## Sforno on Deuteronomy Chapter 21

###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:4:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:4:1)

**אֶל נַחַל אֵיתָן.** שֶׁאֵין שָׁם רֶגֶל מְצוּיָה.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
אל נחל איתן, where people do not normally walk.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:4:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:4:2)

**וְעָרְפוּ.** שֶׁהִיא מִיתָה נֶעְלֶמֶת מֵעֵינֵי הַנֶּהֱרָג, מוֹרֶה עַל שֶׁהַהֲרִיגָה הָיְתָה בְּלִי סָפֵק בְּמָקוֹם נֶעְלָם מֵעֵינֵי הָעָם, וְשֶׁנֶּעֶשְׂתָה עַל יְדֵי רוֹצֵחַ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נוֹדָע לָרוֹצֵחַ אֵצֶל בֵּית דִּין, שֶׁאִם הָיָה נוֹדָע אֶצְלָם הָרוֹצֵחַ הָיוּ מְבַעֲרִים אוֹתוֹ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וערפו, a discreet death, not one drawing attention to itself. The animal does not experience pangs of death, not knowing of its impending fate. Naturally, people knew even less about this impending procedure. This procedure parallels what the murderer had done when he ambushed an unsuspecting victim in a location which was isolated so that the court never found out who the murderer was. Had the court known of the identity of the murderer they would have dealt with him instead of this heifer having to be killed.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:5:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:5:1)

**לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ.** וְעַל יָדָם תִּהְיֶה כַּפָּרָה מִן הַדָּם הַנָּקִי וּבְרָכָה לָאָרֶץ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לשרתו ולברך, the (Temple) service of the priests is instrumental in attaining expiation for the innocent blood spilled, and in securing blessing for the land.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:5:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:5:2)

**וְעַל פִּיהֶם יִהְיֶה כָּל רִיב וְכָל נָגַע.** בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁהֵם בְּקִיאִים בְּדַרְכֵי בְּנֵי הָאָדָם וּמִזְגֵּיהֶם, בְּמַה שֶּׁרָאוּ הֵם וַאֲבוֹתֵיהֶם, וְאוּלַי יַכִּירוּ מִי נִתְלַכְלֵךְ בְּחֵטְא זֶה בִּידִיעַת דְּרָכָיו וּמַעֲלָלָיו, וְיִתְגַּלֶּה הַדָּבָר.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ועל פיהם יהיה כל ריב וכל נגע, so that they are familiar with the psyches of the people and their norms, as they observed already by watching their fathers deal with such matters. Perhaps, due to such cumulative empirical knowledge they have some knowledge of whose character has been tainted by sin so that such intuitive knowledge will help them bring the truth to light. (in the investigation of the murder)


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:7:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:7:1)

**יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכָה.** שֶׁלֹּא הִנַּחְנוּ שׁוּם נוֹדָע לָרוֹצֵחַ בָּאָרֶץ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה, we have not left a stone unturned in (making public) locating the murderer in the land.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:7:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:7:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:7:2)

**וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ.** שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה זֶה בְּמָקוֹם רוֹאִים, שֶׁאִם הָיוּ שָׁם רוֹאִים הָיוּ מִתְקוֹמְמִים וּמַגִּידִים.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ועינינו לא ראו, we are certain that the murderer did not commit this act where he could be seen. Had he been seen, he would have been challenged and prevented from committing the deed. At the very least, such witnesses would have come forward.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:8:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:8:1)

**כַּפֵּר לְעַמְּךָ.** כַּפֵּר אַתָּה בְּדָם שׁוֹפְכוֹ, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (כתובות ל:) מִי שֶׁנִּתְחַיֵּב הֲרִיגָה אוֹ נִמְסַר לְמַלְכוּת אוֹ לִסְטִים בָּאִים עָלָיו.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
כפר לעמך, Please Lord, grant atonement to Your people, on behalf of the one who has spilled the blood. This is a veiled request to bring the murderer to justice as it is not given to man to do this. Compare Ketuvot 30 “if someone is guilty of judicial execution (and human justice did not reach him) he will either be killed by the secular authorities (for something else he is accused of) or terrorists will attack him.”


