The Prohibitions of Murder, Adultery, Theft, and False Witness

"You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). From the verse "the murderer shall surely be put to death" (Numbers 35:16) we learned the penalty. From where do we learn the prohibition? Scripture teaches: "You shall not murder." From where do we know that if a man says, "Behold, I am committing murder even on condition of being put to death," he has thereby been forewarned? Scripture teaches: "You shall not murder." From where do we know that one being led out to be executed who says, "Behold, I am committing murder," has thereby been forewarned? Scripture teaches: "You shall not murder." Another interpretation: "You shall not murder" [is also read] do not permit the blood of a murderer [to go unpunished]. "You shall not murder" [is also read] do not act so that the blood cries out against you. Grievous is the shedding of blood, for it has no atonement except by the death of the murderer, as it is said, "and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that was shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it" (Numbers 35:33). And so you find when Saul killed Nob, the city of priests, and destroyed the Gibeonites who were there. What does it say? "And there was a famine in the days of David for three years" (2 Samuel 21:1), and David inquired of the LORD. And why did he not inquire until after three years? Because in the first year he said to them: Go out and see, perhaps there is among you a worshiper of idols, for the rains are withheld on account of idolatry, as it is said, "Take heed lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods... and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heavens, and there be no rain" (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). They went out and examined and found none. In the second year he said to them: Go out and see, perhaps there are among you those who commit incest, for the rains are withheld on account of forbidden unions, as it is said, "the showers have been withheld and there has been no latter rain; yet you had a harlot's brow" (Jeremiah 3:3). They went out and examined and found none. In the third year he said to them: Go out and see, perhaps there is among you one who pledges charity publicly and does not pay it, for the rains are withheld on account of one who pledges charity and does not pay, as it is said, "clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift falsely given" (Proverbs 25:14). They went out and examined and found none. From this point on it must be bloodshed alone. Immediately he inquired by the Urim and Thummim, "And the LORD said: It is for Saul and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites" (2 Samuel 21:1). If this is so for killing a sojourner, how much more for one of Israel. "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:13). From the verse "the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 20:10) we learned the penalty. From where the prohibition? Scripture teaches: "You shall not commit adultery." From where do we know that if one says, "Behold, I am committing adultery even on condition of being put to death," he has been forewarned? Scripture teaches: "You shall not commit adultery." From where do we know that one who eats from his own bowl while imagining he is eating from his fellow's bowl, and drinks from his own cup while imagining he is drinking from his fellow's cup, has been forewarned? Scripture teaches: "You shall not commit adultery." Another interpretation: "You shall not commit adultery" [read also] you shall not make yourself foul through anger; from here [they said] it is forbidden to smell the perfume that is upon one of the forbidden women. Another interpretation: "You shall not commit adultery" [read also] do not bring anger into the world. Another interpretation: "You shall not commit adultery" [is fourfold], that one shall not commit adultery neither with the hand, nor with the foot, nor with the eye, nor with the heart. And from where that the hand commits adultery? As it is written, "your hands are full of blood" (Isaiah 1:15). And from where that the feet commit adultery? As it is written, "and he who hastens with his feet sins" (Proverbs 19:2). And from where that the eyes and the heart commit adultery? As it is written, "and you shall not go about after your own heart and after your own eyes, after which you go astray" (Numbers 15:39). Grievous is unchastity, for the twenty-four ornaments [of the daughters of Zion] were taken away only on account of it, as it is written, "And the LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes" (Isaiah 3:16). "With outstretched necks" means they would walk, a short one among tall ones and a tall one between two short ones [to show themselves off]. "And wanton eyes" means they would paint their eyes with red dye. "Walking and mincing as they go" means with their hands [gesturing]. "And making a tinkling with their feet" means they would place bladders full of balsam under their heels so that their scent would waft. What does it say there? "On that day the LORD will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; the rings and the nose rings" (Isaiah 3:18-21), which are thirteen ornaments of gold and silver; "the festive robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; the gauze garments, the linen vests, the turbans, and the shawls. And it shall come to pass that instead of perfume there shall be rottenness, and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty" (Isaiah 3:22-24), which are eleven ornaments of clothing. Grievous is unchastity, for the Holy One, blessed be He, was long-suffering with the false prophets concerning everything except this. And who were these? Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, as it is said, "because they have committed villainy in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives" (Jeremiah 29:23). What would they do? Ahab would say to a woman, "Listen to Zedekiah and you will bear a prophet," and Zedekiah would say to her, "Thus says the LORD: Listen to Ahab and you will bear a prophet." "When he is in the fullness of his sufficiency, distress shall come upon him" (Job 20:22): when their hour arrived, they did likewise with the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. When he perceived them, he said, "The God of these men hates lewdness." Immediately he recognized that they were false prophets. He sent and brought them. They said to him, "Our words are true and we are true prophets." He said to them, "I have a way to test true prophets, for I cast some of them into the fire and they were saved, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. I too will test you." They said, "They were three and we are two." He said to them, "Choose for yourselves whomever you wish." They said, "Joshua son of Jehozadak the priest." He made for them a great frying pan and placed them within it and lit a fire beneath them, and they were burned, as it is said, "and from them shall be taken up a curse for all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon, saying: May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire" (Jeremiah 29:22). But Joshua was saved, as it is written, "is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:2). Grievous is unchastity, for it is one of three things concerning which Scripture explicitly speaks of Gehinnom: one who comes upon another man's wife, the master of slander, and the wicked kingdom. "One who comes upon another man's wife," as it is said, "can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; none who touches her shall go unpunished" (Proverbs 6:27, 29). "The master of slander," as it is written, "what shall be given to you and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of broom" (Psalms 120:3-4). "The wicked kingdom," as it is written, "you are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand now and save you, the astrologers of the heavens; behold, they are as stubble, the fire has consumed them" (Isaiah 47:13-14). "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:13). From the verse "and he who steals a man and sells him, and he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death" (Exodus 21:16) we have heard the penalty. From where the prohibition? Scripture teaches: "You shall not steal"; this is the prohibition against kidnapping a person. Whether one kidnaps a man or a woman, an adult or a minor, even a one-day-old child, he is liable. And concerning property it says, "you shall not steal" (Leviticus 19:11); this is the prohibition against stealing property. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:13). "False" means only that which is fabricated. How so? If one deposited gold with him, he must not say to him "a pearl"; if a pearl, he must not say to him "gold." From the verse "and you shall do to him as he schemed to do to his brother" (Deuteronomy 19:19) [we learn the penalty]: if money, money; if blows, blows; if penalties, penalties. We have heard the penalty. From where the prohibition? Scripture teaches: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."