Devarim 22:15

15 Then shall the av of the na’arah, and her em, take and bring forth the betulim (proofs of virginity) unto the zekenim of the town in the sha’arah (gate);

Devarim 22:15 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:15

Then shall the father and the mother of the damsel take
Power from the court, according to the Targum of Jonathan; having leave and licence granted them to do what follows, these were to, and would, concern themselves in such an affair, partly for the credit and reputation of their child, and partly for their own honour, who were in danger, as Jarchi observes, of coming into contempt for their ill education of her:

and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity;
the sheet she lay in when she first bedded with her husband, in her parents' possession, and kept by them as a witness of her purity, should there ever be any occasion for it: and which were to be brought

unto the elders of the city in the gate;
which sat in the gate of the city to try causes: the Targum of Jonathan calls it the gate of the sanhedrim, or court of judicature; and, according to Maimonides F17, this court was the court of twenty three judges; for this was a capital crime accused of, a cause relating to life and death, which could not be heard and tried in a lesser court.


FOOTNOTES:

F17 Hilchot Naarah Betulah, c. 3. sect. 3.

Devarim 22:15 In-Context

13 If any ish take an isha, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up a shem rah (bad name) upon her, and say, I took this isha, and when I came to her, I found her with no betulim (proofs of virginity);
15 Then shall the av of the na’arah, and her em, take and bring forth the betulim (proofs of virginity) unto the zekenim of the town in the sha’arah (gate);
16 And the avi hana’arah shall say unto the zekenim, I gave my bat unto this ish as isha (wife) and he hateth her;
17 And, hinei, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy bat with betulim; and yet these are my bat’s betulim. And they shall spread the simlah (clothing) before the zekenim of the town.
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