1,978. Claims That Don't Lead to Liability

Naarah Besulah 3:10

A man who makes a slanderous report is only liable if he engaged in “regular” (i.e., vaginal) relations with his wife and in his slander he says that she engaged in “regular” relations. If he engaged in “irregular” relations with her and claimed to have discovered that she was not a virgin, he is not liable, though he is given lashes for acting rebelliously.

Naarah Besulah 3:11

Similarly, if a man says that he discovered that his bride wasn’t a virgin but he doesn’t say that she committed adultery after he betrothed her, or if he claims that she committed adultery but he doesn’t bring witnesses – rather, the witnesses came on their own – then he is not liable. In either case, the witnesses are subject to capital punishment if their testimony is found to be false.