… and if a man gives a blemish to his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him. "Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, so shall it be done to him." (Leviticus 24:19-20)
Interpreting the doctrine of retribution as encouraging intentional harm to a person/image of God who maliciously harmed another person is implausible. It is impossible and pointless to compare one person to another, one pain to another, or one body to another. And the Sages have already explained that the verse speaks of an estimation of the value of the damage, not the damage itself, and the piercing words of the text are intended, in my understanding, to express a forceful restoration of a disrupted balance.
Alongside the aforementioned interpretation, another deeper message can be identified in the expression "an eye for an eye": a social call for a response and for providing an answer to the injustice, fracture, or defect inflicted upon an individual and society, and a moral prohibition against remaining indifferent in the face of a flawed reality. "As he does, so shall it be done to him" – the judge is required to generate a balancing movement – just and corrective in a world that is revealed in its ugliness, and it is the duty of society, to increase the light in order to reduce the darkness. Thousands of charities and social action organizations, founded in response to and as an answer to injustice and brokenness, will testify to such a reaction.
Another interpretation of the phrase "an eye for an eye" can be found in a psychological-educational approach from the school of Alfred Adler, called "using logical consequences" or "natural consequences." This approach posits that every action or decision also embodies a cost, and that "self-correction" and learning from mistakes and poor judgment can occur without the need for intentional punishment. For example, a boy who leaves home without a coat on a cloudy and rainy day will suffer from cold and dampness and learn to prepare accordingly; a student who is not proficient in the material will receive feedback in the form of a low grade; and a girl who teases and hurts her friends will not be invited by them for a joint outing.
According to Adler and his followers, modern protective and anarchic parenting, for its own reasons and unintentionally, prevents offspring from "tasting the dishes they are cooking": from understanding and correcting the consequences of their mistakes. This parental stance hinders their preparation for coping with economic, emotional, social, and other challenges.
Violence, harm, and stupidity will not cease from the land. In light of this knowledge, it is right and just to firmly and appropriately place blame, while simultaneously striving, in the spirit of Adler, for natural outcomes, initiating "logical consequences" and always increasing good.
naomi einei
