds in a vineyard, lest the growth be forbidden [ tikdash ] literally, become consecrated, the seed that you will sow and the produce of the vineyard. Alternatively, the word tikdash may be a euphemism for “be impure,” or it may mean “become mixed.” Not only is sowing grain seeds in a vineyard prohibited, but if those seeds are sown, it is prohibited to eat the produce that grows as well as the grapes of the vine. Deriving benefit from them is forbidden as well.

לֹֽא־תַחֲרֹ֥שׁ בְּשׁוֹר־וּבַחֲמֹ֖ר יַחְדָּֽו׃ (ס)

The Torah states another prohibition similar to that of diverse kinds: You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. Although plowing with each species individually is permitted, allowing both animals to pull a plow, a carriage, or the like, is prohibited. Since they do not have equal strength, their combination increases the workload of both, causing them unnecessary suffering.

לֹ֤א תִלְבַּשׁ֙ שַֽׁעַטְנֵ֔ז צֶ֥מֶר וּפִשְׁתִּ֖ים יַחְדָּֽו׃ (ס)

You shall not wear fabric that contains a mixture of fibers [ sha’atnez ], wool and linen , woven together.

גְּדִלִ֖ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֛ע כַּנְפ֥וֹת כְּסוּתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּכַסֶּה־בָּֽהּ׃ (ס)

You shall make for yourself twisted threads on the four corners of your garment, with which you cover yourself.

כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֖ישׁ אִשָּׁ֑ה וּבָ֥א אֵלֶ֖יהָ וּשְׂנֵאָֽהּ׃

If a man takes, marries, a wife, and consorts with her, and discovers that he hates her for whatever reason.

וְשָׂ֥ם לָהּ֙ עֲלִילֹ֣ת דְּבָרִ֔ים וְהוֹצִ֥יא עָלֶ֖יהָ שֵׁ֣ם רָ֑ע וְאָמַ֗ר אֶת־הָאִשָּׁ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לָקַ֔חְתִּי וָאֶקְרַ֣ב אֵלֶ֔יהָ וְלֹא־מָצָ֥אתִי לָ֖הּ בְּתוּלִֽים׃

If he wants to harass or perhaps to free himself of his monetary obligation toward her in the case of divorce, and therefore, he proffers a libelous matter against her, and thereby has disseminated an evil name about her and said: I took this woman, and I approached her, and although she was supposed to be a virgin, I did not find signs of her virginity, claiming thereby that she had engaged in intercourse with another man before the marriage.

וְלָקַ֛ח אֲבִ֥י הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה] וְאִמָּ֑הּ וְהוֹצִ֜יאוּ אֶת־בְּתוּלֵ֧י הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֛ה] אֶל־זִקְנֵ֥י הָעִ֖יר הַשָּֽׁעְרָה׃

The husband’s claim is challenged in court. Although it cannot be refuted definitively, circumstantial evidence can be brought to indicate that it was false. The father of the young woman and her mother take and bring the signs of the virginity of the young woman, the bedsheet upon which the initial act of intercourse between the husband and wife took place, out to the elders of the city to the city gate, the courthouse. If there are bloodstains on the sheet, this proves that the wife was a virgin. There were eras when newlyweds would use a special bedsheet that could serve as proof of the wife’s virginity. In this case, it indeed serves as legal evidence.

וְאָמַ֛ר אֲבִ֥י הנער [הַֽנַּעַרָ֖ה] אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים אֶת־בִּתִּ֗י נָתַ֜תִּי לָאִ֥ישׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וַיִּשְׂנָאֶֽהָ׃

The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: I gave my daughter to this man for a wife, and he hated her.

וְהִנֵּה־ה֡וּא שָׂם֩ עֲלִילֹ֨ת דְּבָרִ֜ים לֵאמֹ֗ר לֹֽא־מָצָ֤אתִי לְבִתְּךָ֙ בְּתוּלִ֔ים וְאֵ֖לֶּה בְּתוּלֵ֣י בִתִּ֑י וּפָֽרְשׂוּ֙ הַשִּׂמְלָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י זִקְנֵ֥י הָעִֽיר׃

Behold, he proffered libelous words, saying: I did not find signs of virginity for your daughter, but these are the signs of virginity of my daughter. They shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.

