Vayikra 5:22 · unit 8

Parashas Vayikra · Passuk 5:22 · Unit 8 of 8

Complete Passuk

אוֹ־מָצָא אֲבֵדָה וְכִחֶשׁ בָּהּ וְנִשְׁבַּע עַל־שָׁקֶר עַל־אַחַת מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂה הָאָדָם לַחֲטֹא בָהֵנָּה׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Bava Kamma.

Core Text
וְנִשְׁבַּע עַל שֶׁקֶר — עַל כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ שֶׁקֶר; אַף מֵי מַעְיָן בִּדְבַשׁ.

“And he swore falsely” — regarding any matter that contains falsehood; even spring water mixed into honey.

In the sugya: The verse is not limited to obvious adulterations. Any oath that covers a lie about property qualifies, even where the fraud (such as mixing spring water into honey) can later be detected.

Type of Learning

Ribbuy of all verifiable falsehoods — any oath covering a lie about property.

What Is Learned

The verse is not limited to obvious adulterations; any oath covering a lie about property qualifies. Detectability of the fraud does not remove the liability.