Q&A: Do Not Murder
Do Not Murder
Question
Sorry for my ignorance, but where are the laws of a murderer found in the Shulchan Arukh?
I looked and couldn’t find them, so maybe they really aren’t there. The question is: where do you think they should have been? In Choshen Mishpat or Yoreh De’ah? In other words, is the prohibition of “Do not murder” fundamentally based on my right to live, or is it only an obligation on the other person? In other words, is it primarily a legal prohibition before it is a religious prohibition, or is it only religious?
Answer
In the last two sections of Choshen Mishpat. Very little is written there (because this does not apply in our time). And the reason is that a person has a right to his life, and therefore it is the religious court that adjudicates this law.