Vayikra 5:1 · unit 23 · Bava Kamma 56a

Complete Passuk

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

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Bava Kamma 56a.

Sefaria — Bava Kamma 56a
E-Daf · Bava Kamma 56a

Core Text — Bava Kamma 56a

וְהַיּוֹדֵעַ עֵדוּת לַחֲבֵירוֹ וְאֵינוֹ מֵעִיד לוֹ… דְּאוֹרָיְיתָא הוּא – ״אִם לוֹא יַגִּיד, וְנָשָׂא עֲוֹנוֹ״!

One who knows testimony for his fellow and does not testify for him… it is biblical — “if he does not tell, he shall bear his iniquity.”

The Gemara invokes the verse to establish that withholding known testimony that would benefit another is itself a Torah-level wrong, independent of the formal shevu’ah-korban structure.

What Is Learned: Knowing testimony that would help another and remaining silent is a biblical violation under Vayikra 5:1. Heavenly liability attaches for the failure to testify; the verse is not limited to the formal oath-and-korban case.