והוא שפחה. אמרו המכחישים כי איננה יהודית והנכון על דרך הפשט שהיא הנזכרת בפרשת וכי ימכור איש את בתו לאמה והיא ישראלית והטעם שהוא יעדה שיקחנה אדוניה או בנו ואיננה מאורסה וזה טעם כי לא חפשה איננה חפשית עד שתהיה מאורסה כמשפט הבנות: A BONDMAID, DESIGNATED FOR A MAN. The deniers86The Karaites. say that the bondmaid is not a Jewess. However, the correct interpretation according to the plain meaning of the text is that the bondmaid is the one mentioned in And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant (Ex. 21:7) and that she is an Israelite. Our verse deals with an instance in which the bondmaid was designated for marriage to her master or his son.87See Ex. 21:8,9. However, she had not undergone the first stage of marriage.88In ancient times marriage was effectuated in two stages. The first stage was called erusin. During the period of erusin, which lasted for a year, the bride remained with her family. In the second stage, called nesu’im, the bride went to live with her husband. The meaning of nor was freedom given her is that she is not free until she undergoes the first stage of marriage as is the practice of young ladies.
ומלת נחרפת. על דעת רבים יעודה ולפי דעתי שהמלה מגזרת חרפה בעבור היותה שפחה והיא בתולה ברשות אחר ואינה מאורשה: Many believe that necherefet means designated. However, I believe that necherefet is related to the word cherpah (reproach) because she is an unmarried virgin maidservant under the control of a stranger.
והפדה. שם הפעל מהבנין שלא נקרא שם פועלו מהכבד הנוסף והטעם שלא פדאה אביה או אחד ממשפחתה קודם היותה בוגרת: REDEEMED. Hofdeh (redeemed) is an infinitive in the hofal. The meaning of and not at all redeemed is that her father or any other family member did not redeem her before she became a young woman.
או חפשה. השורק מקום קמץ חטף כי האחד חופש והטעם שהיה המנהג לכתוב לה גט חופש אם מכרה האב עד זמן קצוץ והמעתיקים אמרו שחציה חפשית וחציה אמה והוא האמת: FREEDOM. The shuruk89The kubbutz. in chufshah (freedom) is in place of a furtive kamatz, for the individual form of the word is chofesh.90Nouns that are vocalized cholam, segol are vocalized with a kamatz katan when declined. Compare, kotel, kotlah; chodesh, chodshah. Thus chufshah should have read chofshah, for the word chufshah (freedom) is the word chofesh plus the pronominal suffix. Scripture states, nor was freedom given her, because it was traditional to write a writ of manumission91When she was released from bondage. if her father sold her for a set time. The transmitters of tradition said that our verse speaks of a woman who was half free and half servant.92See Keritot 2:5. “What manner of bondwoman [does Scripture speak of in Lev. 19:20]? She that is half bondwoman and half freedwoman.” What they said is true.
בקרת תהיה. יש אומרים שפירושו כמו פילגש ואמרו כי כן בנות מלכים ביקרותיך ולא פרשו נכון כי ביקרותיך טעמו השפחות היקרות ונעלם היו״ד בעבור האות המשרת בחיר״ק והיה בחיר״ק בעבור התחברות שני שואי״ן נעים האחד תחת האות המשרת והשני תחת האות הראשון של השרש בלשון נקבות ואין כח בלשון להזכיר ככה וכן משפט כל הלשון ואין מלה זרה חוץ ממלת ורבים מישני אדמת עפר יקיצו על קריאת בן נפתלי. ויש אומרים בקורת מגזרת לא יבקר הכהן והטעם שיחפש הדבר והמעתיקים אמרו כי יש עליו מלקות ברצועה של בקר וזה אמת מדברי קבלה והמלה כדמות אסמכתא. וטעם להזכיר זאת הפרשה כי הוא עושק אדני השפחה על כן יביא איל אשם ועוד על דרך דרש שזאת השכיבה כמו כלאים חפשי עם שפחה: THERE SHALL BE AN INQUISITION. Some say that bikkoret (inquisition) means a concubine.93This interpretation renders bikkoret tiheyeh (there shall be an inquisition) as she shall be a concubine; that is, she shall not be considered a fully married woman. They say that the same applies to the word biykkrotekha (among thy favorites) in Kings’ daughters are among thy favorites (Ps. 45:10).94This interpretation renders Ps. 45:10, Kings’ daughters are your concubines. However, they did not explain it correctly, for the meaning of biykkrotekha is, among the precious handmaidens.95In other words, biykkrotekha is the word yikkrotekha (your precious ones), i.e., your precious maidens plus the bet prefix. There is no connection between bikkoret and biykkrotekha, for the former comes from the root bet, kof, resh and the latter from the root yod, kof, resh. The yod96In biykkrotekha. is missing97Is silent. because the bet, which serves as a preposition, is vocalized with a chirik.98The yod of yikkrotekha is swallowed up by the chirik. It is vocalized with a chirik because of the confluence of two mobile shevas,99Biyikkrotekha is a combination of the prefix be plus the word yekkrotekha. In such cases the prefix is vocalized with a chirik and the yod is not sounded. the first beneath the prefix100The bet. and the second beneath the first root letter of the word yikkrotekha, which is in the feminine.101Yikkrotekha. The tongue does not have the power to enunciate two mobile shevas in succession.102It is hard to pronounce two mobile shevas back to back. The same is true for the entire language.103This rule does not apply only to the word biyikkrotekha. It applies to all cases where we have two furtive shevas in succession. There is no exception to this except for the word mi-yeshene (that sleep) in And many of them that sleep in the dust (Dan. 12:2),104According to the rule, mi-yeshene should have read miyyshene. according to the reading of Ben Naphtali.105A tenth-century Massoretic scholar who lived in the Land of Israel. He edited the punctuation and accentuation of Scripture according to the tradition of his school. There are those who say that bikkoret is related to the word yevakker (seek) in shall not seek (Lev. 13:36). The meaning of bikkoret106According to this opinion. is that the matter shall be searched out. The transmitters of tradition say he107The one who sleeps with the bondwoman. There appears to be a scribal error in the text, for according to Keritot 11a it is the bondwoman who is lashed. Hence some emend alav to aleha. incurs the penalty of being lashed with a strap made from the skin of cattle (bakar).108Miscreants were lashed with a whip made of calf hide. See Makkot 3:12. This interpretation renders bikkoret as cattled, i.e., lashed with a strap made of cattle hide. In our texts of Rabbinic literature there is no such interpretation. Radak quotes this interpretation in the name of Rabbi Saadiah Gaon. See Weiser. This is true by way of tradition.109The law that the bondwoman is whipped with a strap made from cattle hide is true. The latter is known from tradition. It is not derived from the plain meaning of the text. The word bikkoret is used as a support for the tradition.110The literal meaning of bikkoret is not “lashed by cattle skin.” This section is placed here because the one who sleeps with the bondwoman oppresses the master of the bondwoman.111The previous verses speak of wronging one’s neighbor. He therefore brings a ram as a guilt offering.112One who oppresses his neighbor brings a ram as a guilt offering. See Lev. 5:21-26. Furthermore, this type of intercourse can be interpreted midrashically as mixing diverse kinds, namely, a free man and a bondwoman.113The verse immediately preceding deals with the prohibition of mixing different kinds.