Rashi on TanakhLeviticus 20

And to Bnei Yisroel you shall say: the punishments for the prohibitions [already given].

He shall surely be put to death — by a court. And if the court does not have the power, the people of the land shall assist them.

The people of the land, the people for whose sake the land was created, the people who are destined to take possession of the land through these mitzvohs.

I shall direct My wrath, My “free time” — I will turn from all My [other] concerns and concern Myself with him.

That man — and not a congregation, for an entire congregation is not cut off.

For he gave of his children to Molech. Because it is said: “Who causes his son and his daughter to pass through fire,” his son’s son and his daughter’s son — from where [do we know that they are included?] The verse says: “For he gave of his children to Molech.” From where [do we know this of] illegitimate offspring? The verse says: “When he gives of his children to Molech.”

In order to defile My Sanctuary — the Community of Israel, which is sanctified to Me, as in the expression: “That he not profane My Sanctuary.”

And if they hide [their eyes], if they hide [their eyes] in one matter, in the end they will hide [their eyes] in many matters. If a minor Sanhedrin hide [their eyes], in the end the Great Sanhedrin will hide [its eyes].

And [against] his family. Said Rabbi Shimon: “What sin did the family commit”? Rather, [this] teaches you that there is no family which has a tax-farmer in it that is not entirely [made up] of tax-farmers — for all of them protect him.

I shall cut him off. Why is this said? Since it is said, and against his family, perhaps the entire family will be [punished] with koreis? The verse says: him — he [will be punished] with koreis, but the entire family [will] not [be punished] with koreis, but with suffering.

To go astray after Molech. [This phrase] includes worship of any other idol which he served in this way [passing children between the fires], even if this is not [its usual] worship.

You shall sanctify yourselves — this [refers to] separation from idolatry.

He has cursed his father or mother — [the repetition of] this phrase comes] to include [cursing them] after [the] death [of either].

His blood is on him — this [refers to] stoning, and so too every place it is said “his blood is on him,” “their blood is on them,” [it refers to stoning]. And we have learned this from [the punishment of] an אוֹב and יִדְעוֹנִי, regarding whom it is said: “You shall stone them to death, their blood is on them.” [However,] the plain sense of the verse is similar to “his blood is on his head,” [i.e., the responsibility is his,] no one deserves punishment for his death but himself — he brought it upon himself that he should be executed.

A man, excluding a minor.

Who commits adultery with another man’s wife, excluding a minor’s wife [from the death penalty]. This teaches us that there is no legal marriage for a minor. [If so,] regarding which married woman have I required you [to exact the death penalty]?

Who commits adultery with the wife of his fellow, excluding a non-Jew’s wife; this teaches us that there is no [binding] marriage for non-Jews.

They shall surely be put to death — the adulterer and the adulteress. Any death penalty mentioned in the Torah without [further] specification [as to its nature], [refers] only to strangulation.

They have committed an act of perversion, disgrace. Another interpretation: They mix the seed of the father with the seed of the son.

In the same manner as with a woman, [as] one inserts the painting stick in the tube.

They shall be burnt in fire, he and them. You cannot say that they should burn his first wife, for he married her legally, and she was [never] forbidden to him, [but] rather “a woman and her mother,” which are written here [is when] both [were] forbidden [to him to begin with] — if he married his mother-in-law and her mother. There are those of our Rabbis who say: Only his mother-in-law is [mentioned] here; [to] what [then does] “them” [refer]? [It means] “one of them,” [as] in the Greek language” hen is “one.”

And you shall also kill the animal. If the man sinned, what sin did the animal commit? Rather, because a mishap occurred through it, the verse said: “Let it be stoned.” [This may be argued as] a kal vo-homer [All the more so] a human [should be punished], who knows how to distinguish between good and evil, and causes evil to his fellow to commit a sin. Similar to this matter do you say: “You should certainly destroy all the places [where the nations worshipped their gods].” Behold, the matter [gives rise to a] kal vo-homer: If trees, which cannot see and cannot hear, [if] because a mishap occurred through them, the Torah said: “Destroy, burn and put an end to” — one who turns his fellow away from the way of life to paths of death, how much more so [should he be punished]!”

It is a shameful perversion. An Aramaic expression: shamefulness. And its midrashic interpretation: And if you argue that Cain married his sister, [I can reply] that God performed an act of kindness to build up the world through him, as it is said: “The world is built [in] kindness.”

And uncover, “uncover,” and so every expression of “nakedness” is [an expression] of “uncovering.” The vov enters the word ערה [to convert it] into a noun, like זַעֲוָה from the root “he did not rise and did not tremble (זָע),” and so אַחֲוָה from the root אָח . As to “uncovering,” our Rabbis disagreed about it. Some say that this [refers] to entrance of the very tip, and other say this [refers] to entrance of the top.

The nakedness of your mother’s sister, etc. The verse repeated its prohibition, to say that he is prohibited regarding them — whether [it involves] his father’s or mother’s sister from the father’s side, or [it involves] their sisters from [the same] mother, but regarding the nakedness of the wife of his father’s brother, he was prohibited only concerning the wife of his father’ brother from [the same] father.

Who will lie [conjugally] with his aunt. This verse comes to teach regarding koreis mentioned above, that it [involves] the punishment of remaining childless.

Without children, as its Targum, “without offspring.” Similar to it: “Since I continue to be childless.” [If] he has children, he buries them; [if] he does not have children, he dies without children. Therefore [the Torah] repeats these two verses: “they will die childless,” “they will remain childless.” They will die without children. If he has [children] at the time of the sin, he will not have any when he dies, for he will bury them in his own lifetime. They will die without children. If he has none at the time of the sin, he will remain all his life as he is now.

Who must be [conjugally] avoided [by him]. This cohabitation is to be kept at a distance and is loathsome. And our Rabbis expounded [this verse] to forbid [intimate] contact with her as with a menstruant woman, in regard to whom contact is specified: “he uncovered her source [= her womb].”

I became disgusted, an expression of disgust, like “I am disgusted with my life,” as a person who is disgusted with his food.

You shall distinguish between a [ritually] clean animal and an unclean one. It is not necessary to state: between a cow and a donkey, for they are clearly differentiated [in feature and form], but between that which is [ritually] pure for you and that which is [ritually] impure for you — between [an animal] which has been slaughtered by cutting the greater part of each organ, and one which has been slaughtered [by cutting] half. And how much is there between the greater part and half? A hair’s-breadth.

Which I have distinguished for you as being unclean — to forbid.

And I have distinguished you from the [other] peoples to be mine. If you are separated from them [by not performing forbidden acts], behold, you are Mine, but if not, behold, you are Nebuchadnezzar’s and his cohorts. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariyoh says: From where [do we know] that a person should not say: “I am disgusted with pig meat, it is impossible for me to wear mixed kinds,” but rather he should say: “I can, but what can I do, [now] that my Father in Heaven has decreed upon me [that I may not]? The verse says: “And I have distinguished you from the other peoples to be mine,” that your separation from them should be for My Name’s sake — he separates himself from sin and [thus] accepts on himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.

If there be among them a medium, etc. Here the death penalty is stated for them, and above [the penalty is] כָּרֵת . [If there are] witnesses and proper warning, [he is liable] to stoning; [if he does it] intentionally, [but] without [proper] warning, he [receives] כָּרֵת ; and for an unintentional sin, [he must bring a] sin offering, and so in regard to all [sins which involve] liability to the death penalty, regarding which כָּרֵת is stated.