Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani says this is because for monetary wrongs restitution can be made, but that is not possible for verbal wrongs. Rabbi Eleazar says it is because verbal wrongs affect the victim's person and the other only his money. From the discussion that follows, it is clear that the rabbis have been looking for a chance to enter this more important ethical debate and they do so with vigor. To assume that the Bible cannot be redundant is clearly irrational and if you believe that reason is what distinguishes us from the other creatures, you probably don't think the rabbis are right about what this passage actually means. But truth is only one test of importance.
Artists require different answers and ponder different questions.
Facts by themselves are often boring. It is beautiful and it adds meaning to my life. Like God, composers and artists are trying to create worlds full of meaning and beauty. But like the natural world, human creations only have meaning when they are viewed, read or heard. In most of our classrooms, we search for rational and not aesthetic meanings.