Questions tagged [murder]
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.
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Why were the people of Yavesh Gilad exterminated?
In Shoftim 21:8-9 the nation identifies the people of Yavesh Gilad as the ones who didn't join them in Mitzpah to fight against Binyamin. Then in the next verse we read
וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ־שָׁם הָעֵדָה ...
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Goel Dam and the accidental murderer
I was reading Parashat Shoftim and I was wondering why didn't the Torah simply forbade the Goel Dam to take revenge from the accidental murderer. My feeling is that although it is indeed forbidden, it ...
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Why did Menashe want the city of Gilead?
The Torah describes how Shevet Gad and Reuven built various cities (Bamidbar 32:34-38) then says the family of Menashe's son Machir captured Gilead (32:39), which Moshe then gave to them (32:40).
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Must one give up his life in order to avoid performing an abortion?
According to Halacha, abortion is forbidden, but not punishable by death like a full fledged murder, so would one still be obligated to give up his life in order to avoid doing it, or do we say that ...
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Where is the Halacha about a single available Cohen committing a crime?
There is a Halacha about one unique Cohen remaining in Eretz Yisrael and the consequence were he to commit a crime.
I am seeking the original source as I only have a translation:
If there was only ...
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What exactly happens to people who murdered but were not convicted on a technicality? [Murderous Courts vs. Manslaughter]
The title question says it all, here's some background as to why I am asking: I just thought about something and wanted to check with the experts at Mi Yodeya who have learned Makkot or the relevant ...
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Refuting Sanhedrin Maimonides etc on 57a
Following on from my question here:
Clarification on quotation sources around Sanhedrin 57a
All citations (that I can find through Jewish resources linked in the original question) that claim to ...
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Clarification on quotation sources around Sanhedrin 57a
Much like in the case of these questions, I've run into some troublesome reading in Talmudic and other Jewish literature:
Missionary gave me these Talmudic quotes; Does it prove that Goyim are viewed ...
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Please help me understand part of Gemoro Makkos 12b
I do not understand the Gemoro Makkos 12b
The Gemoro deals with the case of a “blood redeemer” (BR) and an “accidental killer” (AK). A tree is on the border of the city of refuge; the trunk in one ...
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Why didn't God kill Cain?
Why didn't God kill Cain for murdering his brother Abel? God punished Er and Onan for wasting seeds, which is seen in Judaism as akin to murder, the nature of Cain's crime was the same and he was ...
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How do you punish a murderer without witnesses?
Imagine such a case: A woman walks into a girls bathroom with a machine gun, killing someone.
Note: This is not the only case where we cannot punish the criminal. This would apply, in my opinion, to ...
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What sin was Hevel killed for? [duplicate]
In Judaism we believe that someone who is murdered is being killed as punishment for his sins. What sin did Hevel commit to deserve to be put to death?
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How was the cow with broken neck disposed of? Deuteronomy 21
About the cow with the broken neck in Deut 21, I can't find out what happened to the cow after the ritual was completed.
Was the cow
given as a gift to the family of the victim, so they could eat it?
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Why didn't the Sages also subdue the inclination for murder?
The Talmud, on Sanhedrin 64a recounts how the Sages subdued and imprisoned the evil inclination for idolatry and then subdued and injured the evil inclination for sexual immorality. Those are two of ...
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Why does a murderer have to go to an Ir Miklat? [duplicate]
Someone who murdered by accident has to go to the Ir Miklat. I heard that H'shem's intention on commanding so is to put the murderer in contact with the Leviim and to enable him to be positively ...
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"God told me so" claim in Jewish court [duplicate]
Imagine a person who is otherwise perfectly sane who claims to see a one-time revelation in his sleep/daydream and commits a crime, despite two witnesses warning him.
He understands the magnitude of ...
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Does Genesis 9:6 condemn abortion as murder? [duplicate]
Genesis 9:6 reads (JPS, 1985, emphasis mine):
שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃
Whoever sheds the blood of man,
By man shall his ...