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:8:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:8:2)

**וְנִכַּפֵּר לָהֶם הַדָּם.** יְכֻפַּר בְּדִינֵי שָׁמַיִם בְּדַם שׁוֹפְכוֹ, בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִרְאֶה כְּמִתְכַּפֵּר מֵאֵלָיו.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ונכפר להם הדם, it will be atoned through heavenly judgment, the heavenly agent spilling the murderer’s blood accomplishing this. It will appear in the eyes of man as if the matter had taken care of itself independently. [one cannot pinpoint why the party concerned died a violent death, not knowing what he had been guilty of. Ed.]


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:9:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:9:1)

**וְאַתָּה תְּבַעֵר.** הִנֵּה הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ יְכַפֵּר כְּשֶׁלֹּא תֵדָעֵהוּ, וְאַתָּה אִם תֵּדָעֵהוּ תְּבַעֵר קֹדֶם שֶׁיִּפְעֲלוּ בּוֹ דִּינֵי שָׁמַיִם.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ואתה תבער, when you are aware of someone’s guilt it is up to you to sentence the party and to carry out the sentence and not to rely on heaven to intervene. When you are unaware of the identity of the guilty party, and you have made exhaustive attempts to find him without success, you may rest assured that G’d Himself will take care of the problem.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:10:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:10:1)

**כִּי תֵצֵא.** אֶל חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
כי תצא, beyond the boundaries of your land.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:13:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:13:1)

**וּבָכְתָה אֶת אָבִיהָ וְאֶת אִמָּהּ.** שֶׁתַּעַזְבֵם וְתִתְיַשֵּׁב בָּזֶה בְּדַעְתָּהּ שֶׁלֹּא לַחְשׁוֹב בָּם עוֹד, כְּעִנְיָן ״וְשִׁכְחִי עַמֵּךְ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ״ (תהלים מה:יא). וְאֵין הַבְּכִי עַל מִיתָתָם, כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ לֹא נָמִית אוֹתָם כְּלָל.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ובכתה את אביה ואת אמה, to get her father and mother out of her system and reconciling herself to the fact that henceforth she would live in the Land of Israel, have no more contact with her parents. (whether they are dead or alive) Similar wording occurs in Psalms 45,11 שכחי עמך, the psalmist urging the Jewish people, compared to a princess, to forget their former environment and associates as she had been promoted to a loftier position. The prisoner of war described here as embracing Judaism has similarly been promoted to a far superior environment, severing her previous relationships completely. The weeping mentioned in our verse has nothing to do with the death of her parents for we do not kill mothers altogether. She weeps for having no longer a father and mother in the legal sense as these did not convert. Any other convert, not a prisoner of war, would similarly weep for this separation having occurred in her life as a result of her new status.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:15:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:15:1)

**כִּי תִהְיֶיןָ לְאִישׁ שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים.** אַחַר נִצָּחוֹן הַמִּלְחָמָה דִּבֵּר בְּעִנְיְנֵי בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה, וְהֵם עִסְקֵי הַנָּשִׁים וְהַבָּנִים וְהַמִּקְנֶה וְהַתַּכְשִׁיטִים וְהַצַּיִד וְהַבִּנְיָן וַעֲבוֹדַת הָאֲדָמָה וְהַמַּלְבּוּשׁ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
כי תהיינה לאיש שתי נשים, after the victory in war the Torah addresses internal matters in the Jewish state. The most important ones are interpersonal relationships with wives, children, livestock, jewelry, hunting for food, building homes, tilling the soil and matters related to clothing.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:16:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:16:1)

