Ki Seitzei 21:18 · unit 8

TT #72 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · First aliya · Passuk 21:18

The Complete Passuk

כִּֽי־יִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֔עַ בְּק֥וֹל אָבִ֖יו וּבְק֣וֹל אִמּ֑וֹ וְיִסְּר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

If a man has a wayward and rebellious son who does not listen to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother, and they discipline him but he does not listen to them,

Chabad.org — 21:18

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 71b.

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 71b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וְיִסְּרוּ אֹתוֹ – וְיִסְּרוּ זֶה מַלְקוּת, מִנַּלָּן? אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ, לָמַדְנוּ בֵּן מִבֵּן, וְהָיָה אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע.

English: “And they discipline him” — “discipline” means lashes. From where? Rabbi Abbahu said: we learn “ben” from “ben” — “and it shall be if the wicked man is worthy of being beaten.”

On the daf / in context: The parents’ warning must include corporal punishment (malkos). Verbal rebuke alone is insufficient. The gezerah shavah from the later verse about judicial lashes supplies the definition.

Type of Learning

Gezerah shavah (“ben” / “ben”) defining “yissru” as lashes.

What Is Learned

The parents must discipline the son with lashes; only after he ignores that corporal discipline does the further procedure of the rebellious-son law apply.