Kommentar zu Sotah 9:7
נִמְצָא הַהוֹרֵג עַד שֶׁלֹּא נֶעֶרְפָה הָעֶגְלָה, תֵּצֵא וְתִרְעֶה בָעֵדֶר. מִשֶּׁנֶּעֶרְפָה הָעֶגְלָה, תִּקָּבֵר בִּמְקוֹמָהּ, שֶׁעַל סָפֵק בָּאתָה מִתְּחִלָּתָהּ, כִּפְּרָה סְפֵקָהּ וְהָלְכָה לָהּ. נֶעֶרְפָה הָעֶגְלָה וְאַחַר כָּךְ נִמְצָא הַהוֹרֵג, הֲרֵי זֶה יֵהָרֵג:
Wenn der Mörder vor der Färse entdeckt wurde's Hals war gebrochen, er geht frei und weidet mit der Herde; Aber wenn nach der Färse's Hals war gebrochen, er ist an dieser Stelle begraben, weil er von Anfang an im Zusammenhang mit einer Zweifelsfrage dorthin kam und für den Zweifel gesühnt wurde, der jetzt weg ist. Wenn die Färse'Der Hals war gebrochen und danach wird der Mörder entdeckt, siehe, er wird hingerichtet.
Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
תצא ותרעה בעדר – like other non-holy animals.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
Introduction
This mishnah deals with a case where a dead body was found and at first, no one knew who the murderer was. Therefore, they began the ritual. However, before the ritual was completed the identity of the murderer was discovered.
We should note that the exegetical/midrashic portion of this part of the mishnah is completed, and now the mishnah is filling in some details.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
כפרה ספיקה – which had performed its own [work].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
If the murderer was discovered before the heifer’s neck was broken, it goes free and grazes with the herd; If the heifer’s neck has not yet been broken and the murderer is found, then the heifer may return to being treated as a normal, non-sacral animal. Its merely having been brought down to the wadi does not subsequently forbid a person from deriving benefit from it.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
ואחר כך נמצא ההורגד ה"ז יהרג – as it is written at the end of the portion of the heifer whose neck was broken (Deuteronomy 21:9): “Thus you will remove from your midst guilt for the blood of the innocent.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
But if after the heifer’s neck was broken, it is buried in that place because it came there from the outset in connection with a matter of doubt, and atoned for the doubt which is now gone. However, if the heifer’s neck has already been broken before the murderer is discovered, it is forbidden for anyone to derive any benefit from it (obviously it can no longer go graze with the herd!). The heifer has essentially fulfilled its purpose; it atoned for the doubt with regard to the murderer’s identity, even though his identity is now known. It is now similar to all heifers whose necks have been broken; no one may derive any benefit from any of them.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
If the heifer’s neck was broken and afterwards the murderer is discovered, behold he is executed. We might have thought that the fact that the heifer’s neck atoned for the spilled blood of the victim means that if the real murderer is found, he is not executed. Therefore, the mishnah declares that he is nevertheless executed. Blood atonement is only one factor in the treatment of murder; the other is obviously justice. If the murderer is identified the value of justice demands that he be tried and executed, even if the blood which he spilled has already been atoned for.
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