Study Bava Kamma folio 84A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
קטן שהרג את הגדול וגדול שהרג את הקטן, היכי קטלינן ליה? התורה אמרה: ״משפט אחד יהיה לכם״ – משפט השוה לכולכם! אלא נשמה שקיל מיניה, נשמה אמר רחמנא נשקול מיניה; הכי נמי, נהורא שקיל מיניה, נהורא אמר רחמנא נשקול מיניה!
in the case of a small person who killed a large person, or a large person who killed a small person, how do we kill the murderer? If one suggests that in such a case a monetary penalty will be imposed, the Torah stated: “You should have one manner of law” (Leviticus 24:22), teaching that the law should be equal for all of you, so the punishment must be the same for all murderers. Rather, explain that since the murderer took the life of the victim, God states that the court should likewise take the life from him. So too, since the one who caused the injury took the sight from the eye of the injured party, God states that the court should likewise take the sight from his eye. Therefore, the Talmud does not accept the derivation of R' Dostai ben Yehuda, in accordance with the objection of the rabbis.
תניא אידך, רבי שמעון בן יוחי אומר: ״עין תחת עין״ – ממון. אתה אומר ממון, או אינו אלא עין ממש? הרי שהיה סומא, וסימא; קיטע, וקיטע; חיגר, וחיגר; היאך אני מקיים בזה ״עין תחת עין״ – והתורה אמרה: ״משפט אחד יהיה לכם״, משפט השוה לכולכם?
The Talmud presents another derivation: It is taught in another baraita that R' Shimon ben Yoḥai says: “An eye for an eye” (Leviticus 24:20), is referring to monetary restitution. Do you say that this is referring to monetary restitution, or is it only teaching that the one who caused the injury must lose an actual eye? There may be a case where there was a blind person and he blinded another, or there was one with a severed limb and he severed the limb of another, or there was a lame person and he caused another to be lame. In this case, how can I fulfill “an eye for an eye” literally, when he is already lacking the limb that must be injured? If one will suggest that in that case, a monetary penalty will be imposed, that can be refuted: But the Torah stated: “You should have one manner of law” (Leviticus 24:22), which teaches that the law should be equal for all of you.