וְלָֽקְח֛וּ זִקְנֵ֥י הָֽעִיר־הַהִ֖וא אֶת־הָאִ֑ישׁ וְיִסְּר֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃

The elders of that city shall take the man and they shall chastise [ veyisseru ] him. The Sages interpret the word yisseru as referring to administering lashes.

וְעָנְשׁ֨וּ אֹת֜וֹ מֵ֣אָה כֶ֗סֶף וְנָתְנוּ֙ לַאֲבִ֣י הַֽנַּעֲרָ֔ה כִּ֤י הוֹצִיא֙ שֵׁ֣ם רָ֔ע עַ֖ל בְּתוּלַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֽוֹ־תִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֔ה לֹא־יוּכַ֥ל לְשַּׁלְּחָ֖הּ כָּל־יָמָֽיו׃ (ס)

In addition, they shall punish him by imposing a payment of one hundred shekels of silver, double the amount that was normally given as a bride price, and they shall give it to the father of the young woman as compensation, because he disseminated an evil name about a virgin of Israel. And furthermore, she shall be a wife to him; he may not release her all his days. After a despicable attempt to rid himself of her by endangering her, he may never divorce her at his initiative. If she chooses, she may exercise her right to remain married to him for the rest of their lives, or alternatively, she can demand that he divorce her.

וְאִם־אֱמֶ֣ת הָיָ֔ה הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה לֹא־נִמְצְא֥וּ בְתוּלִ֖ים לנער [לַֽנַּעֲרָֽה׃]

The case discussed until now was one of a slanderous lie, but there is another possible outcome: If this matter was true, and the signs of virginity were not found for the daughter, and it was proven in court that the bride betrayed her husband and committed adultery during the period between betrothal and marriage,

וְהוֹצִ֨יאוּ אֶת־הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֜ה] אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח בֵּית־אָבִ֗יהָ וּסְקָלוּהָ֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י עִירָ֤הּ בָּאֲבָנִים֙ וָמֵ֔תָה כִּֽי־עָשְׂתָ֤ה נְבָלָה֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לִזְנ֖וֹת בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יהָ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ (ס)

they shall take the young woman out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the people of her city shall stone her with stones and she shall die. She must be stoned outside the entrance to her father’s house because she performed a despicable act in Israel, to engage in licentiousness in her father’s house. Engaging in sexual relations with another man after her betrothal, even though she was not married yet and still lived in her parents’ home, is a serious act of betrayal toward her husband, and it disgraces her family as well. And you shall eliminate the evil from your midst in a public ceremony, deterring any future transgressors. Although most of those condemned to death by stoning receive their punishment at a designated location outside the city, this woman is stoned outside her parents’ home, so that the family will be shamed by this act for generations to come.

כִּֽי־יִמָּצֵ֨א אִ֜ישׁ שֹׁכֵ֣ב ׀ עִם־אִשָּׁ֣ה בְעֻֽלַת־בַּ֗עַל וּמֵ֙תוּ֙ גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם הָאִ֛ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִם־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וְהָאִשָּׁ֑ה וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ס)

A man who commits adultery likewise receives capital punishment. If a man shall be found lying with a woman who is married to a husband, the two of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. Since both of them

כִּ֤י יִהְיֶה֙ נער [נַעֲרָ֣ה] בְתוּלָ֔ה מְאֹרָשָׂ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ וּמְצָאָ֥הּ אִ֛ישׁ בָּעִ֖יר וְשָׁכַ֥ב עִמָּֽהּ׃

This is true also in the case of a betrothed woman. If there is a young virgin betrothed [ me’orasa ] to a man, but not yet married to him, and another man finds her in the city, and lies with her, and the act is discovered,

וְהוֹצֵאתֶ֨ם אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֜ם אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר ׀ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֗וא וּסְקַלְתֶּ֨ם אֹתָ֥ם בָּאֲבָנִים֮ וָמֵתוּ֒ אֶת־הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה] עַל־דְּבַר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־צָעֲקָ֣ה בָעִ֔יר וְאֶ֨ת־הָאִ֔ישׁ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אֲשֶׁר־עִנָּ֖ה אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ (ס)

you shall take the two of them out to be judged at the gate, the court, of that city, and you shall stone them with stones and they shall die. Although the young woman will presumably claim that she was raped, her claim is not accepted, as it is assumed that she was complicit because she did not cry out in the city. Had she cried out, the people of the city would have heard her and come to help. The fact that she did not cry for help in a location where it would have been effective proves that she was complicit. And the man is punished because he afflicted [ inna ] the betrothed wife of his neighbor, despite the fact that she consented. According to another interpretation, inna means damaged; the man damaged her marital status, causing it to become prohibited for her to remain with her husband. This is so because a betrothed woman is considered a wife even before marriage. For example, Jacob said to Laban with regard to Rachel, to whom he was not yet married: “Give me my wife.” And you shall eliminate the evil from your midst.

וְֽאִם־בַּשָּׂדֶ֞ה יִמְצָ֣א הָאִ֗ישׁ אֶת־הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָה֙] הַמְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה וְהֶחֱזִֽיק־בָּ֥הּ הָאִ֖ישׁ וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ וּמֵ֗ת הָאִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁכַ֥ב עִמָּ֖הּ לְבַדּֽוֹ׃

But if the man shall find the betrothed young woman in the field, away from a residential area, in a place where she has no way of defending herself, and the man seized her, and lay with her, the man who lay with her shall die alone; he is guilty of adultery and is therefore punishable by death.

ולנער [וְלַֽנַּעֲרָה֙] לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֣ה דָבָ֔ר אֵ֥ין לנער [לַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה] חֵ֣טְא מָ֑וֶת כִּ֡י כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ יָק֨וּם אִ֤ישׁ עַל־רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ וּרְצָח֣וֹ נֶ֔פֶשׁ כֵּ֖ן הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃

But to the young woman you shall do nothing, as the young woman has no sin worthy of death. She is not guilty of adultery since she was raped. As just like a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, so is this matter. The woman is comparable to a victim of murder in that she was incapable of preventing the act. Therefore she cannot be judged as a participant in the transgression.

כִּ֥י בַשָּׂדֶ֖ה מְצָאָ֑הּ צָעֲקָ֗ה הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָה֙] הַמְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין מוֹשִׁ֖יעַ לָֽהּ׃ (ס)

For he , the rapist, found her in the field; the betrothed young woman presumably cried out, and there is no rescuer for her.

כִּֽי־יִמְצָ֣א אִ֗ישׁ נער [נַעֲרָ֤ה] בְתוּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־אֹרָ֔שָׂה וּתְפָשָׂ֖הּ וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ וְנִמְצָֽאוּ׃

All of the previous cases pertained to a married or betrothed woman, and the described act of sexual intercourse was a violation of the severe prohibition of “You shall not commit adultery,” which is punishable by death. The law is different in the case presented here: If a man finds a young virgin who is not betrothed, and he seizes her forcibly, and lies with her, rapes her (in rabbinic literature, a victim of rape is sometimes referred to as a seized woman), and they are found,

וְ֠נָתַן הָאִ֨ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִמָּ֛הּ לַאֲבִ֥י הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה] חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים כָּ֑סֶף וְלֽוֹ־תִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֗ה תַּ֚חַת אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִנָּ֔הּ לֹא־יוּכַ֥ל שַׁלְּחָ֖ה כָּל־יָמָֽיו׃ (ס)

since the young woman is unmarried, the man who lay with her is not subject to the death penalty; rather, he shall give to the young woman’s father fifty silver shekels, which was the set bride price in biblical times. Since he behaved as though she were his wife, he must pay the accepted amount, and besides the monetary fine she shall be a wife to him, because he afflicted, raped her; he may not release her, divorce her against her will, all his days .

