Q&A: Killing a Gentile
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Killing a Gentile
Question
With God’s help,
why does Jewish law seem to be so lenient about killing a gentile, to the point that he can supposedly be put to death based on a single witness? Seemingly, we also do not find any distinction here between a gentile in their times and a gentile in our times.
Answer
Jewish law is not lenient about killing a gentile; rather, it is more stringent about killing a Jew. As a rule, when the judge is convinced that the person really is liable to death, there is justification for executing him, but in the case of a Jew they were stricter and required two witnesses in every case. Of course, if there is only one witness and the judge is not convinced, he would not kill the gentile either.