## Sforno on Deuteronomy Chapter 25

###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:2:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:2:1)

**וְהִפִּילוֹ הַשּׁוֹפֵט.** יַמְתִּיחֶנּוּ עַל הָעַמּוּד.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
והפילו השופט, he will stretch him out on the post. [The lashes are not applied when the victim is standing upright, but when he is at least inclined. (Makkot 22) Ed.]


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:3:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:3:1)

**מַכָּה רַבָּה.** שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְסָבְלָהּ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
מכה רבה, more than the victim’s general constitution can bear.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:3:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:3:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:3:2)

**וְנִקְלָה אָחִיךָ.** שֶׁיִּתְקַלְקֵל בִּרְעִי אוֹ בְּמַיִם מֵרֹב הַכְּאֵב.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ונקלה אחיך, if he were to be unable to control his bowel movements on account of his pain..


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:5:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:5:1)

**וִיבְּמָהּ.** יָסִיר אוֹתָהּ מִהֱיוֹת עוֹד יְבִמְתּוֹ, אֲבָל תִּהְיֶה כְּאִשְׁתּוֹ לְכָל דָּבָר, אֲפִילוּ לְגָרְשָׁהּ בְּגֵט וּלְהַחֲזִירָהּ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ויבמה, by doing so he removes her status as yevamah from her as she is now his wife. She will be a wife in all respects including the legislation applying to divorcing her and possibly remarrying her.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:6:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:6:1)

**וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שְׁמוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.** שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַוָּלָד נֶחְשָׁב אֵצֶל ה׳ יִתְעַלֶּה קִיּוּם פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה לַמֵּת, שֶׁהֲרֵי נוֹלַד עַל יְדֵי קִדּוּשָׁיו שֶׁל מֵת, וְאֵין הַיָּבָם צָרִיךְ לְקַדְּשָׁהּ קִדּוּשִׁין אֲחֵרִים. וְזֶה מָאַס אוֹנָן בְּשִׂנְאָתוֹ אֶת אָחִיו, וּבְזֹאת הָיָה עָלָיו קָצֶף.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ולא ימחה שמו מישראל, in that the child born from this union will be considered by G’d as if the deceased had fulfilled the commandment to be fruitful. This is easily understood when we consider that this child is the product of a legal marriage entered into by the deceased husband of his mother. The fact that the deceased’s brother did not have to go through a marriage ceremony with the widow of his brother makes this clear to everyone. This explains why G’d would be angry at the brother who refuses to marry his sister-in-law, as he thereby deprived his deceased brother forever from fulfilling the mitzvah of being fruitful


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:9:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:9:1)

**כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִבְנֶה אֶת בֵּית אָחִיו.** רָאוּי הוּא לָזֶה הַבִּזָּיוֹן, מֵאַחַר שֶׁלֹּא חָפֵץ לְהַשְׁלִים בִּנְיַן הַבַּיִת שֶׁהִתְחִיל לִבְנוֹת אָחִיו בְּקִדּוּשָׁיו, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שבת קיח) ״לֹא קָרָאתִי לְאִשְׁתִּי אֶלָּא בֵּיתִי״.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ככה יעשה לאיש אשר לא יבנה את בית אחיו, he deserves this public embarrassment seeing he had refused to restore the house his deceased brother had begun to build when he betrothed his (now) widow. This reminds us of the statement in Shabbat 118 by Rabbi Yossi who did not refer to his wife as אשתי, “my wife,” but as ביתי, “my house.”


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:11:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:11:1)

**וְקָרְבָה אֵשֶׁת הָאֶחָד לְהַצִּיל אֶת אִישָׁהּ.** אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַיְבָמָה מְצֻוָּה לְבַזּוֹת אֶת אֲחִי בַעְלָהּ עַל שֶׁלֹּא חָס עַל בַּעְלָהּ, לֹא הוּתַּר לְאִשָּׁה לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת הַנִּלְחָם עִם בַּעְלָהּ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וקרבה אשת האחד להציל את אישה, [the author, obliquely, established a conceptual link between this paragraph and that preceding it. Ed.] Even though the Torah had not only given permission to the widow in the yevamah legislation to publicly embarrass her brother in law for failing to do his duty by marrying her, but had even commanded her to do so, in this instance, when a wife tries to save her husband’s life by resorting to tactics which embarrass his opponent she is punished for doing so.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:14:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:14:1)

**לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה.** אַחַר שֶׁהִזְכִּיר דַּרְכֵי הַשְׁרָאַת שְׁכִינָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, הִזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא בִּלְבַד שָׂנֵא הָאֵל אֶת עִוּוּת הַדִּין, אֲבָל יִשְׂנָא גַּם כֵּן הַמַּחֲזִיק בְּכֵלִים מוּכָנִים לַעֲשׂוֹת עָוֶל, וְשֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַרְחִיק אוֹתָם הַכֵּלִים פֶּן תִּגְעַל נַפְשׁוֹ אוֹתָנוּ, כַּאֲמָרוֹ ״כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה״ (דברים כה:טז).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לא יהיה לך בביתך איפה ואיפה, after having mentioned the ways in which the benevolent presence of the Shechinah can be assured for the Jewish people, the Torah reminds you that if G’d hates corrupt justice this is not an isolated instance of what G’d hates in interpersonal relations, something we call “civics,” He even hates it when someone owns and keeps instruments which are designed to be used in a corrupt, deceptive, manner, so that even without putting these instruments to use the owner/keeper has become guilty of violating a negative commandment. G’d’s presence, Shechinah, cannot tolerate neighbours who even think of using such means to deceive others.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:19:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 25:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/25:19:1)

**תִּמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק.** מִשּׁוֹר עַד שֶׂה, מִגָּמָל וְעַד חֲמוֹר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁצִּוָּה לְשָׁאוּל (שמואל א טו:ג). וְזֶה כְּדֵי לְהִנָּקֵם מֵעֲמָלֵק עַל שֶׁהֵעֵז פָּנָיו בָּאֵל יִתְעַלֶּה, כִּמְקַנְּאִים לִכְבוֹדוֹ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
תמחה את זכר עמלק, by killing even their livestock, as King Sha-ul was commanded in Samuel I 15,3. This was intended to avenge the unprovoked attack by Amalek against G’d when, by attacking His people, they demeaned His image, besmirched His honour.