Und der Leser liest: "Es wird geschrieben (3. Mose 19:20):" bikkoreth tihyeh " —"Sie soll der Lesung (Kria) unterliegen", die über die geschlagene gelesen wird: "Wenn du es nicht beachtest, usw." Der leitende Richter liest, der zweite zählt und der dritte "ruft" jeden Schlag. Und es ist eine Mizwa für den Leser, die Lesung mit der Vervollständigung der Streifen abzuschließen. Andernfalls wiederholt er die Lesung schnell, damit ihr Ende mit der Vervollständigung der Streifen zusammenfällt.] ("Der Leser liest" :) (5. Mose 28:58): "Wenn Sie nicht darauf achten sollen ... dann die L rd wird deine Schläge und die Schläge usw. wundersam machen ", und er kehrt zum Anfang des Verses zurück. (Ebd. 29: 8): "Und du sollst die Worte dieses Bundes usw. halten." Und er schließt (Psalm 78:38): "Und wenn er barmherzig ist, wird er für die Sünde büßen usw.", und er kehrt zum Anfang des Verses zurück. Und wenn er unter seiner Hand stirbt, haftet er nicht [nachdem er ihn durch Autorität geschlagen hat]. Wenn er eine Peitsche hinzufügt und stirbt, wird er ins Exil geschickt. Wenn er sich beschmutzt, ob mit Exkrementen oder mit Urin [während er geschlagen wird], ist er außer (von den verbleibenden Streifen) [geschrieben (5. Mose 25: 3): "und dein Bruder wird vor deinen Augen erniedrigt"—und er wird so erniedrigt.] R. Yehudah sagt: Ein Mann mit Exkrementen; eine Frau, [sogar] mit Urin, [ihre Schande ist größer. Die Halacha stimmt nicht mit R. Yehudah überein.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
והקורא קורא – as it is written (Leviticus 19:20): “there shall be indemnity; [they shall not, however, be put to death…”through reading it shall be, for we read about him (Deuteronomy 28:58): “If you fail to observe faithfully [all the terms of this Teaching that are written in this book]…etc.” The greatest of the judges reads [the Biblical text of Deuteronomy 28:58-59) and the one next to him counts and the third states after each beating [what has occurred]. And it is a Mitzvah upon the reader to shorten and to complete the Biblical verses following the flogging, and if he didn’t shorten, he returns and reads it a second time and hurries to read and to complete when the flogger completes his floggings (Makkot 23a).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Introduction
The first half of mishnah fourteen lists the Biblical verses that are called out while the lashes are being administered. The second half of the mishnah discusses the offender either dying or befouling himself while being lashed.
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ואם מת תחת ידו פטור – because he beats him with permission
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
And the one who recites, says: “If you fail to observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching…the Lord will inflict upon you extraordinary plagues (” (Deut. 25:58-59) And then (if time he returns to the beginning of the section. While the lashes are being administered Biblical verses are read out loud. These verses function as a warning to the person being lashed and to those witnessing. The verse in Deuteronomy warns that if Israel fails to observe the Torah (“Teaching”) God will punish Israel with plagues. In Hebrew the word plagues (makkoth) is the same word as lashes. This verse can be read to say that one who does not observe the Torah will be punished with lashes. If the reader has finished reciting the verses and there remains more lashes to be administered, the reader begins again to recite the verse from the beginning.
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הוסיף לו – such as the case where he made an error in the counting.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
[“Therefore observe faithfully all the terms of this covenant” (Deut. 28:9) and he completes by saying, “And He is merciful, forgiving iniquity” (Psalms 78:38).] This line is missing in many versions of the mishnah, hence it is in brackets. Those manuscripts which do contain this line do not contain the previous line, section 2a. According to this version, a different verse is also recited and when close to finishing the lashes, the reader calls out a verse which mentions God’s mercy.
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נתקלקל – as a result of the beatings, feces came out.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
If the offender dies under his hand, he is exempt [from penalty]. If he gave him one more lash and the offender died, he goes into banishment. If the offender dies while being lashed the one administering the lashes is not responsible, not even as an accidental killer. This law was already learned in chapter two, mishnah two. Our mishnah adds that if the one lashing mistakenly added one lash more than was prescribed, and then the offender died, he is considered a manslayer and hence must go into banishment. The assumption is that the one lashing did not kill the offender on purpose and therefore he is not judged as an intentional killer but as an accidental one.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
פטור – as it is written (Deuteronomy 25:3): “your brother be degraded before your eyes,” for he became degraded when he became soiled.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
If the offender befouled himself either with feces or urine, he is exempt. Rabbi Judah says: “Feces in the case of a man and [even] urine in the case of a woman. If the offender befouls himself, either by defecating or urinating, while being lashed, the lashing ends. This is a remarkable law, teaching that even at the time when the court is by definition punishing and humiliating the criminal, we are still to be concerned for his honor. By befouling himself in public the criminal is overwhelmingly shamed, and therefore the court cannot continue to punish him. Rabbi Judah states that there is a difference between men and women. Since women are more easily shamed, if they either defecate or urinate while being flogged they are immediately exempt from further lashes. Men, on the other hand, are exempt only if they defecate, which is for obvious reasons considered to be a greater embarrassment.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
ואשה אף במים – since her shame is greater. And the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yehuda.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Questions for Further Thought: • What is the context of the verse in Deuteronomy, quoted in section one? How might this context effect how the verse is understood when recited during the lashing? • Why do some versions have the reader call out the verse from Psalms? What message does this verse convey?
