An Eye for an Eye

Mahatma Ghandi famously said: “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Ghandi’s life was of course the living embodiment of pacifism. He preached against taking up arms and called others to turn away from seeking the revenge the Torah’s words imply. Ghandi however, as well as the vast majority of commentators, misunderstand the Bible’s intent.

The Torah states: “If other damage ensues, the penalty shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21)

Scholars suggest that the phrase “an eye for an eye” is a poetic way of expressing the idea, also enshrined in American law, that the punishment must fit the crime. The punishment should not be too lenient, namely a tooth for an eye, or too harsh, a life for an eye. Justice must be served by the punishment. The medieval philosopher, Moses Maimonides, writes: “There never was any Rabbi, from the time of Moses until now who ruled, based on an eye for an eye that he who blinds another person should also be blinded.”

It is not vengeance the Torah urges. Its goal is instead justice. Punishment, or compensation, restores balance. The scales tip towards equity. Society endures.

Revenge is contrary to the Jewish tradition. It is expressly forbidden in the Torah: “You shall not seek vengeance.” (Leviticus 19) In addition the Torah provides protections for someone who commits manslaughter. It urges the establishment of what are called “cities of refuge” so that the person’s safety is guaranteed from family members, or friends, who might try to seek revenge.

Vengeance is a distortion of justice. And this is the Torah’s paramount concern.

This is why I bristle every time commentators describe Israel’s military response to Hamas’ October 7th massacre as revenge or for that matter the United States’ attacks against Houthis or Kataib Hezbollah as revenge. They are exercises in self-defense. It is a nation-state’s right, and even more important, duty to protect its citizens from harm and guarantee their future safety.

People can disagree about the wisdom of particular military actions. There are legitimate criticisms of Israel’s military response in Gaza and America’s wielding of power, most especially in the turbulent Middle East, but to suggest their goal is vengeance is to misunderstand a nation’s obligations and rights.

We are not pacifists. We do, however, stand against vengeance.

We stand for justice and equity.