לֹא־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת אָבִ֑יו וְלֹ֥א יְגַלֶּ֖ה כְּנַ֥ף אָבִֽיו׃ (ס)

The Torah now presents a series of laws that deal with restrictions on marriage. A man shall not take his father’s wife, even after his father dies or gets divorced, and he shall not uncover the edge of his father’s garment, his father’s nakedness.

לֹֽא־יָבֹ֧א פְצֽוּעַ־דַּכָּ֛א וּכְר֥וּת שָׁפְכָ֖ה בִּקְהַ֥ל יְהוָֽה׃ (ס)

One with crushed testicles and one with a severed or severely damaged penis shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord by marrying a daughter of Israel.

לֹא־יָבֹ֥א מַמְזֵ֖ר בִּקְהַ֣ל יְהוָ֑ה גַּ֚ם דּ֣וֹר עֲשִׂירִ֔י לֹא־יָ֥בֹא ל֖וֹ בִּקְהַ֥ל יְהוָֽה׃ (ס)

A child born from incest or adultery [ mamzer ] shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord; he may not marry an Israelite woman of unflawed lineage. This prohibition applies to his descendants as well; even the tenth generation and beyond, that is, forever, he shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord. There is no remedy for this person or his descendants. On the other hand, he remains a member of the people of Israel with regard to every other matter, and it is permitted for him to marry women of similarly flawed lineage, e.g., a mamzeret .

לֹֽא־יָבֹ֧א עַמּוֹנִ֛י וּמוֹאָבִ֖י בִּקְהַ֣ל יְהוָ֑ה גַּ֚ם דּ֣וֹר עֲשִׂירִ֔י לֹא־יָבֹ֥א לָהֶ֛ם בִּקְהַ֥ל יְהוָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃

The following restrictions on marriage stem from the collective memory of the nation of Israel. An Amonite or a Moavite convert shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord; even the tenth generation and beyond shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord forever. In contrast to the previous verse, here the Torah explicitly states that the prohibition is in effect forever.

עַל־דְּבַ֞ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־קִדְּמ֤וּ אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּלֶּ֣חֶם וּבַמַּ֔יִם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֣ם מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַאֲשֶׁר֩ שָׂכַ֨ר עָלֶ֜יךָ אֶת־בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּע֗וֹר מִפְּת֛וֹר אֲרַ֥ם נַהֲרַ֖יִם לְקַֽלְלֶֽךָּ׃

This is because the Amonites and Moavites did not cooperate with Israel; they did not even greet you with bread and with water, basic humanitarian aid, on the way, upon your exodus from Egypt, but rather avoided all contact with you (see 2:1–19). And it is also because he, the king of Moav, hired against you Bilam son of Beor, from Petor, Aram Naharayim, to curse you. This was the most powerful weapon that they could have used against you.

וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֞ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֧יךָ לְּךָ֛ אֶת־הַקְּלָלָ֖ה לִבְרָכָ֑ה כִּ֥י אֲהֵֽבְךָ֖ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃

But the Lord your God was unwilling to heed the curses of Bilam, and the Lord your God transformed for you the curse into a blessing. Although Bilam desired and attempted to curse you, he ended up showering Israel with beautiful blessings, because the Lord your God loved you . However, this does not diminish the guilt of the Amonites and the Moavites.

לֹא־תִדְרֹ֥שׁ שְׁלֹמָ֖ם וְטֹבָתָ֑ם כָּל־יָמֶ֖יךָ לְעוֹלָֽם׃ (ס)

Because Moav and Amon refused to aid Israel, and because of their attempt to harm you with their contemptible conspiracy, you shall not seek their peace or their welfare all your days, forever. Their sin is unforgivable, and it is therefore inappropriate to assist them.