Q&A: Did You Murder and Also Inherit??? Literally???
Did You Murder and Also Inherit??? Literally???
Question
Someone who wrote his assets over to a certain person, and then that very person rose up against him and killed him—does he inherit?
Here’s an example [just a fable]: say a Jew who immigrated to the Land of Israel childless; in some Hasidic group they treated him very warmly, he got excited and wrote all his assets [apartments worth 20 million shekels] for the building of synagogues of that Hasidic group. Then one day [this is all, of course, just a fable] they built a new synagogue there with bleachers, but they were negligent regarding the safety instructions and even bypassed them improperly and unlawfully. And that childless man climbed onto the bleachers, and when it collapsed, it collapsed on him…
He hovered for about a month between life and death and then passed away. Now the builders of the synagogues and the builders of the bleachers of that Hasidic group are demanding that the deceased’s wishes be carried out—even though it is seemingly clear that he did not intend to support his killers in their act of killing. But he did not know that his bitter end would come דווקא at their hands. a0
Should his instructions be carried out? Or should justice prevail?
Of course this is only a fable and just an example; the question is general: about an heir who is in fact the killer—does he inherit? a0
Answer
The example, of course, is in no way similar to the question. As for the question itself, see here: http://www.daat.ac.il/mishpat-ivri/skirot/302-2.htm