Powtórzonego Prawa 22:13 Komentarz: Rashi, Chizkuni, Ramban & Ibn Ezra

ובא אליה ושנאה [IF ANY MAN TAKE A WIFE] AND COME UNTO HER AND HATE HER, the end will be,

כי יקח איש אשה, “When a man marries a woman, etc.” seeing that the Torah had dealt with man’s basic preoccupations previously, i.e. building a house, planting and harvesting a field, and the rules governing his clothing, it is appropriate to add some aspects of marriage and its restrictions at this point.

IF ANY MAN ‘YIKACH’ (TAKE) A WIFE, AND COME UNTO HER. The meaning thereof is as follows: When a man will take a wife through the means sanctioned by the Torah which is betrothal with money — this being “the betrothed” he [Moses] mentions [further in Verse 23] — and after some time he came unto her, and hate her because she was not pleasant to him in conjugal relation, and so he arose early in the morning and came before the court claiming that he did not find her to be a virgin. Now this person intends to divorce her without the dowry of virgins,¹⁹¹Exodus 22:16. which is the kethubah (marriage contract) that he wrote her. And because she became betrothed to him under the presumption of virginity, he accuses her of having committed adultery after her betrothal to him. Therefore Scripture states, But if this thing be true¹⁹²Further, Verse 20. as the husband said, they shall stone her.¹⁹³Ibid., Verse 21. The truth cannot be known except by the testimony of two witnesses. And because, concerning the illicit relations of virgins, Scripture will clarify¹⁹⁴Ibid., Verses 23-24; 28-29. that if she were betrothed she is stoned, and if she were not betrothed she is absolved from punishment, it was unnecessary to explain here “But if this thing be true that she was unchaste while betrothed, and [what is more] she so acted willingly [with anyone other than her lawful spouse] they shall stone her.” And instead it says by allusion because she has done a base deed in Israel, to play the harlot in her father’s house,¹⁹³Ibid., Verse 21. the base deed being that she did so voluntarily.