The Torah prescribes that when one person injures another, the attacker must pay for the victim's lost wages: "his sheveth shall he give" (Exodus 21:19). The Hebrew word sheveth means "sitting" or "resting," referring to the period when the injured person cannot work. But for how long must the attacker keep paying? The Mekhilta raises the possibility that sheveth could mean forever, a lifelong payment for permanent disability.
The sages reject this reading. The proof comes from the very next phrase in the Torah: "and heal shall he heal." The obligation to pay for healing implies that healing will eventually occur. If the Torah envisions the wound being healed, then the compensation for lost work applies only during the recovery period, not for a lifetime.
This interpretation establishes a crucial legal principle in the laws of personal injury. The five categories of damages that an attacker must pay, pain, medical costs, lost wages, humiliation, and the injury itself, are each calculated according to specific criteria. Lost wages are tied directly to the duration of healing. Once the victim recovers and can return to work, the sheveth payments end.
The Mekhilta's reasoning demonstrates how the rabbis read Torah verses in dialogue with one another. One phrase, "his sheveth shall he give," might suggest unlimited duration. But the adjacent phrase, "heal shall he heal," constrains it. Scripture interprets itself. The result is a balanced system of compensation that holds the attacker responsible for genuine losses without imposing an open-ended financial obligation that extends beyond the actual harm caused.