Defaming

Sources

A householder takes a woman [as his wife] and cohabits with her. Then he takes an aversion to her and makes up charges against her and defames her, saying, “This is the party I took [to wife]; but when I approached her, I found that she was not a virgin.” In such a case, the girl’s father and mother shall produce the evidence of the girl’s virginity before the elders of the town at the gate. And the girl’s father shall say to the elders, “To this party I gave my own daughter to wife, but he has taken an aversion to her;…

Deuteronomy 22:13-19

MISHNA: In the case of a female convert whose daughter converted with her and later, as a young woman, the daughter engaged in licentious sexual relations when she was betrothed, she is executed by strangulation, not stoning, the method of execution that would be employed had she been born Jewish. She has neither the halakha of being executed at the entrance to her father’s house, as in the case of a woman who was born Jewish who committed this crime…

Ketubot 44a:11-13

Whenever a na'arah is not entitled to a fine if she was raped or seduced, [her husband] is not punished by flogging or by a fine if he issues a slanderous report about her.
In addition, when a non-Jewish girl was converted below the age of three or a maidservant was freed below the age of three, [her husband] is not punished by flogging or by a fine if he issues a slanderous report about her. This applies even if a girl was conceived before her mother was converted and born after she was converted…

Mishneh Torah, Virgin Maiden 3:8

"for he has given out an evil name about a virgin of Israel": He has given out an evil name not only about her alone, but about all the virgins of Israel. "and to him shall she be as a wife." We are hereby taught that he must "quaff his bitter cup" — even if she be lame or blind or covered with boils. If there were in her a thing of zimah (obscenity) or if she were not fit to marry into Israel, I might think that he were permitted to keep her as a wife; it is, therefore, written "and to him shall she be as a wife" — (connoting) a woman who is (halachically) fit for him (as a wife).

Sifrei Devarim 238:7-8

He has promulgated libelous words. Her father claims what is due to him. The husband stated that the father gave his daughter over to turpitude, and educated her in an inappropriate lifestyle such that she had behaved promiscuously in her father’s house. Therefore the verse states: “He has promulgated libelous words.” Therefore he pays for the embarrassment of her father, one hundred silver coins to her father, and he is flogged for the fact that he attempted to have her killed. Therefore this is like a case of payment for one crime and lashes for another.

Meshekh Chokhmah, Ki Tetze 24

AND THEY SHALL FINE HIM A HUNDRED SHEKELS OF SILVER. The meaning thereof is that after the husband was administered stripes — a punishment deduced from the expression and they shall chastise him — [he is to be fined a hundred shekels of silver]. For it was customary to write over a dowry of fifty shekels of silver to a virgin, but this person defamed her because he hated her and he wanted to send her away empty-handed. Therefore Scripture punished him with [a fine of] a hundred silver shekels, for the Torah punishes with a twofold measure, as in the case of the verse…

Ramban on Deuteronomy 22:19:1

MISHNA: There are halakhot with regard to a defamer, who falsely claims that his bride was not a virgin, that are lenient and others that are stringent. How so? Both one who defamed a young woman who is the most prominent in the priesthood and one who defamed a young woman who is the lowliest among the Israelites gives payment of one hundred sela, the fine stated in the Torah (Deuteronomy 22:19). Based on the relative scope of the fines, with the defamer paying twice the sum of the rapist and the seducer…

Arakhin 15a:5-6

§ The mishna records a dispute concerning the number of judges required to judge the case of a defamer (see Deuteronomy 22:13–19), which generally involves a man defaming his wife by falsely accusing her of having committed adultery while she was betrothed. Rabbi Meir says the case must be tried by three judges, and the Rabbis say: An accused defamer is judged by a court of twenty-three judges. It is obvious that in a case in which the husband’s accusation has the potential to result in the woman’s execution, Rabbi Meir agrees that as this is a case of capital law…

Sanhedrin 8a:12-14

(Ibid.) "If he libel her": I might think, even if he said to her "You spoiled my meal," when she did not; it is, therefore, written (here) "libel," and further, (Ibid. 17) "libel," as an identity (gezeirah shavah). Just as "libel" there is a claim of (non-) virginity, so, "libel" here is a claim of (non-) virginity. — But perhaps just as "libel" there involves the site of virginity, so, here, too, it involves the site of virginity. Whence do I derive (the same for) a different act of coitus (i.e…

Sifrei Devarim 235:4

The Gemara asks: From where do we derive the warning, i.e., the prohibition that serves as the source for the flogging for a defamer? Rabbi Elazar says that the prohibition is derived from the verse “You shall not go up and down as talebearer” (Leviticus 19:16). Rabbi Natan says that it is derived from: “Then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing [davar ra]” (Deuteronomy 23:10), which is expounded to mean dibbur ra, evil speech…

Ketubot 46a:6-7

It was stated: Rebbi Jehudah says in the name of Rabban Gamliel. Since it says that “He will give you mercy etc.”, let the following be a sign in your hand: Whenever that you show mercy, the Omnipresent will have mercy on you. If you do not show mercy, the Omnipresent will not have mercy on you. Rav said: If a person misbehaved towards another and asked for pardon but the other did not respond, let him assemble a row of people and ask for pardon, as it is written: “Form a row of men, etc.” If he does so, what is written there? “He redeemed his soul from the pit, not to go to destruction etc…

Jerusalem Talmud Bava Kamma 8:7:3

There was a certain person who set up a claim against his fellow and said to him "Why did you say things about me that you didn't see, and also you said that I hang around with evil people and I did go with them and laughed with them...?'' The other one replied: "Now you have just testified against yourself concerning your deeds and thoughts."

Sefer Chasidim 643:1

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