Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 281
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
(דברים כד יז) לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר, מָה אֲנִי צָרִיךְ? וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר (דברים טז יט) ״לֹא תַטֶּה מִשְׁפָּט וְלֹא תַכִּיר פָּנִים״! אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל הַמַּטֶּה דִּינוֹ שֶׁל גֵּר עוֹבֵר בִּשְׁנֵי לָאוִים, וְאִם הָיָה גֵּר יָתוֹם עוֹבֵר בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה לָאוִים.
Pisqa’ 281³⁹⁷
- “Do not pervert justice against the migrant or fatherless” (Dt. 24:17). What do I need this instruction for? For isn’t it already stated: “Do not pervert justice, do not show favoritism” (Dt. 16:19)? Actually, it teaches that whoever perverts the judgment of the migrant transgresses two proscriptions, [one against perverting justice and the other against showing favoritism]. But if [the victim were] a fatherless migrant, [his oppressor] would transgress three proscriptions [the third being perversion of justice for the fatherless]!
footnotes: ³⁹⁷ H:272;JN2:229
וְלֹא תַחֲבֹל בֶּגֶד אַלְמָנָה, בֵּין עֲנִיָּה בֵּין עֲשִׁירָה, וַאֲפִלּוּ הִיא כְּמָרְתָא בַּת בַּיְתוֹס.
- “And do not seize as a pledge the garment of a widow” (Dt. 24:17)— **whether she lives in poverty or wealth.**³⁹⁸ Even if she is as wealthy as Martha b. Beytus.³⁹⁹
footnotes: ³⁹⁸ Cf. T. BM. 10:10. ³⁹⁹ A fabled, wealthy woman of Jerusalem linked to the High Priest, Joshua b. Gamla (M. Yev.6:4; B. Yev. 61a).
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: דְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה חוֹבֵל בָּאִישׁ אֵין אַתָּה מַחֲזִיר לָאִשָּׁה, שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא הוֹלֵךְ וּבָא אֶצְלָהּ שֶׁלֹּא לְהַשִּׂיאָהּ שֵׁם רָע.
- R. Shimon says: Pledges seized from a man should not be returned to a woman, lest you start frequenting her home and thus bring her name into disrepute.