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In Gem. Makkos 9a, how can Abaye suggest that a person is unaware of the prohibition to kill?
Gemara Makkos 9a reports:
א״ל אביי אומר מותר אנוס הוא
Abaye said to him: One who says that it is permitted to kill the
victim is a victim of circumstances beyond his control, as he was
unaware of the ...
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Is a rodef liable for defending himself?
If a rodef kills the person trying to kill him, is he chayav misa? Or is it similar to the case of the zealot where if he is killed in self-defense by his victim, the victim is not chayav?
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Why was Herod allowed to renovate the Temple?
Follow-up to this question.
Why was Herod even allowed (/why was it suggested to him) to renovate the Temple, considering that he had so much blood on his hands? It was for this reason that David wasn'...
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Is killing a Gentile not murder? [duplicate]
Israel Shahak claims in his Jewish History, Jewish Religion (1994, p.91) that "according to the Jewish religion, ... a Jew who murders a Gentile is guilty only of a sin against the laws of Heaven,...
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The halachic framework of abortion for the Gentiles
I am an Italian Noahide.
The Noahide ban on murder also includes the killing of a fetus ( see Rambam's Mishneh Torah-Hilchot Melachim 9:4 ).
I have read that according to a Talmudic tradition, I do ...
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Can the Goel Ha'dam (blood avenger) kill the accidental murderer in any way s/he sees fit?
The goel ha'dam has either the right or obligation to kill someone who accidentally killed his/her(?) kinsman (Makkot 2:7) whom I will refer to as the refugee.
I would like to understand what ...
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Is killing a robber by shooting first considered murder?
Apologies if this has already been answered :
If someone comes up to you on the street waving a gun and demanding your money and you immediately draw your concealed weapon and shoot and kill them, is ...
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What to do when there are multiple pursuers
We know that if there is one (a rodef) who is actively attacking another person in the hopes of killing him, one is allowed to restrain, maim, or even kill the rodef. However, what happens if there ...
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Whose blood did Manasseh shed in Jerusalem & why?
I ask this question based on the below verses that indicate that G-d punished Judah because of the sins of Manasseh.
Are there some scriptures / texts where I can find more details?
2 Kings 21:16 ...
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Murder by infectious disease
If someone intentionally infects another with a potentially deadly disease from which the victim ultimately dies, assuming he was forewarned and it was witnessed by valid witnesses, would a Sanhedrin ...
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Capital crimes committed by minors
Shalom.
I am uneasy about bringing this up, but you may remember the tragic case of James Bulger, a two year-old boy who was murdered by two ten year-olds in the U.K. in 1993 CE. May James rest in ...
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What does it mean to "kill a soul"?
The Gemara Berachos (32b) says
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כׇּל כֹּהֵן שֶׁהָרַג אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ — לֹא
יִשָּׂא אֶת כַּפָּיו - Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Any Kohen who killed a
nefesh may not lift his hands in ...
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Who should perform the abortion
Everyone agrees that an abortion beyond a certain gestational age is forbidden for a Jew 1. However, there's no death penalty for it. This is unlike a non-Jew, who is liable to capital punishment for ...
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Source for story about a murdering son-in-law whose family was swallowed alive
I stumbled upon a really random story in the middle of a sefer on the Azharos of Rav Shlomo ibn Gabirol. The author says he heard it from his father. Since he was discussing the prohibition of murder, ...
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Connection between accidental murderer and Kohen ha'gadol?
Rashi does note that the Kohen ha'gadon should have prayed that there be no accidental murders. But I'm wondering if anyone has heard of a more direct relationship between the life of the murderer and ...
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Is chatas neurim tantamount to murder?
I've heard from the Talmud in Nidah and the Rambam that male masturbation is "tantamount to killing a soul." But the question is, does it have the same legal consequences as murder, like in the times ...
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Does Bamidbar 35:33 contradict the Torah concerning man-slayers?
