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If someone is sentenced to death by a Jewish court and is being held prisoner until the sentence can be carried out, if he escapes, is that a sin for him?

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Sentenced to death by a Jewish court (i.e. back then), or in a non-Jewish court? – yydl Oct 4 '11 at 21:11
Jewish court... – Desert Star Oct 4 '11 at 21:16
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I wonder whether, on the contrary, it's meritorious, since, in general, we say it's meritorious to save one's own life. (Fulfilling a ruling of a court is not one of the approximately three mitzvos one is required to give his life for AFAIK.) – msh210♦ Oct 4 '11 at 21:22
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Good question... CYLOR, I guess :) – Dave Oct 4 '11 at 21:25
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Now I've asked as a separate question something like what I mentioned in my comment above. – msh210♦ Oct 4 '11 at 22:19

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The death penalty is atonement. So if he runs away he does not get the proper atonement. All sins do is distance you from the Lord. So does not getting atonement.

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I don't know, though... you could argue the same thing about suffering from sickness (in Jewish tradition - e.g., Berachos 5b - this is described as a form of atonement for one's sins), yet a person is certainly allowed to try to alleviate it. – Alex Nov 25 '11 at 20:53
Sickness is not prescribed for doing certain actions. The death penalty is, so its fundamentally different. It could be said not taking the pills the doc ordered is a sin. That is more comparable – user1040 Nov 27 '11 at 12:42
He will eventually die, and death is an atonement. The particular form of death prescribed may serve as an atonement, sure, but in the absence of a proper conviction or in the absence of a legitimate court system to impose the death penalty, capital-sinners are atoned upon their Divinely-ordained deaths (whenever and however that may take place). – Seth J Mar 13 at 18:32

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