Aliya Summary: This Aliya continues with laws of personal injury: the
punishment for one who kills or injures his servant and for one who
causes a woman to miscarry. The Torah then shifts its focus to a
person's liabilities for damages caused by his possessions, such as an
ox that gores; or his actions, such as leaving an open pit uncovered. A
person who steals is liable to pay the capital plus punitive damages.
The section concludes with a person's right to self-defense when facing a
marauding thief.
The Torah elaborates on the rules of
personal injuries requiring the guilty party to pay compensatory
damages. The famous "an eye for an eye..." passage has stimulated much
slander against the Torah and Judaism by being construed literally. Our
Oral Tradition explains the passage as requiring a thorough evaluation
by the court to determine the proper amounts to be paid to the injured
party.
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