Shoftim 19:05 · unit 1

TT #203 · Parashas Shoftim · Fifth Aliyah · Passuk 19:05

The Complete Passuk

וַאֲשֶׁר֩ יָבֹ֨א אֶת־רֵעֵ֥הוּ בַיַּעַר֮ לַחְטֹ֣ב עֵצִים֒ וְנִדְּחָ֨ה יָד֤וֹ בַגַּרְזֶן֙ לִכְרֹ֣ת הָעֵ֔ץ וְנָשַׁ֤ל הַבַּרְזֶל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ וּמָצָ֥א אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ וָמֵ֑ת ה֗וּא יָנ֛וּס אֶל־אַחַ֥ת הֶעָרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה וָחָֽי׃

And one who comes with his fellow into the forest to chop wood, and his hand swings with the axe to cut the tree, and the iron slips from the wood and finds his fellow and he dies – he shall flee to one of these cities and live.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Makkot 7b.

TT lemma: וְנִדְּחָה יָדוֹ בַגַּרְזֶן.

Sefaria — Makkot 7b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְנִדְּחָה יָדוֹ בַגַּרְזֶן – שֶׁיָּצָא הַבַּרְזֶל מִן הָעֵץ.

English: ‘And his hand swings with the axe’ – that the iron came off the wood (handle).

On the daf / in context: The classic example of pure accident: the axe-head flies off.

Type of Learning

Derash on the classic case of shogeg (Bavli) — the verse supplies the paradigm of accidental killing.

What Is Learned

The paradigmatic accidental killer is one whose axe-head slips from the handle while chopping wood and kills another.