Sefer Nezikin (Damages) — Rambam

Sefer Nezikin (Damages)

Sefer Nezikin (Damages) — Rambam on Beth HaMidrash: the Hebrew text with its English translation, with Rashi and the major commentators. Free, online.

כָּל נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה שֶׁהִיא בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם שֶׁהִזִּיקָה הַבְּעָלִים חַיָּבִין לְשַׁלֵּם שֶׁהֲרֵי מָמוֹנָם הִזִּיק שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כא לה) "כִי יִגֹּף שׁוֹר אִישׁ אֶת שׁוֹר רֵעֵהוּ". אֶחָד הַשּׁוֹר וְאֶחָד שְׁאָר בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וְעוֹף. לֹא דִּבֵּר הַכָּתוּב בְּשׁוֹר אֶלָּא בַּהוֹוֶה:Whenever a living animal owned by a person causes damages, the owner is required to pay, for the damage was caused by his property. [This is implied by Exodus 21:35:] "When a person's ox will gore an ox belonging to a colleague...." These laws apply equally to an ox and to any other animal, beast or fowl. The verse mentions an ox only because that is a common instance.

וְכַמָּה מְשַׁלֵּם. אִם הִזִּיקָה בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁדַּרְכָּהּ לַעֲשׂוֹתָם תָּמִיד כְּמִנְהַג בְּרִיָּתָהּ. כְּגוֹן בְּהֵמָה שֶׁאָכְלָה תֶּבֶן אוֹ עָמִיר אוֹ שֶׁהִזִּיקָה בְּרַגְלָהּ בְּדֶרֶךְ הִלּוּכָהּ חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּם נֵזֶק שָׁלֵם מִן הַיָּפֶה שֶׁבִּנְכָסָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כב ד) "מֵיטַב שָׂדֵהוּ וּמֵיטַב כַּרְמוֹ יְשַׁלֵּם". וְאִם שִׁנְּתָה וְעָשְׂתָה מַעֲשִׂים שֶׁאֵין דַּרְכָּהּ לַעֲשׂוֹתָם תָּמִיד וְהִזִּיקָה בָּהֶן. כְּגוֹן שׁוֹר שֶׁנָּגַח אוֹ נָשַׁךְ. חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּם חֲצִי נֵזֶק מִגּוּף הַמַּזִּיק עַצְמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כא לה) "וּמָכְרוּ אֶת הַשּׁוֹר הַחַי וְחָצוּ אֶת כַּסְפּוֹ" וְגוֹ':How much must [the owner] pay? If [the animal] caused damage through the performance of an act that it performs frequently and that is its natural habit - e.g., an animal ate straw or fodder, or it caused damage by [treading on an object] with its feet while walking - [the owner] is obligated to pay the full amount of the damage, [giving up, if necessary,] his most choice property, as stated in [Exodus 22:4]: "Payment should be exacted from his choice field and his choice vineyard." If [the animal] deviated from its ordinary habit and performed acts that it does not usually perform and caused damage in this manner - e.g., a ox gored or bit [another animal] - the owner is obligated to pay half the damages caused. [The payment must be exacted] from the animal that caused the damage, as [Exodus 21:35] states: "And they shall sell the ox that is alive and divide the money."

