The prohibition against murder is the 6th of the Ten Commandments. Murder does not include court executions, defensive wars, or wars commanded by G-d.
2
votes
4answers
279 views
How was Saul a Tzadik if he wiped out Nov?
I've read many commentaries that argue that despite losing the kingdom, Saul is a righteous guy.
But how, after he mass murdered priests (Samuel 1 21-22)? To be more exact, he ordered priests to be ...
9
votes
3answers
212 views
Would halacha permit bombing Auschwitz?
I know there's a lot of talk about whether Allied forces during World War II could have / should have taken military action directly against the Holocaust. I'm not opening that can of worms here.
...
7
votes
1answer
240 views
Is abortion of a gentile child of a Jewish father permissible?
If a Jewish man were to father a child with a gentile would they be allowed to consider an abortion or would that be disallowed in the Halachic literature ?
3
votes
3answers
599 views
Homosexuality is “worse than murder”?
A sign at a recent rally protesting New York's 2011 Marriage Equality Act reads
Judaism considers male homosexuality a worse sin than murder
I imagine that this is a minority opinion, but does ...
11
votes
3answers
347 views
Is it better to kill 1 person or let 5 die?
I was recently reading about the Trolley Problem
A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are five people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, ...
10
votes
2answers
131 views
Esav was coming with 400 men: why then
Why was Esav going toward Yaakov (Gen. 33:1, 32:7) if he had (27:41) planned to wait to kill him until Yitzchak was dead?
(Please cite your source, if any.)
7
votes
3answers
172 views
Masada - heroic martyrdom or immoral murder/suicide?
Was the mass coordinated mutual killing at Masada (for lack of a better term) an act of heroic martyrdom or immoral murder and suicide?
While it is unknown for certain what exactly transpired, ...
6
votes
4answers
115 views
Asara Haruge Malchut (Ten Martyrs), why were 10 Rabbis killed?
In Vayigash, Rabenu Bahya (also the Zohar) comments and says that the reason we had Asara Haruge Malchut because the brothers sold Yosef. However, Reuven didn't sell Yosef, so why should the ...
5
votes
3answers
435 views
Is Mossad Assasination allowed in Torah?
The Torah seems to allow many instances of killing. Genocide is sometimes okay if you give fair warning. So is the execution of a convicted murderer, or even those who break the Sabbath.
It does ...
3
votes
2answers
79 views
Accidental Murder
A person who kills another person by accident must run to a city of refuge. While he's running, relatives of the person he killed may kill him.
Why are the relatives allowed to kill in such a case? ...
