Vayikra 5:1 · unit 16

Complete Passuk

וְנֶפֶשׁ כִּי־תֶחֱטָא וְשָׁמְעָה קוֹל אָלָה וְהוּא עֵד אוֹ רָאָה אוֹ יָדָע אִם־לוֹא יַגִּיד וְנָשָׂא עֲוֺנוֹ׃

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Yoma 74a.

Core Text — Yoma 74a

רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב אָמַר: לְמַעוֹטֵי מְשַׂחֵק בְּקוּבְיָא… שָׁאנֵי הָתָם דְּאָמַר קְרָא: ״אִם לֹא יַגִּיד״, וְהַאי לָאו בַּר הַגָּדָה הוּא כְּלָל.

Rav Acha bar Yaakov said: to exclude one who plays with dice… It is different there, for Scripture says “if he does not tell,” and this one is not a person of telling at all.

Even though the disqualification of a dice-player is rabbinic, the verse’s language of “yagid” is used to treat him as not a bar haggadah for purposes of the shevu’as ha-eidus korban.

What Is Learned: A person who is not a bar haggadah (even by rabbinic disqualification, such as a dice-player) is outside the liability structure of Vayikra 5:1. The oath of testimony does not take effect on him for a korban.