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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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 contradict itself?
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 Davids 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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“Kanai”: What criteria must be met by a defendant charged with murder who claims “kanai” status (halachik answers only please, not hashkafik/musar)
Much has been written about kanaut, and see for example the famous brother and sister Leibowitz, writing separately, but mine is a purely-halachik question: If someone replicates Pinchas's action, ...
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Murder in Eretz Yisrael
The Gemara in Yoma (85a) argues that murder is more chamur than chilul Shabbos because it "contaminates the land and drives away the Shechina"
ושפיכות דמים מטמא את הארץ וגורם לשכינה שתסתלק ...
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Which is a more severe aveira, murder or chilul (desecrating) Shabbos?
Which is a more severe aveira, murder or chilul (desecrating) Shabbos?
On the one hand we know that murder is Yeheraig V'al yaavor (one of the 3 capital crimes for which one must give up his life). ...
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is a animal more responsible then a child? if yes why?
if an animal kills a Jew it deserves the death penalty source
if a child (under 13/12) kills a Jew he is completely free (no consequences)?
if yes why?
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Does “attempted murder” carry punishment by Jewish law?
[Question recently posed to me by a friend]
קידושין דף מ עמוד א---------Kidushin 40a
מחשבה רעה אין הקדוש ברוך הוא מצרפה למעשה שנאמר (תהלים סו, יח) און אם
ראיתי בלבי לא ישמע ה' ואלא מה אני ...
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Does Yehareg v’al Yaavor apply to lo sa’amod?
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a) derives that one must give up his life rather than murder someone else because “who says that your blood is redder than his?” That is, who said you have more of a right to ...
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Why did Pharaoh only order the murder of boys?
In parashat shemote, Pharaoh explicitly commands the midwives to allow the females to live (וְאִם-בַּת הִוא וָחָיָה). What are the traditional commentaries explaining the order to allow the girls to ...
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How was Matisyahu's murder justified
According to sforim chitsoynim, Matisyahu murdered an unarmed villager in Modin. I believe this tale is repeated in Rabbinic sources, perhaps the Medrash, because I was taught it in Yeshiva. My ...
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Releasing terrorists in exchange for remains of past victims
What would be a halachik justification for mediating a deal involving releasing terrorists, who may well murder more victims, in exchange for remains of past victims?
Related: Why is the head of the ...
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Does killing a gentile unintentionally absolve you from the crime? (Makkot 7b)
Does killing a gentile unintentionally absolve you from the crime? (Makkot 7b)
"(דברים יט, ד) בבלי דעת פרט למתכוין מתכוין פשיטא בר קטלא הוא אמר רבה פרט למתכוין להרוג את הבהמה והרג את האדם לכותי והרג ...
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How to determine a trespasser's intent from a Halachic Perspective?
How do we determine a trespasser's intent from a Halachic Perspective?
The Rambam writes:
If it is clear to the house-owner that the thief who breaks in will not kill him and instead is only ...
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Trespassers from a Halachic Perspective
Where is there a discussion where one can or can not injure or kill anybody who trespasses one's property?
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Murderous Yibum
What is the Halacha in the following case: Reuven and Shimon are brothers. Reuven marries Rachel and has no children (Rachel is
not pregnant). Shimon decides that he wants to be married to Rachel, ...
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If a kohen participates in a stoning is he still allowed to bless the people?
The shulchan aruch codifies that a Kohen who kills someone may not bless the people. If, in the times when the Sanhedrin administered capital punishment, a Kohen saw a situation that warranted the ...
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Was Yoav considered a murderer regarding Uriah the Hittite?
In Samuel I chapter 11, David commands Yo'av to place Uriah the Hittite in the middle of a battle so that, inevitably, the enemy would kill him while he is unprotected. Yo'av carries out the command.
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Charlie Gard's parents from a Halachic Perspective
As this question is somewhat extensive, I have divided the post into headers in order to make it easier to read and follow.
Background
Charlie Gard is a British baby who has a rare genetic disorder ...
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When is revenge permitted
I understand that it is forbidden for a Jew to take revenge.
Rambam Deyot 7.7
A person who takes revenge against a colleague transgresses a Torah prohibition, as Leviticus 19:18 states: "Do not ...
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Does a killer with permission lose his צלם אלקים?
Haamek Davar (ad loc.) explains that צלם אלקים (in Genesis 1:26–27) refers to an angel, also called a person's מזל, which envelops each of us and protects him from harm. He (to 4:14) explains further ...
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Is the Goel HaDam (Blood Avenger) obligated to pursue blood vengeance?
During times when the Torah is the law of the land, if a Jew commits accidental murder against another Jew, he must flee to a Ir Miklat (City of Refuge) or else be subject to revenge killing by the ...
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Murder by Machine
Say that Reuven is at the batting cages. After the machine turns off, Shimon flips it back on without Reuven knowing. A ball whacks Reuven in the head. Is Shimon liable for the resulting death?
What ...
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May an accidental murderer choose to leave the city of refuge?
I understand from the Sefer HaChinuch, mitzvah 410, that a person who kills accidentally has a mitzvah to go to a city of refuge. I would like to know if that person is allowed to leave the city of ...
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Is it ever Halachically permissible to kill a murderer who poses no further danger without trial?
Is the killing of a terrorist who murders a Jew and would eagerly murder more people Halachically permissible if such a person is unable to actually perform additional murders?
According to a ...
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Indirect murder
If you tell someone to murder someone else and they do it, are you chayav misa - even if you didn't personally perform the act?
If not, what are you liable for, and on what basis?
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What one must give up their life for
It is commonly known that there are 3 things that a Jew must give up their life for and not to be ovar (transgress) on these things: Giliah Ariyos (sexual relations that are not permitted), Shivchus ...
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Pinchas-style act nowadays
Is there any situation whereby a Pinchas-style execution would be justified nowadays?
I am particularly interested in whether a 'zealous act' against a public sexually problematic sin is possible in ...
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political assasination and rodefs
The classic example of a roded is a murder chasing you with a knife but sometime politicians can threaten life with bad policy.
E.g. Governor of Michigan Wants to use Flint River
Eg politician wants ...
