Q&A: Karet and More
Karet and More
Question
The Torah explicitly prescribes the punishment of karet for quite a number of transgressions, and also death at the hands of Heaven (at least that is how the Sages understood those verses).
There are many people who knowingly commit these transgressions, and they are not like captives raised among non-Jews, yet they and their children live long lives.
How are we to explain this? (Unless karet and death refer to the World to Come, but that is not how the Sages understood it.)
Of course, this question joins the Torah’s promises about reward and punishment in this world, as well as the stories of the prophets, which are full of the message of a connection between the deeds of the Jewish people and recompense.
Thanks in advance
Answer
I think nobody really knows what karet is. Nachmanides discussed this, if I remember correctly, in Sha'ar HaGemul, and his perplexity is evident. Aside from that, there are other considerations that can shorten or lengthen a person’s life. Also, the question is how long they would have lived without this. Acher asked this about longevity, which is explicitly written in the Torah (regarding honoring parents and sending away the mother bird), and there too it does not really happen.
Discussion on Answer
About that, I’ve explained several times that in these generations there is almost no divine intervention anymore.
See column 243 and many others.
And what about the message that keeps repeating in the Torah and the Prophets: “And it shall be, if you surely listen… then I will give your rains… and they will chase some of you… and they did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He sent against them, etc.”?
Thanks