Ki Seitzei 21:23 · unit 7

TT #99 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · Second Aliyah · Passuk 21:23

The Complete Passuk

לֹא־תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל־הָעֵץ כִּי־קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי־קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי וְלֹא תְטַמֵּא אֶת־אַדְמָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה׃

His body shall not remain overnight on the tree; rather you shall bury him on that same day, for a hanging person is a curse of God, and you shall not defile your land that Hashem your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Chabad.org — 21:23

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sifrei Devarim (and parallel in Sanhedrin).

Sefaria — Sifrei Devarim

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כִּי קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא – מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ מַשְׂהִין אוֹתוֹ סָמוּךְ לִשְׁקִיעַת הַחַמָּה וְגוֹמְרִין אֶת דִּינוֹ וּמְמִיתִין אוֹתוֹ וְאַחַר כָּךְ תּוֹלִין אוֹתוֹ.

English: “You shall bury him on that same day” — from here they said: they delay him until near sunset, complete his trial, put him to death, and afterward hang him.

On the daf / in context: The timing is arranged so that the hanging occurs only briefly before nightfall, after which the body is immediately buried.

Type of Learning

Halakhic derivation of the procedure’s timing from the verse.

What Is Learned

The court arranges the execution and hanging so that the body remains on the tree only for a very short time before burial on the same day.