[Avodah] torah death penalties (horrific)

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Mar 05, 2025 at 11:43:59AM -0500, mcohen--- via Avodah wrote:
> at simple reading, the torah death techniques seem very severe
> (barbaric, horrific), overly painful, etc

> except for hereg (sword)

I think sereifah would also cause instant shock. Your imagination may
vary, and I don't want to think about it too hard.

They also had the sentenced person passed-out drunk.

> i know its a gezeras hakasuv, and i know all the standard
> disclaimers...very rare, maybe only once in 70 years, rare to find a
> case with 2 aidim with hasraah..etc

Beyond the surface level of the disclaimers...

What is the role of a penalty you almost never expect to mete out?

Announcing what the punishment would be if all the start aligned fosters
both yir'as ha'onesh -- fear of the punishment, and yir'as hacheit --
an awareness of the magnitude and significance of the sin in-and-of just
being the wrong thing to do.

So it's a pre-emptive deterrant. Something to scare people away from
sinning before anyone sins. After all, there won't be enough examples
of the punishment after the sin to scare people away that way. It's a
statement.

So, maybe a punishment that should remain largely hypothetical is more
effective when horrific. That statement is louder the harder it is to
imagine being put through it.

(Tangential side issue: The need for hasra'ah means you're basically only
dealing with people volunteering to die for the cause.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 I long to accomplish a great and noble task,
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   but it is my chief duty to accomplish small
Author: Widen Your Tent      tasks as if they were great and noble.
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                            - Helen Keller