Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

The 236th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding someone who wounds another person.

The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "[This is the law] when two men fight, and one hits the other..." These laws are called dinei k'nasos ["the laws of fines"].

There is one general verse which includes all these laws, namely G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "[If one maims his neighbor,] whatever he did must be done to him in return." The Oral Tradition explains that [it does not mean that he is literally to be harmed in return, but that] he must pay the monetary equivalent of the damage he has caused to the other person. Even if he merely shamed him, he must pay appropriate damages.

You should be aware that all these laws involve damage that one person causes to another. They may be judged and determined only by a High Court which was ordained in Israel. The same applies for cases when an animal damages a person or another animal.

The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 8th chapter of tractate Bava Kama.

Footnotes

1.

Ex. 21:18.

2.

Lev. 24:19.

The 289th prohibition is that we are forbidden from killing each other.

The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not commit murder."

The punishment for violating this prohibition is execution by decapitation. [The death penalty is derived] from G‑d's statement2 (exalted be He), "You must even take him from My altar to put him to death."

The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 9th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin3 and the 2nd chapter of Makkos.

Footnotes

1.

Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17.

2.

Ex. 21:14.

3.

Mishneh 2.

The 295th prohibition is that we are forbidden from taking ransom money [to spare] someone who has committed murder intentionally. Rather, he must be executed.

The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement1 (exalted be He), "Do not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is under the death penalty."

The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Makkos.

Footnotes

1.

Num. 35:31.