כֵּיצַד. שׁוֹר שָׁוֶה מָנֶה שֶׁנָּגַח לְשׁוֹר שָׁוֶה עֶשְׂרִים וֶהֱמִיתוֹ וַהֲרֵי הַנְּבֵלָה שָׁוָה אַרְבָּעָה בַּעַל הַשּׁוֹר חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּם שְׁמוֹנה שֶׁהוּא חֲצִי הַנֵּזֶק. וְאֵינוֹ חַיָּב לְשַׁלֵּם אֶלָּא מִגּוּף הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁהִזִּיק שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כא לה) "וּמָכְרוּ אֶת הַשּׁוֹר הַחַי". לְפִיכָךְ אִם הֵמִית שׁוֹר שָׁוֶה עֶשְׂרִים לְשׁוֹר שָׁוֶה מָאתַיִם וְהַנְּבֵלָה שָׁוָה מָנֶה אֵין בַּעַל הַנְּבֵלָה יָכוֹל לוֹמַר לְבַעַל הַחַי תֵּן לִי חֲמִשִּׁים. אֶלָּא אוֹמֵר לוֹ הֲרֵי שׁוֹר שֶׁהִזִּיק לְפָנֶיךָ קָחֵהוּ וְלֵךְ אֲפִלּוּ אֵינוֹ שָׁוֶה אֶלָּא דִּינָר. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה:What is implied? When an ox that is worth a manehgores an ox that is worth 20 zuz and kills it, [leaving] a corpse that is worth four zuz, the owner of the ox [that caused the damage] is liable to pay eight zuz, half of the loss [suffered by the owner of the ox that was killed]. The payment must be exacted from the body of the animal that caused the damage, as it is written: "And they shall sell the ox that is alive." Therefore, if an ox that was worth 20 zuz killed an ox that was worth 200 zuz and its carcass was worth [only] a maneh, the owner of the dead ox cannot compel the owner of the living ox to give him 50 [zuz]. Instead, he should tell him: "Here is the ox that caused the damage. Take it and depart."[This applies] even if the [ox that gored] is worth only a dinar. Similar principles apply in all analogous situations.

הָעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁדַּרְכּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ תָּמִיד כְּמִנְהַג בְּרִיָּתוֹ הוּא הַנִּקְרָא מוּעָד. וְהַמְשַׁנֶּה וְעָשָׂה מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁאֵין דֶּרֶךְ כָּל מִינוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן תָּמִיד כְּגוֹן שׁוֹר שֶׁנָּגַח אוֹ נָשַׁךְ הוּא הַנִּקְרָא תָּם. וְזֶה הַמְשַׁנֶּה אִם הִרְגִּיל בְּשִׁנּוּיוֹ פְּעָמִים רַבּוֹת נַעֲשָׂה מוּעָד לְאוֹתוֹ דָּבָר שֶׁהִרְגִּיל בּוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כא לו) "אוֹ נוֹדַע כִּי שׁוֹר נַגָּח הוּא":[An animal] that performs a deed it is accustomed to performing by nature is called a mu'ad. [When an animal] deviates from its ordinary pattern and performs an act that its species does not usually perform - e.g., an ox gores or bites - it is called a tam. If the animal continues to follow the deviant pattern on several occasions, it is considered to be mu'ad with regard to the deviation to which it has become habituated, as [implied by Exodus 21:36]: "Or it is known that it is a goring ox."

חֲמִשָּׁה מַעֲשִׂים תָּמִים יֵשׁ בִּבְהֵמָה. וְאִם הוּעֲדָה לְאֶחָד מֵהֶן נַעֲשֵׂית מוּעֶדֶת לְאוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן. הַבְּהֵמָה אֵינָהּ מוּעֶדֶת מִתְּחִלָּתָהּ לֹא לִגַּח וְלֹא לִגֹּף וְלֹא לִשֹּׁךְ וְלֹא לִרְבֹּץ עַל כֵּלִים גְּדוֹלִים וְלֹא לִבְעֹט. וְאִם הוּעֲדָה לְאֶחָד מֵהֶן הֲרֵי זוֹ מוּעֶדֶת לוֹ. אֲבָל הַשֵּׁן מוּעֶדֶת מִתְּחִלָּתָהּ לֶאֱכל אֶת הָרָאוּי לָהּ. וְהָרֶגֶל מוּעֶדֶת מִתְּחִלָּתָהּ לִשְׁבֹּר בְּדֶרֶךְ הִלּוּכָהּ. וְהַבְּהֵמָה מוּעֶדֶת מִתְּחִלָּתָהּ לִרְבֹּץ עַל פַּכִּין קְטַנִּים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם וְלִמְעֹךְ אוֹתָן:Five types of activities are considered to be abnormal for an animal. If it repeatedly performs any of them, it is considered to be mu'ad with regard to that activity. An animal is not considered to be prone to gore, to butt, to bite, to lie down on large utensils or to kick. If it becomes accustomed to such an activity, its owner should be forewarned. At the outset, [an animal] is, however, considered prone to eat foods that are appropriate for it and to break utensils [on which it treads] as it walks. Similarly, an animal is considered prone to lie down on small utensils and crush them.

Mishneh Torah, Damages to Property.1