"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand" -- this is probably one of the most misunderstood statements in the Torah. Throughout the ages people have used this verse incorrectly to justify revenge in the literal sense. In some societies, the government would actually knock out someone's tooth as a punishment for his knocking out someone else's tooth!
However, Jewish law (based on the Oral Tradition given to Moshe while he was studying with HaShem for 40 days) is clear that "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" refers to paying back with money.
Pay Up, Mister!
There are five kinds of damages someone who hurts another person has to pay for. Here's an example: Witnesses see Mr. Pusher shove Mr. Ouch off a cliff and Mr. Ouch breaks his leg. What next? Well, Mr. Ouch can bring Mr. Pusher to a Beit Din (Jewish court) for justice. And now the verdict:
Mr. Pusher must pay the following:
- Nezek - Damage:
This is determined by calculating how much less the Mr. Ouch is worth with a broken leg. Of course, if Mr. Ouch is a postal worker he receives more money for the damage than if he was working from his home in front of the computer. - Tza'ar - Pain:
The Beit Din estimates the amount of pain Mr. Ouch has suffered. (Ouch!) - Ripui - Healing:
Mr. Pusher must pay for all medical expenses needed to treat the injury. And you know how expensive doctors are nowadays. (Ouch again!) - Shevet - Worker's Compensation:
Mr. Pusher must pay Mr. Ouch for all the days he can't work due to his injury. Now this depends on the type of job Mr. Ouch has. If he is a postal worker, Mr. Ouch would receive a lot less money than if he was the President of Coca Cola Company. - Boshet - Embarrassment:
Finally, the attacker pays the injured person for the embarrassment Mr. Pusher caused him. Once again, each case depends on the situation and must be evaluated separately.
Add up Nezek, Tsa'ar, Ripui, Shevet, and Boshet and this ends up to be quite a bill to Mr. Pusher.
Besides paying this bill, Mr. Pusher must apologize to Mr. Ouch. When Mr. Ouch forgives him (and he shouldn't hold a grudge), HaShem forgives him, too.
