ב"ה
ChabadU Talmud Discovering Talmudic Principles Liability for Damages

Enforcing the Law Yourself

Liability for Damages, Lesson 3

PDF
Autoplay Next

Enforcing the Law Yourself: Liability for Damages, Lesson 3

May we ever take the law into our own hands, or must one always go to the courts – at all costs – to enforce the law?
Handouts:
 Talmud Text (English)  
Class Outline  
Originial Hebrew Text  
Podcast: Subscribe to Binyomin Bitton - Talmudic Principles
Podcasts
Audio: Listen to Audio | Download this MP3
Topics: Torts; Damages, Talmud
By Binyomin Bitton
Rabbi Binyomin Bitton, originally from Lyon, France, is the founder and spiritual leader of Chabad of Downtown Vancouver, he's co-Dean of the Jewish Academy, and the director of the Tzfunot Institute. A renowned Talmudic scholar, Rabbi Bitton's warmth, knowledge and passion for learning has brought him to teach in communities around the world. He now lives in Vancouver together with his wife Malky and six children.
More from   |  RSS
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.

More in this section

You may also be interested in...
Talmud Study - Lesson 1
An Introduction to Talmud
Watch (49:53) 273 Comments
21 Talmud Facts Every Jew Should Know
16 Comments
Why Was the Talmud Written?
Was the Oral Law Supposed to Remain Oral?
10 Comments
What Is the Talmud?
The primary text of Oral Law
1 Comment

Join the Discussion

Sort By:
2 Comments
Posting Guidelines
Anonymous Jerusalem September 1, 2013

BS"D
Shalom,
I was very pleased to hear that you choose the example of the bike for this teaching.
I had the exact experience that you described. Someone stole my bike , and bragged about it ! So I asked it back , but the man refused. I involved the police who acted as you described . The man then denied he had the bike , but the police searched his house and found it. The bike was marked , so , I got it back . But what follows is not in the example . Later , even when my bike was fastened with a lock , the man just picked it up again , put it on a truck and left with it. I went back to the police , but this time he was smart enough to not hide it in his house --- so , I never got my bike back. The reason I bring this is , when you go to court , the man can just dissapear with your belonging , nomatter what it is he stole ...... Reply

Anonymous USA August 23, 2013

Anyone would interpret "smash his teeth" as a violent act. Especially an ignorant person of the Mishnah. And it is the tendency of most people to try to retrieve their own property by force, physically, if possible. Why doesn't the Mishnah state smash his teeth? The legal system was created to protect the public for that reason. This is a very interesting teaching. I am very happy to learn from it. Thank you Rabbi Bitton. Reply

Discovering Talmudic Principles
Join the Talmud’s discussion as we explore and debate various selected texts from the vast sea of the Talmud, and gain insight and appreciation of its rich knowledge. This series will help enhance your skills in Talmudic analysis and reasoning, whilst providing a window into the style and language of the Talmud, also known as the Gemara. These courses are taught by Rabbi Binyomin Bitton, an expert Talmudic scholar, who masterfully presents the Talmud’s profound wisdom in a clear, easy to follow, and intellectually stimulating manner.
Related Topics