Day 315

Day 317

Negative Mitzvah 310: It is forbidden to allow a witch to live
Exodus 22:17 "You shall not allow a witch to live"

The Torah stresses over and over again that HaShem rules the world and cares for every single creation.

There is no other power that causes things to happen.

We do not believe in witchcraft or sorcery.

It is forbidden to allow a person who practices witchcraft to live.

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Positive Mitzvah 224: Punishment by Flogging
Deuteronomy 25:21 "That the judge shall cause him to bend over and be flogged in his presence"

This Positive Mitzvah concerns whipping commandments.

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Negative Mitzvah 300: It is forbidden to give a guilty person a more severe punishment than he can bear
Deuteronomy 25:2-3 "He shall give him forty lashes; he may not exceed"

Lashing is one of the punishments given by the Beit Din (See Positive Mitzvah 224).

The Torah sets a limit of thirty-nine lashes as the maximum amount a person may be given for any one sin.

The Torah also commands us to consider the age and health of the convicted person in order to determine how much pain he can endure.

This Negative Mitzvah forbids the judge to have more lashes or heavier lashes administered than the flogged person can bear.

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This was an emotional experience. The Rebbe spoke about the suffering in the world, and when he came to these words began to choke and sob: If He is truly capable of anything, then why can't He provide good without the bad? And if His Torah contains the answers for all questions, why does it not answer this one?

There could be only one answer: He does not wish us to know, because if we knew we would become complacent.

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When you see the darkness of the exile thickening and the trials are reaching an extreme, the only way to break the darkness is to strengthen your connection with the Tzaddik of your generation.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com

Day 315

Day 317