Physical Abuse and Human Dignity in Halacha

וְהָיָ֛ה אִם־בִּ֥ן הַכּ֖וֹת הָרָשָׁ֑ע וְהִפִּיל֤וֹ הַשֹּׁפֵט֙ וְהִכָּ֣הוּ לְפָנָ֔יו כְּדֵ֥י רִשְׁעָת֖וֹ בְּמִסְפָּֽר׃ אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יַכֶּ֖נּוּ לֹ֣א יֹסִ֑יף פֶּן־יֹסִ֨יף לְהַכֹּת֤וֹ עַל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ מַכָּ֣ה רַבָּ֔ה וְנִקְלָ֥ה אָחִ֖יךָ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃

if the guilty one is to be flogged, the magistrate shall have them lie down and shall supervise the giving of lashes, by count, as warranted by the offense. They may be given up to forty lashes, but not more, lest being flogged further, to excess, your peer be degraded before your eyes.

כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א מַחֲנֶ֖ה עַל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ וְנִ֨שְׁמַרְתָּ֔ מִכֹּ֖ל דָּבָ֥ר רָֽע׃ כִּי֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ ׀ בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֗ךָ לְהַצִּֽילְךָ֙ וְלָתֵ֤ת אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְהָיָ֥ה מַחֲנֶ֖יךָ קָד֑וֹשׁ וְלֹֽא־יִרְאֶ֤ה בְךָ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְשָׁ֖ב מֵאַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}

When you go out as a troop against your enemies, be on your guard against anything untoward. Since the ETERNAL your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you, let your camp be holy; let [God] not find anything unseemly among you and turn away from you.

אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: גּוֹי שֶׁהִכָּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל חַיָּיב מִיתָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ [וַיַּךְ אֶת הַמִּצְרִי] וְגוֹ׳״. וְאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הַסּוֹטֵר לוֹעוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּאִילּוּ סוֹטֵר לוֹעוֹ שֶׁל שְׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מוֹקֵשׁ אָדָם יָלַע קֹדֶשׁ״. מַגְבִּיהַּ, עַבְדּוֹ, שָׁבַת – סִימָן. אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: הַמַּגְבִּיהַּ יָדוֹ עַל חֲבֵירוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא הִכָּהוּ, נִקְרָא רָשָׁע, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ״. ״לָמָּה הִכִּיתָ״ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא ״לָמָּה תַכֶּה״ – אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא הִכָּהוּ נִקְרָא רָשָׁע. אָמַר זְעֵירִי אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: נִקְרָא חוֹטֵא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאִם לֹא לָקַחְתִּי בְחׇזְקָה״, וּכְתִיב: ״וַתְּהִי חַטַּאת הַנְּעָרִים גְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד״. רַב הוּנָא אָמַר: תִּיקָּצֵץ יָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּזְרוֹעַ רָמָה תִּשָּׁבֵר״. רַב הוּנָא קַץ יְדָא.

Rabbi Ḥanina says: A gentile who struck a Jew is liable to receive the death penalty, as it is stated when Moses saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew: “And he turned this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:12). And Rabbi Ḥanina says: One who slaps the cheek of a Jew is considered as though he slapped the cheek of the Divine Presence; as it is stated: “It is a snare [mokesh] for a man to rashly say [yala]: Holy” (Proverbs 20:25). The verse is interpreted homiletically to mean: One who strikes [nokesh] a Jew is considered as though he hurt the cheek [lo’a] of the Holy One. The Gemara states a mnemonic for the upcoming statements of Reish Lakish: Raises, his slave, Shabbat. Reish Lakish says: One who raises his hand to strike another, even if he ultimately does not strike him, is called wicked, as it is stated: “And two men of the Hebrews were struggling with each other, and he said to the wicked one: Why should you strike your friend?” (Exodus 2:13). The phrase: Why did you strike, is not stated, but rather: “Why should you strike,” indicating that one who raised his hand to strike another, even if he ultimately did not strike him, is called wicked. Ze’eiri says that Rabbi Ḥanina says: One who raises his hand to strike another is called a sinner; as it is stated: “And the priest’s lad would come…and would say to him, but you shall give now, and if not, I will take by force” (I Samuel 2:15–16), and it is written with regard to this behavior: “And the sin of the youths was very great” (I Samuel 2:17). Rav Huna says: His hand should be cut off, as it is stated: “And the high arm shall be broken” (Job 38:15). If one habitually lifts his arm to strike others, it is better that it be broken. The Gemara relates that Rav Huna cut off the hand of a person who would habitually hit others.

רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יְהִי כְבוֹד חֲבֵרְךָ חָבִיב עָלֶיךָ כְּשֶׁלָּךְ, וְאַל תְּהִי נוֹחַ לִכְעֹס.

They [each] said three things: Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own; And be not easily provoked to anger; And repent one day before your death.

וְאַחַר שֶׁחוֹזְרִין כָּל הַחוֹזְרִין מֵעוֹרְכֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה. מְתַקְּנִין אֶת הַמַּעֲרָכוֹת. וּפוֹקְדִים שָׂרֵי צְבָאוֹת בְּרֹאשׁ הָעָם. וּמַעֲמִידִין מֵאָחוֹר כָּל מַעֲרָכָה וּמַעֲרָכָה שׁוֹטְרִים חֲזָקִים וְעַזִּים. וְכַשִּׁילִין שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל בִּידֵיהֶם. הָרוֹצֶה לַחְזֹר מִן הַמִּלְחָמָה הָרְשׁוּת בְּיָדָן לַחְתֹּךְ אֶת שׁוֹקוֹ. שֶׁתְּחִלַּת נְפִילָה נִיסָה. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים שֶׁמַּחְזִירִין אֲנָשִׁים אֵלּוּ מֵעוֹרְכֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה בְּמִלְחֶמֶת הָרְשׁוּת. אֲבָל בְּמִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה הַכּל יוֹצְאִין וַאֲפִלּוּ חָתָן מֵחַדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחֻפָּתָהּ:

After these individuals depart from the battlefront, the army is arrayed again and commanding officers are appointed at the head of the nation. Powerful officers with iron axes in their hands are placed in the rear of each array of troops. If a person wants to leave the battle, they have permission to chop off his legs, for flight is the beginning of defeat. In which instances are the above-mentioned individuals sent away from the battlefront? In a milchemet hareshut. By contrast, in a milchemet mitzvah, the entire nation must go out to war, even a groom from his chamber, and a bride from her pavilion.

אסור לאדם להכו' חבירו ואם הכהו עובר בלאו שנא' פן יוסיף ואם הקפידה תורה בהכאת רשע שלא להכותו יותר על רשעו קל וחומר בהכאת צדיק והמרים יד על חבירו להכותו אע"פ שלא הכהו נקרא רשע:

גָּזֵל וַעֲרָיוֹת, נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מְחַמַּדְתָּן וּמִתְאַוָּה לָהֶן. וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ רוֹאִים, שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא רֹב בְּנֵי הָאָדָם גַּנָּבִים בְּגָלוּי הֵם, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּשְׁלְחוּ יָד מַמָּשׁ בְּמָמוֹן חַבְרֵיהֶם לָקַחַת וְלָשׂוּם בִּכְלֵיהֶם, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן, רֻבָּם טוֹעֲמִים טַעַם גְּנֵבָה בְּמַשָּׂאָם וּמַתָּנָם בְּמָה שֶׁיּוֹרוּ הֶתֵּר לְעַצְמָם לְהִשְׂתַּכֵּר אִישׁ בְּהֶפְסֵדוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ וְיֹאמְרוּ, לְהַרְוִיחַ שָׁאנֵי. וְאוּלָם לָאוִים הַרְבֵּה נֶאֶמְרוּ בְּגָזֵל: לֹא תַעֲשֹׁק, לֹא תִגְזֹל, לֹא תִּגְנֹבוּ וְלֹא תְכַחֲשׁוּ וְלֹא תְשַׁקְּרוּ אִישׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֹ, לֹא תּוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו, לֹא תַשִּׂיג גְּבוּל רֵעֲךָ.

Even though the Yetzer HaRah (evil inclination) strives to cause one to sin on every sin, nevertheless there are certain ones which a person's nature desires more. In those the Evil Inclination presents to him more rationalizations why it is permitted. Therefore one needs to especially strengthen himself in these to a greater extent in order to vanquish his evil inclination and cleanse himself from sin.