וְהִנֵּה־ה֡וּא שָׂם֩ עֲלִילֹ֨ת דְּבָרִ֜ים לֵאמֹ֗ר לֹֽא־מָצָ֤אתִי לְבִתְּךָ֙ בְּתוּלִ֔ים וְאֵ֖לֶּה בְּתוּלֵ֣י בִתִּ֑י וּפָֽרְשׂוּ֙ הַשִּׂמְלָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י זִקְנֵ֥י הָעִֽיר׃
et maintenant il invente des prétextes d’accusation, disant: "Je n’ai pas trouvé chez ta fille le signe de la virginité." Or, voici la preuve de la virginité de ma fille!" Et ils déploieront le drap devant les anciens de la ville.
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
Similarly, (Devarim 22:17) "And they (the parents of the girl accused of infidelity) 'spread the garment' (i.e., make her innocence as manifest as a spread-out garment.) Here, too, "al mishanto" is understood (metaphorically) as "on his own power."
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
Similarly (Devarim 22:17) "Then they shall spread out the garment" — They shall make things clear, as a (new) garment.
Sifrei Devarim
From here it is derived: If a man transgresses a "light" mitzvah, he is destined to transgress a "grave" mitzvah. If he transgresses (Vayikra 19:18) "and you shall love your neighbor as yourself," he is destined to transgress (Ibid.) "You shall not take revenge … and you shall not bear a grudge," and (Ibid. 17) "You shall not hate your brother" and (Ibid. 25:36) "And your brother shall live with you" — until he comes to the spilling of blood. This is the intent of "If a man take a wife, etc."