[Avodah] Revenge and Punishment

[Zev Sero]

kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
> R' Zev Sero wrote:
>> But, e.g., a go'el hadam has an obligation to avenge the victim

> I was under the impression that a go'el hadam has *permission* to avenge
> the victim. Or perhaps that he does not even have permission, but that he
> will not be liable to Beis Din for his act - but might still be liable to
> Shamayim for it.

> Am I mistaken? Where do you get the idea that the go'el hadam HAS TO
> avenge the victim?

Rotzeach Ushmirat Nefesh 1:2
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/b501.htm


Dov Kaiser wrote:
>> We say Hashem yiqom>>

> At first, I thought it was just a typo, but I have noticed that both RMB 
> and RZS have been writing *yikom*.  I believe it should be *yinkom*.

Nope. "Harninu goyim amo, ki dam avadav yikkom." The nun is replaced
by a dagesh on the kuf. "Yinkom" is a common mistake, reinforced by an
old misprint in many siddurim in the text of Av Harachamim. (There is
another common misprint too: in "minsharim kalu *u*mei'arayos gaveiru",
the vav is a mistake and shouldn't be there.)

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher