Rashi on TanakhDeuteronomy 19

Ready the route. Refuge! Refuge! was emblazoned at every fork in the road.

Divide the borders of your land into three sections. The distance from the border until the first of the refuge cities should be equivalent to the travelling distance between that city and the second; so, from the second to the third; and so from the third to the opposite border of Eretz Yisroel.

And as his hand swung. . .downward. As he lowered the axe over the tree. Targum [Onkelos] renders וְתִתְמְרֵיג יְדֵהּ, meaning “his hand was lowered” to strike a downward blow with the axe onto the tree. “For the cattle lowered it,” Yonasan renders, אֲרֵי מְרַגוּהִי תּוֹרַיָּא .

The iron flew off the wooden handle. Some Rabbis say that the iron flew off the handle. But some say that the iron loosened a chip from the tree being chipped. This flew off, and caused the death.

Lest the blood-redeemer pursue. This is why I am instructing you to ready the route, and [why there are] numerous refuge cites.

When [God] expands . . . in accordance with His oath. To give you the land of the Keini, Kenizi, and Kadmoni.

You shall add three more. Making nine — three across the Yardein, three in the land of Canaan, and three in the time destined to come.

If there is a man who hates his neighbor. Because of his hatred, he will eventually stalk him. From here it is derived that if a man violates a minor offense, he will ultimately commit a grave transgression. Because he violated “Do not hate [your brother],” he ultimately committed murder. This is why it says, “If there is a man who hates his neighbor, etc.” Otherwise, it should have written, “If a man rises up, stalks his neighbor, and wounds him mortally.”

Do not view him with compassion. Do not say, the first one has already been killed. Why kill this one, and have two dead Jews?

Do not move back the boundary. The word means the same as “They have retreated rearward.” When one moves the boundary marker rearward, into his neighbor’s property, in order to increase his own. But doesn’t it already say, “Do not steal”? Why, then, does the Torah say, “Do not move back...”? This teaches that someone who overturns his neighbor’s boundary violates two negative commandments. Perhaps this applies outside the land [of Eretz Yisroel] as well? The Torah therefore teaches, “in your hereditary property which you inherit, etc.” In Eretz Yisroel one violates two commandments, but outside [Eretz Yisroel,] one violates only “Do not steal.”

One witness. This establishes a source construct: Wherever “witness” is mentioned in the Torah, the reference is to two, unless specified as one.

For any sin or transgression. To have his fellow penalized by his testimony, whether by corporal or monetary punishment. However, he may rise up to require him to take an oath. If someone says to his fellow, ‘Repay that which I lent you,’ he replies, ‘I owe you nothing,’ and a single witness testifies that he owes [the money,] he is obligated to take an oath.

By the word of two witnesses. But they cannot write their testimony in a letter and send it to the court; nor may a translator stand between the witnesses and the justices.

And bears fallacious testimony against him. The story is utterly untenable, as the witness was dissociated from the entire testimony. How is this? When other witnesses said to them, ‘But weren’t you with us on that day at another location?!’

The two men shall stand. Our passage refers to the witnesses. This teaches that women cannot testify, and that the witnesses must testify while standing.

Who are involved in the dispute. This refers to the litigants.

Before Adonoy. It should seem to them, as if they stand before the Omnipresent, as it is said, “He [God] judges in the midst of judges.”

Who are in those days. Yiftach, in his generation, is like Shmuel in his generation — you must treat him reverently.

The judges shall investigate thoroughly. This is directed at those asserting that the witnesses were conspirators. They shall investigate and interrogate those accusing them of conspiracy, by the prescribed method of investigation and interrogation.

Behold, the witness testified falsely. Wherever “witness” is mentioned, Scripture refers to two.

As he conspired. But not as he did. From here it is derived that if the execution was carried out, the witnesses are not executed.

To do to his brother. What does the Torah teach with “to his brother”? It teaches that witnesses who conspired against the daughter of a kohein who was married are not executed by burning, but by the method of execution of the adulterer, which is asphyxiation, as it is said, “She . . . shall be burned by fire” — she, but not the adulterer. This is why “to his brother” is said here — “as he conspired to do to his brother,” but not as he conspired to do to his sister. However, with all the other executions, the Torah likens women to men, and conspirators against a woman are executed as are conspirators against a man. For example, if they testified that she committed murder or desecrated Shabbos, they are executed by the same method as she would have been. For “his sister” is not excluded here except where the punishment for conspiracy may be fulfilled with the adulter’s [type of] execution.

Will hear and be fearful. From here we derive that there must be a proclamation, ‘So and so were executed for conspiratorial testimony in court.’

Eye for eye. Monetary payment. Similarly, “tooth for tooth, etc.”