[Avodah] Suicide in Halakhah

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

I was convinced, sinced quite young, that how we treat suicides in
halakhah is one of those cases where the application of theoretical
halakhah to make halakhah lemaaseh had changed as our understanding of
the metzi'us changed.

However, after seeing AhS YD 345, I see that's not quite so.

R' Aqiva held that at the funeral, "lo sechabdo velo seqalelo, for who
can know whether he was out of his mind, or an oneis due to some fear or
panic. Therefore, lay him to rest stam..." (Semachos, beginning of ch. 2)

Deeming someone a me'abeid atzmo lada'as requires a statement tokh
kedei dibur, so that we know for sure it's ledaas, and that his daas
was sound. Afterall, we have to overcome the norm that people don't just
commit suicide.

There is also the case of Ben Gorgos, whose father frightened him so
badly abot what his punishment would be, he committed suicide rather
than face his father. The fear was irrational, as his chosen way out was
worse than anything his father would have done. R' Tarfon deemed it oneis.

So it seems we were avoiding applying the din of me'abeid atzmo lada'as
since the days of the tana'im. It isn't some modern change.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Fortunate indeed, is the man who takes
micha at aishdas.org        exactly the right measure of himself,  and
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