Study Ketubot folio 38A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
הני מילי, היכא דהרגו דרך עלייה, שלא ניתנה שגגתו לכפרה. אבל הרגו דרך ירידה, דניתנה שגגתו לכפרה, אימא: נישקול ממונא מיניה וניפטריה, קא משמע לן.
this principle, that one cannot pay in lieu of execution, applies only when one intentionally killed him in an upward motion, for which no atonement is designated in the Torah for its unwitting performance. However, with regard to one who intentionally killed him in a downward motion, for which atonement, i.e., exile, is designated in the Torah for its unwitting performance, say: Let us take money from him and exempt him. Therefore, the phrase “any ḥerem” teaches us that even in that case there is no payment in lieu of execution.
Rava said to him: That principle is derived from that which the Sage of the school of Ḥizkiyya taught, as the Sage of the school of Ḥizkiyya taught: The verse juxtaposes the cases of one who smites a person, and one who smites an animal (Leviticus 24:21).
מה מכה בהמה לא חלקת בו בין שוגג למזיד, בין מתכוין לשאין מתכוין, בין דרך ירידה לדרך עלייה — לפוטרו ממון אלא לחייבו ממון. אף מכה אדם לא תחלוק בו בין שוגג למזיד, בין מתכוין לשאין מתכוין, בין דרך ירידה לדרך עליה — לחייבו ממון אלא לפוטרו ממון.
Just as in the case of one who smites an animal, you did not distinguish between one who did so unwittingly and one who did so intentionally; between one who acted with intent and one who acted with no intent; between one who smites in the course of a downward motion and one who smites in the course of an upward motion; and in all those cases it is not to exempt him from paying money but rather to obligate him to pay money; so too in the case of one who smites a person: Do not distinguish between one who did so unwittingly and one who did so intentionally; between one who acted with intent and one who acted with no intent; between one who smites in the course of a downward motion and one who smites in the course of an upward motion; and in all those cases it is not to obligate him to pay money but rather to exempt him from paying money. Apparently, one who kills another in any manner is exempt from payment, and therefore no additional verse is required to derive that principle.