Are Kol Ishah and seeing a woman's exposed hair rabbinic prohibitions according to the Shulhan 'Aruch?

Question

According to the Shulhan 'Aruch (Even Ha'Ezer 21:1), it is:

ואסור לשמוע קול ערוה או לראות שערה. והמתכוין לאחד מאלו הדברים, מכין אותו מכת מרדות. ואלו הדברים אסורים גם בחייבי לאוין.‏
Forbidden to listen to the voice of an 'Ervah or to see her hair, and we strike someone who does one of these things Makkath Marduth, and these things are also forbidden with (regard to women in the category of) general [i.e. not Kareith] prohibitions.

As explained by R' Eliyahu Reingold (from just before the 28 minute mark in this Shi'ur), the point of this language of "general prohibitions" is to include even a lesser classification of the prohibition of Niddah (possibly non-'Ervah) in this prohibition.

But what was left out intrigues me.

Makkath Marduth is a punishment that is usually given to someone who deliberately violates a rabbinic prohibition. Does this mean that the Mehaber holds that listening to Kol Ishah and looking at a woman's uncovered hair are rabbinic prohibitions?

Answer 1

מכת מרדות is not necessarily an indication of something being Rabbinic.

You can only get Torah-ordained lashes if you do an action (with 3 exceptions). You can see the a list in the first half of the last Perek in Makos.

Listening and looking (and smelling) are not classified as actions and therefore one who looks at forbidden things and one who listens to forbidden things cannot be given Torah-ordained lashes.

As the Rambam says in רמב"ם הלכות סנהדרין פרק יח:

אֲבָל לָאו שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה כְּגוֹן הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל וְנוֹקֵם וְנוֹטֵר וְנוֹשֵׂא שֵׁמַע שָׁוְא אֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה:

כָּל לָאו שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה אֵין לוֹקִין עָלָיו חוּץ מִנִּשְׁבָּע וּמֵימֵר וּמְקַלֵּל אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ בְּשֵׁם

However, sometimes Chazal implemented מכת מרדות - Rabbinic lashes - to get around the problem of how to punish somebody who has violated the law and needs to be punished but cannot get Torah-ordained lashes.

You can see various mentions of this in the Rambam - here are some examples in הלכות סנהדרין:

Ch. 16:3: וְכָל מַלְקִיּוֹת שֶׁמַּלְקִין דַּיָּנֵי חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת

Ch. 18: 5 וְכָל אֵלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶן הַהַתְרָאָה מַכִּין אוֹתָן מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת הוֹאִיל וְחָטְאוּ מִכָּל מָקוֹם אֲפִלּוּ עַל אִסּוּר שֶׁל דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים מַכִּין אוֹתָן מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת

Ch. 26:5 וְאִם רָצוּ הַדַּיָּנִים לְהַכּוֹתוֹ מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת מַכִּין וְעוֹנְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ כְּפִי מַה שֶּׁיִּרְאוּ שֶׁהֲרֵי בִּזָּה אֶת הַזָּקֵן