Sefer HaMitzvos

מצות לא תעשה ש״י, ש׳ · מצות עשה רכ״ד

Day 316 of 339

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.

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.

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.