For the source text click/tap here: Sanhedrin 72
To download, click/tap here: PDF
We learn on our that ha-ba le-horgekha, hashkem le-horgo – if someone comes planning to kill you, you should hurry to kill him first.
This rule is applied by our Gemara to the case of a ba ba-maḥteret – someone who comes at night to rob someone. According to the Mishna, he can be killed al shem sofo – because of what will happen in the end. Rava explains this to mean that people do not willingly allow others to take their money, so the robber knows that the person he is robbing will defend his property. We assume, therefore, that the robber will be prepared to kill him. Recognizing this, Rava teaches that the Torah instructs ha-ba le-horgekha, hashkem le-horgo.
We explore recent events that make use of these principles.