Shevuot

that the whole world trembled at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, said at Sinai: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.1 And with reference to all transgressions in the Torah it is said, holding guiltless;2 but here it is said, Will not hold him guiltless.3 And for all the transgressions in the Torah he [the sinner] alone is punished, but here he and his family; for it is said: Suffer not thy mouth4 to bring thy flesh into guilt;5 and ‘flesh’ means ‘near relative’, as it is said: And from thine own flesh thou shalt not hide thyself.6 And for all the transgressions in the Torah he alone is punished, but here he and all the world; for it is said: Swearing and lying....[therefore doth the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein doth languish].7 — But say, perhaps, only when he does them all!8 That cannot enter your mind, for it is written, Because of swearing the land mourneth;9 and it is written, therefore doth the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein doth languish.10 And with reference to all transgressions in the Torah, if he has merit, punishment is suspended for two or three generations, but here he is punished immediately, as it is said, I cause it to go forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.11 ‘I cause it to go forth’:12 immediately; ‘and it shall enter into the house of the thief’: he who steals the mind13 of people; [e.g.], there is no money owing to him by his fellow, but he claims from him, and causes him to swear; ‘and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name’: according to its plain meaning; ‘and it shall abide in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof’: from this you learn, that things which neither fire nor water can destroy,14 a false oath can destroy. If he says, ‘I shall not swear,’15 he is dismissed immediately.16 But if he said, ‘I shall swear,’ those who are standing there say to each other, ‘Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, etc.’17 And when they adjure him, they say to him: ‘Know that we do not adjure you according to your own mind, but according to the mind of the Omnipresent, and the mind of the Beth din;’18 for thus we find in the case of Moses our teacher: When he adjured Israel,19 he said to them: ‘Know that not according to your own minds do I adjure you, but according to the mind of the Omnipresent, and my mind;’ as it is said: Neither with you only [do I make this covenant and this oath].20 But with him that standeth here with us:21 hence we know only those who were standing by Mount Sinai [were adjured]; the coming generations, and proselytes who were later to be proselytised, how do we know [that they were adjured also then]? Because it is said, and also with him that is not here with us this day.22 And from this we know only [that they were adjured for] the commandments which they received at Mount Sinai; how do we know [that they were adjured for] the commandments which were to be promulgated later, such as reading the Megillah?23 Because it is said: They confirmed and accepted:24 they confirmed what they had long ago accepted.25 What is the meaning of: it26 also may be said in any language? — As we learnt: These may be recited in any language: The scriptural text of the Sotah,27 confession when giving the tithe,28 the Shema’,29 Tefillah,30 Grace after meals,31 the oath of testimony, and the oath of deposit.32 And now it says also, ‘The oath of the judges may also be said in any language.’ The Master said: They say to him, Know that the whole world trembled at the time when the Holy One blessed be He said, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. — What is the reason? Shall we say because it was given at Sinai? The Ten Commandments were also given there! Again, if because it is more serious?33 — But is it more serious? Behold, has it not been taught: These are light: positive and negative [precepts], except, ‘Thou shalt not take [the name of the Lord thy God in vain];’ serious: [sins for the transgression of which] kareth and death at the hands of the Beth din [are inflicted], and ‘Thou shalt not take etc.’ is in this category.’34 — Well then, because of the reason which he states: With reference to all transgressions in the Torah it is said ‘holding guiltless’, but here it is said, ‘will not hold guiltless’. And with reference to all transgressions in the Torah is it not said, ‘Will not hold guiltless’? Surely, it is written: and will by no means hold guiltless!35 That is required for R. Eleazar's deduction, for we learnt, R. Eleazar said: It is impossible to say, ‘holding guiltless’, for it is already said, ‘Will not hold guiltless’; it is impossible to say, ‘Will not hold guiltless’, for it is already said, ‘holding guiltless’. How [can they be reconciled]? He ‘holds guiltless’ those who repent, and ‘does not hold guiltless’ those who do not repent. 36 ‘For all transgressions in the Torah he alone is punished, but here he and his family.’ — And for all transgressions of the Torah is not his family punished? Lo, it is written, And I will set My face against that man, and against his family.37 And it was taught: R. Simeon said: If he sinned, what sin did his family commit? But this shows you that there is not a family containing a tax-collector,38 in which they are not all tax-collectors; or containing a robber, in which they are not all robbers;39 because they protect him!40 — There [the family are punished] with another [lighter] punishment, but here with his own punishment; as was taught: Rabbi said: And I will cut him off.41 Why is it said? Because it is said, And I will set My face [against that man, and against his family];42 I might think the whole family shall be cut off, therefore it is said, ‘him’:43 him will I cut off, but not the whole family shall I cut off.44 ‘For all transgressions in the Torah he alone is punished, but here he and the whole world.’ — And for all transgressions of the Torah is not the whole world punished? Lo, it is written, And they shall stumble one upon another:45 one because of the iniquity of the other; this teaches us that all Israel are sureties one for another! 46 holding guiltless. The text has vebh tk vebu, and will not hold guiltless; but Scripture of set purpose did not write simply vebh tk, but wrote vebu first to teach us that there are occasions when He holds guiltless the transgressors (when they repent). and not veb. So serious is the sin of a false oath that even repentance and the Day of Atonement do not bring the sinner complete absolution, but he must suffer some punishment to expiate his sin; v. Maharsha. suffers, but not for swearing only! XXIII, 20), therefore every inhabitant languishes because of swearing. come before confirmation. [For the whole passage cf. Tosaf. Sot. 7.] understands. death. who repent, ‘He will not hold guiltless’ those who do not repent. But a false oath is more serious than other transgressions in that Scripture writes, with reference to it, vebh tk, He will not hold guiltless even those who repent; whereas, with reference to other transgressions, it writes, vebh tk vebu. oath. for one another, and bound to prevent wrongdoing!