Parshas Bahaloscha 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
שבועות דף לח:
"שבועות הדיינין"
The Gemara says that שבועות הדיינין are made while holding a ספר תורה. Rashi [ד"ה בספר] says: In his generation they abolished שבועות דאורייתא because its עונש (swearing falsely) is great. Instead, they were גוזר ארור on the person if his statement isn’t true.The [חו"מ ס' פז,יט] שו"ע brings a יש אומרים like רש"י, that later generations abolished making a שבועה דאורייתא due to the severity of swearing falsely. The Gemara says that before the נתבע swears, ב"ד tells him (to frighten him), you should know, that the world trembled (נזדעזע) when ה' said at הר סיני, "לא תשא את שם ה'". Furthermore, by all other עבירות it says ונקה - if one does teshuva ה' will absolve him. However, regarding swearing falsely it says ולא ינקה, one is not forgiven. Not only is he held responsible, but so is his family and the whole world is affected. If the נתבע still insists on making the שבועה, the people present quote the pasuk: סורו נא מעל אהלי האנשים האלה.
The Gemara asks [לט:], by quoting this pasuk that uses the plural word of האנשים, we are implying that the משביע and נשבע are both רשעים. The נשבע is considered a רשע for swearing, but why is the משביע labeled a רשע? The Gemara answers with a braisa: ר' שמעון בן טרפון says: "שבועות ה' תהיה בין שניהם". This teaches that the punishment of the שבועה is חל on both of them. רש"י explains: the משביע is also held responsible for the שבועת שקר, because he should have been מדקדק to only associate with people that are נאמנים and wouldn’t lie. [מז: ד"ה ורב] רבינו חננאל learns that ר' שמעון means that when a שבועה is made, there will always be someone held liable. If the נשבע swears falsely, he is חייב. If he swears truthfully, the משביע is held responsible for causing a שבועת חנם to be uttered. The ר"י מיגש learns that the משביע is held responsible, because he knows the נשבע is about to make a false שבועה and he allows it [מז: ד"ה ואמרינן].
The [חו"מ ס' פ"ז, כ'] שו"ע paskens: If the נתבע says I will swear and his opponent is תובע him, then all that are present recite the pasuk: סורו נא. The סמ"ע is מדייק (like the ר"י מיגש) that the מחבר adds the words וחבירו תובעו. This is why he is also called a רשע. Because when he sees the נתבע is prepared to swear (falsely), he should try to compromise so as to avoid the נתבע from swearing falsely. Since he didn’t do this, but continued being תובע him to make the שבועה, which he knew was false, he is called a רשע. The מהרש"א explains why swearing in vain is so חמור. The שם of הקב"ה is the קיומו העולם (existence of the world) and theיסוד (foundation) with which ה' was ברא העולמות. As it says, "כי בי-ה ה' צור עולמים". Consequently, when one uses the שם ה' לשוא, he weakens the foundation (צור) of the world. ע"ש.
The [ח"ח ס' ח'] ציץ אליעזר quotes the רמב"ם that בעת הצורך it’s a מצות עשה to swear בשם ה' and one who is חייב a שבועה בב"ד, should do so with the שם ה', as this is a קידוש ה'. Many are careful not to swear at all. He explains that maybe just as it’s a מצוה to swear בשם ה' when necessary, showing our concern of making a false שבועה and not swearing, is a bigger קידוש ה'.