I don’t speak Hebrew and have only read Bamidbar 35 in English translations. The JPS Tanakh renders verse 33 as ‘You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the ...
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If our leadership do not take disease outbreaks seriously, are they considered responsible for deaths that follow?
As of late, there has been a controversy in various Jewish communities around the world. Certain Rabbis and certain individuals have actively circumvented the preventative measures to help stop the ...
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Can the definition of a "rodef" be applied to any member of a terrorist group?
One is permitted to kill a rodef - someone who is planning to kill you.
What are the parameters of identifying someone as a rodef when he is a member of a terrorist or any other group?
Examples
If ...
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Can the accidental killer of a relative kill himself?
If a person kills his relative unintentionally, can he also be considered a goel hadam (blood avenger) for the victim (since the victim is his relative)? In which case, he should have permission to ...
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Can an unintentional murderer leave Ir Miklat for Shalosh Regalim?
We learn in Parshas Masei about a person who unintentionally murders another.
The halacha is that the unintentional murderer is to flee to one of the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), and stay there ...
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Understanding the reasoning for "be killed rather than kill"
Sanhedrin 74a teaches us the source for how we know a person should be killed rather than kill:
סברא הוא [...] מי יימר דדמא דידך סומק טפי דילמא דמא דהוא גברא סומק טפי
It's based on logical reasoning (...
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Yehu punished for Yizre'el?
Hoshea 1:3-5:
"So he went and married Gomer the daughter of Divlayim, and she conceived and bore him a son. HASHEM said to him," Call him Yizre'el; because in only a short time I will punish the ...
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Is a doctor obligated to force vaccination?
As per the injunction of "לא תעמוד על דם רעך" - "Stand not [idly] over the blood of thine fellow"(Leviticus 19:16), is a Torah-observant doctor obligated to vaccinate an unvaccinated patient for a ...
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What Happened To King David's Parents?
I read somewhere (I believe it was a midrash) that King David's parents were murdered?
Is this this factual or is it an allegory for some other interpretation, e.g losing their money/status?
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Is murder allowed for someone who is stealing?
Under how I have interpreted United States laws I believe murder is allowed if someone is stealing in certain circumstances. It is used as an act of protection and self-defense.
Is this allowed ...
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If a blood avenger somehow gets into a city of refuge and kills the killer, is he subject to the death penalty?
We know that a Goel haDam (blood avenger) has a special allowance to kill the rotzeach who accidentally killed his family member. The accidental rotzeach can avoid this fate by fleeing to an ir miklat,...
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Do Gentiles need to excute a convicted murderer?
B'nai Noach are forbidden to murder innocents. They are also required to establish courts.
If the Gentile court convicts the murderer, do they need to execute the murderer, or does performing the ...
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Correct translation of "לא תרצח" - Thou shalt not kill or murder?
There are, basically, two English translations of the Sixth Commandment - "לא תרצח" (Ex 20:13 and Deut 5:17): some read "kill", some read "murder".
Murder seems more accurate since there is ...
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Is an accidental murderer allowed to stand and fight the Goel HaDam?
As we know, during times when the Sanhedrin is fully operating, an accidental murderer must flee to an Ir Miklat (City of Refuge). If he leaves such a city or does not enter, he is subject to revenge ...
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Can you kill person A to protect yourself from B?
So it's really difficult to think of a practical example of this, but imagine there were some scenario in which, G-d forbid, you needed to kill a non-guilty party in self-defense. If one were in this ...
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Going out on Shabbat for Avenging your father's murder?
In the Mishna Berurah on the end of Siman 306 (page 200 of Vol. 3 in the classic editions) he writes:
כתב כנה"ג דללכת חוץ לתחום בשבת לנקום נקמת אביו מרוצחים מותר ותמה עליו המג"א וש"א ...
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Does a person who kills someone by accident have to go live in Chevron nowadays?
Someone who kills by accident has to go live in one of the Arei Miklat. The Rambam paskens this halacha and does not specify that it only applies at a particular time, only when there's a Sanhedrin, ...
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