Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Quotation for Deuteronomy 25:3

אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יַכֶּ֖נּוּ לֹ֣א יֹסִ֑יף פֶּן־יֹסִ֨יף לְהַכֹּת֤וֹ עַל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ מַכָּ֣ה רַבָּ֔ה וְנִקְלָ֥ה אָחִ֖יךָ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should be dishonoured before thine eyes.

Sifrei Devarim

R. Chanina b. Gamla says: The entire day Scripture calls him "wicked," viz. (Ibid. 2) "Then it shall be, if liable to stripes is the wicked one." But once he has been smitten Scripture calls him "your brother," viz.: "and your brother be demeaned." Now if a man commits one transgression, his soul is taken from him (i.e., he receives kareth), then, if he does one mitzvah (after being smitten), how much more so (is it to be inferred that) his soul is restored to him.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Previous VerseFull ChapterNext Verse