Q&A: Warning and Punishment in the Torah
Originally published:
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Warning and Punishment in the Torah
Question
In the Torah, is it always necessary to have a warning first and then a punishment, or can there be a punishment stated directly, from which we would understand that we are also being warned? If not, why is it so important to state the warning and the punishment separately?
Answer
That is not possible. For an explanation, see Sefer HaChinukh, commandment 69. However, a warning can derive from an interpretive exposition; see Maimonides in the introduction to Sefer HaMitzvot (immediately after the fourteenth principle).