Q&A: Punishments in the Torah
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Punishments in the Torah
Question
Hello,
Have you addressed this question or written an article / essay about punishments in the Torah, such as karet and the like—why don’t we see that most sinners are punished in this way?
Answer
How exactly do you expect to see a punishment like karet? Do you even know what that punishment is? At most, you could ask about death at the hands of Heaven, and even there it is hard for me to see how this could be examined empirically.
Discussion on Answer
And if he committed the transgression after he already had children? Alternatively, what if he recited havdalah over a cup of wine (which the Talmud says causes one to have male children)? You understand that this isn’t something you can actually see.
As I recall, the Sages say that his days are cut short and he dies without children, may the Merciful One save us..