**לֹא יוּכַל לְבַכֵּר אֶת בֶּן הָאֲהוּבָה עַל פְּנֵי בֶן הַשְּׂנוּאָה הַבְּכֹר.** לֹא יַעֲבִיר הַבְּכוֹרָה מִן הַבֵּן בִּשְׁבִיל שִׂנְאַת זוֹ אוֹ אַהֲבַת זוֹ, אֲבָל אִם יַעֲשֶׂה זֶה בְּסִבַּת רִשְׁעַת הַבֵּן הַבְּכוֹר, אָז רָאוּי לְהַעֲבִיר, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (בבא בתרא קל״ג) ״אִם לֹא הָיָה נוֹהֵג כַּשּׁוּרָה זָכוּר לְטוֹב״. וְכֵן נִרְאֶה שֶׁעָשָׂה יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ, כְּאָמְרוֹ (דברי הימים א ה:א) ״וּבְחַלְּלוֹ יְצוּעֵי אָבִיו נִתְּנָה בְכֹרָתוֹ לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף בֶּן יִשְׂרָאֵל״.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לא יוכל לבכר את בן האהובה על פני בן השנואה הבכור. The firstborn son’s entitlement to an extra share in his father’s inheritance must not be transferred on account of his father loving his mother more or “hating” her, i.e. loving her less than his second wife. If the reason the father wants to transfer the extra portion of the inheritance away from the chronologically entitled son due to that son’s misconduct¸ this is in order, as we know from Baba Batra 133 אם לא היה נוהג כשורה זכור לטוב, íf the chronologically oldest did not conduct himself properly his inheritance may be transferred to another better one. [opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel only, not accepted by codifiers. Ed.] It appears that this is what Yaakov did when he took birthright privileges away from Reuven (Chronicles I 5,1) transferring it to Joseph.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:18:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:18:1)

**סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה.** כִּי מֶרְיוֹ מֵסִיר הַתִּקְוָה שֶׁיָּשׁוּב מִסּוֹרְרוּתוֹ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
סורר ומורה, his obstinacy removed all hope that he would change his lifestyle.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:20:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:20:1)

**זוֹלֵל וְסוֹבֵא.** כִּי סוֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וְיִלְסְטֵם לְמַלֵּא נַפְשׁוֹ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
זולל וסובא, such gluttons will become impoverished so that they will resort to robbery with violence in order to satisfy their needs. (Sanhedrin, 71, based on Proverbs)


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:23:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:23:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:23:1)

**כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי.** הִנֵּה כָּל עֶצֶם נִבְדָּל מֵחוֹמֶר יִקָּרֵא אֱלֹהִים, וּמִזֶּה הַמִּין הוּא עֶצֶם הַנֶּפֶש הַשִּׂכְלִית בָּאָדָם הַנִּקְרֵאת ״צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים״ (בראשית א:כז). וְעַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ אָמְרָה בַּעֲלַת אוֹב לְשָׁאוּל (שמואל א כח:יג) ״אֱלֹהִים רָאִיתִי עֹלִים״. וּבִהְיוֹת שֶׁהַבִּזָּיוֹן הַנַּעֲשֶׂה לַמֵּת אַחַר מִיתָה הוּא בִּזָּיוֹן לַנֶּפֶשׁ הַשִּׂכְלִית אֲשֶׁר הִיא עֶצֶם נִבְדָּל הַנִּשְׁאָר אַחַר מִיתַת הַגּוּף, אָמַר שֶׁהוּא קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים, כִּי הַלְנַת הַתְּלִיָּה לְגוּף הַמֵּת בִּלְתִּי קְבוּרָה הִיא בִּזָּיוֹן לְאוֹתוֹ הָעֶצֶם הַנִּצְחִי הַנִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
כי קללת אלוהים תלוי, every disembodied creature is known as elohim; this includes the soul of human beings known as צלם אלוהים, “image of G’d.” [as He is without body, so this essence of a human being is without a body, does not need a body. Ed.] (Genesis 1,27) This is how we can understand the woman, known as בעלת אוב in Samuel I 28,13 whom King Sha-ul approached and asked to raise the prophet Samuel for him producing a disembodied image. Seeing that the disgrace done to a person after he has died is also an insult to this disembodied essence of him, the Torah describes it as קללת אלוהים, equivalent to cursing the dead person’s eternal essence. קללת אלהים, leaving the dead corpse hanging without burial is an insult to that very eternal essence of a human being called אלהים.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:23:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:23:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/21:23:2)

**וְלֹא תְטַמֵּא.** לְהַשְׁרוֹת רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה בִּמְקוֹם הַמֵּת הַבִּלְתִּי נִקְבָּר הַנִּרְקָב.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ולא תטמא, do not allow the spirit of impurity, death, to linger overnight in a location where a body remains unburied.