Комментарий к Шмот 22:21

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון YOU SHALL NOT AFFLICT ANY WIDOW, OR FATHERLESS CHILD — That is also the law regarding any person, but Scripture is speaking of what usually happens and therefore mentions these in particular, for they are feeble in defensive power (i. e. they have no one to protect them) and it is a frequent occurrence for people to afflict them (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 22:21).

ANY WIDOW — even a rich one of quite considerable wealth — YE SHALL NOT AFFLICT, for her tears are frequent and her soul is depressed. He states, If thou afflict ‘otho’²⁹⁹Verse 22. [“him” in the singular], meaning any one [who is a widow or a fatherless child]. Therefore it is written after that, and your wives shall be widows,³⁰²Verse 23. in punishment for your causing the cry of the widow, and your children fatherless,³⁰²Verse 23. in punishment for the cry of the orphan.
This punishment [And My wrath shall glow, and I will kill you with the sword etc.]³⁰²Verse 23. is not counted by our Rabbis amongst those brought upon people who are liable to death by the hand of Heaven, as listed in the Beraitha,³⁰³See Seder Bo Note 209. “These are the people who are liable to death by the hand of Heaven” taught in Tractate Sanhedrin.³⁰⁴Sanhedrin 83a. The reason for this is that the death mentioned here is unlike the usual death of people by the hand of Heaven, of whom it is said, and they die therein, if they profane it;³⁰⁵Leviticus 22:9. and ye die not.³⁰⁶Numbers 18:32. But here the punishment is that they will die by the enemy’s sword, or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away³⁰⁷I Samuel 26:10. without anyone knowing it, and their wives will thus have to remain forever widows, and their children always be fatherless.

לא תענון אם ענה תענה אותו; if, in the process of oppressing an orphan your intention was only to oppress him alone; if your “oppressing” him was in the nature of disciplining him in order to ultimately bestowing loving kindness on him after he responded to your rebuking him, your disciplining him is considered an act of loving kindness. [the author interprets verse 22 starting with the word אם as an alternative, moderating what has been written in verse 21. Ed.]

לא תענון, as in Exodus 1,11. The Torah employs the most likely scenarios as the examples it chooses.

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון, “Do not oppress any widow or orphan.” The word כל, “every,” is meant to include wealthy widows and well to do orphans. It teaches that contrary to appearances, such people are keenly aware of the loss of companionship and moral support they have sustained, and that cannot be compensated for simply by earthly possessions. The Torah addresses people generally, society, hence the word תענון, is in the plural mode. Ibn Ezra comments that the penalty for someone witnessing such oppression without protesting the behaviour of the party guilty of it, is the same as the person actually guilty of such oppression of the orphan and widow.

(Exodus 22:21) "Every widow and orphan you shall not afflict": This tells me only of widow and orphan. Whence do I derive (the same for) all men? It is, therefore, written "lo ta'anun", (the additional "nun" implying an extension of plurality). These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: Widow and orphan are more vulnerable to affliction. Scripture speaks of the common instance.

V. 21. אלמנה von אלם: stumm sein, יתום von יתם, lautverwandt mit dem rabb. גדם, handverstümmelt, קטם, abknicken. Die Witwe hat in ihrem Manne den Mund verloren, sie hat keinen Vertreter mehr; die Waise hat in dem Vater ihre Hand verloren, sie hat keinen Halt und keinen Führer mehr. עַנֵה (siehe 1. B. M. 16, 6): jemanden sein עוני, seinen abhängigen Zustand fühlen lassen, seine Schwäche und Schutzlosigkeit missbrauchen. Es heißt: כל אלמנה וגו׳, nicht nur arme, auch reiche Witwen und Waisen sind leichter als andere Misshandlungen ausgesetzt. — לא תענון, während die Zurücksetzung und Minderberechtigung Fremder in den meisten Staaten legal ist und hiervor daher im vorigen Verse der im Singular angeredete jüdische Staat zu warnen war, gibt es wohl kaum eine Gesetzgebung, die die Rechtskränkung von Witwen und Waisen sanktioniert. Allein in der Gesellschaft, in dem Verkehr von Menschen mit Menschen sind sie, die des Vertreters, der Stütze und des Führers Beraubten, der Beeinträchtigung und der Demütigung ausgesetzt. Darum wendet sich hinsichtlich ihrer das Gesetz zunächst an die Gesellschaft: לא תענון, "missbrauchet ihre Schwäche nicht, lasset sie nicht ihren Schwächezustand fühlen!"

כל אלמנה ויתום לא תענון, “Do not oppress any widow or orphan.” The word כל in this verse has to be understood as in Exodus 20,10: לא תעשה כל מלאכה, not as meaning: ”do not do ail the work,” but as: “do not do any work.”Compare also Exodus 20,4: תמונה, “do not make for yourself any likeness;” it does not mean that you are only forbidden to make for yourselves likenesses of all] that is on heaven or earth.” The Torah mentions the proselyte as he has no family in Israel and therefore no one who can advise him or protect him. He belongs to the weakest members of society. Next the Torah mentions widows and orphans, who though natural born Israelites either have lost their protectors or had never had any.

לא תענון, the reason why the Torah used the plural mode when exhorting us not to exploit this group of people, something most unusual, is because so many people are in the habit of doing just that when they face weak people. The Torah includes therefore all the people who witness such exploitation and do not protest it, are included in this prohibition. This is why also the penalty for people guilty of this has been written in the plural mode. וחרה אפי והרגתי אתכם, “My anger will flare up and I will kill you;” (verse 23)