Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 8:8

משנה: הַבָּא בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת נִידּוֹן עַל שֵׁם סוֹפוֹ. הָיָה בָא בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת וְשָׁבַר אֶת הֶחָבִית אִם יֵשׁ לוֹ דָמִים חַייָב אִם אֵין לוֹ דָמִים פָּטוּר׃ MISHNAH: The intruder by stealth is judged because of his end⁷⁵Ex. 22:1 permits the residents of a house to kill the stealth intruder since it is assumed that he would kill anybody offering resistance to his burglary.. If in the course of a burglary he broke an amphora, if he has blood-guilt attached to him⁷⁶If the sun shone on him, Ex. 22:2., he is liable⁷⁷Ex. 22:2.; if he has no blood-guilt attached to him, he is not liable⁷⁸Since he can be killed, his burglary is the equivalent of a capital crime cf. Note 102..

הלכה: הַבָּא בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת כול׳. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. זֶה אֶחָד מִשְׁלֹשָׁה מִקְרִיּוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ בַתּוֹרָה כְמָשָׁל. אִם־יָק֞וּם וְהִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּח֛וּץ עַל־מִשְׁעַנְתּ֖וֹ. אִם־בַּמַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת יִמָּצֵ֥א הַגַּנָּב֖. אִם־זָֽרְחָ֥ה הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ עָלָיו֭ דָּמִ֣ים ל֑וֹ. וְכִי עָלָיו לְבַדּוֹ הַחַמָּה זוֹרַחַת. וַהֲלֹא עַל כָּל־בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם זוֹרַחַת הַחַמָּה. אֶלָּא מַה זְרִיחַת הַחַמָּה מְיוּחֶדֶת שֶׁהוּא שָׁלוֹם לְכָל־בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם. כָּךְ כָּל־זְמַן שֶׁאַתְּ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאַתְּ שָׁלוֹם מִמֶּנּוּ בֵּין בַּיּוֹם וּבֵין בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוֹרְגוֹ נֶהֱרַג. פְּעָמִים שֶּׁהוּא בָא לִגְנוֹב פְּעָמִים שֶּׁהוּא בָא לַהֲרוֹג. אָֽמְרָת שֶׁאִם בָּא לִגְנוֹב ווַדַּאי וַהֲרָגוֹ הַהוֹרְגוֹ נֶהֱרַג. פְּעָמִים שֶּׁהוּא בָא לַהֲרוֹג נֶהֱרַג. מִיכָּן אַתְּ דָן לְפִיקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ. לוֹמַר. מַה עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה מְיוּחֶדֶת שֶׁהִיא מְטַמְּאָה אֶת הָאָרֶץ וּמְחַלֶּלֶת אֶת הַשֵּׁם וּמְסַלֶּקֶת אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה ודוֹחִין בָּהּ אֶת הַסָּפֵק. כָּל־שֶׁכֵּן לְפִיקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁיִּדְחֶה אֶת הַסָּפֵק. HALAKHAH: “The intruder by stealth,” etc. ⁷⁹Parallel texts are in the Babli 72a, Mekhilta dR.. Ismael Mišpaṭim 13, dR. Simeon ben Iohai p. 192, Sifry Deut. 217; partially Yerushalmi Ketubot 4:4 (Notes 88–93). Rebbi Ismael stated: This is one of three verses⁸⁰To the verses Ex. 21:19 and 22:2 mentioned here one has to add Deut. 22:17. which in the Torah have been formulated as a simile: If he gets up and walks outside on his support⁸¹Ex. 21:19.. If the thief is found in the digging, if the sun shone on him, he has blood⁷⁷Ex. 22:2.. Does the sun shine only on him? Does the sun not shine on all beings in the world? But just as sunshine is special in that it brings peace to the entire world, so in any case in which you know that you are at peace with him, whether it be day or night his killer will be killed⁸²The Babli, 79b, states that if a father intrudes in the son’s home, the son does not have the right to kill him. The Yerushalmi does not have this good opinion of family relationships, cf. the next paragraph.. If sometimes he comes to steal, sometimes he comes to kill, you say that if certainly he comes to steal, his killer will be killed⁸³In Tosephta 11:9, this is a declarative sentence; the next sentence is missing there.? Since sometimes he comes to kill, he may be killed. From here you argue about danger to life, to say that just as (foreign worship)⁸⁴Obviously, foreign worship has to be deleted since Mishnah 9 states clearly that a person intent on idolatry cannot be killed before he acts. One must read שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים “bloodshed” which defiles the Land (Num. 35:33; Babli Šabbat 33a, Yoma 85a); by Mishnah 9 a person intent on committing murder may be killed by any bystander before he commits the murder. If a person with a drawn sword runs after another, it is only a surmise but one which allows the bystander to kill the attacker; maybe the pursuer would not kill his victim. This is the “action in doubt“ referred to in this sentence. is special in that it defiles the Land, desecrates the Name, removes the Divine Presence, and doubts are disregarded, so much more that doubts have to be disregarded in cases of danger to life⁸⁵The Sabbath must be desecrated for the possibility of saving a life. For example, if there was a landslide on the Sabbath and it is only surmised that somebody was buried in it, one starts digging without delay..

כְּתִיב אִם־בַּמַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת יִמָּצֵ֥א הַגַּנָּב֖ וְהֻכָּ֣ה וָמֵ֑ת אֵ֥ין ל֖וֹ דָּמִֽים. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי חִייָה. בַּמַּחְתֶּרֶת אֵין לוֹ דָּמִים חוּץ לַמַּחְתֶּרֶת יֵשׁ לוֹ דָּמִים. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי. אֲפִילוּ חוּץ לַמַּחְתֶּרֶת אֵין לוֹ דָּמִים. לְפִי שֶׁמָּמוֹנוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם חָבִיב עָלָיו כְנַפְשׁוֹ. חֲמִי לֵיהּ אֲזִיל בָּעֵי מֵיסַב מָמוֹנֵיהּ מִינֵּיהּ וְקָאִים עֲלוֹי וְקָטְלֵיהּ. רַב הוּנָא אָמַר. נָטַל אֶת הַכִּיס וְהָפַךְ אֶת פָּנָיו לָצֵאת וְהָלַךְ לוֹ וְעָמַד עָלָיו וַהֲרָגוֹ אֵין הַהוֹרְגוֹ נֶהֱרַג. מַה טַעֲמָא דְרַב הוּנָא. כִּ֣י יֵחַם֘ לְבָבוֹ֒. רַב אָמַר. כָּל־דְּיֵיתֵי עֲלַי אֲנָא קְטַל לֵיהּ חוּץ מֵחֲנַנְיָה בֶן שִׁילָא דַּאֲנָא יְדַע דְלָא אֲתִי אֶלָּא מֵיסַב מְגוּסָתֵיהּ מִינַּיי. אֲמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק. מִכֵּיוָן דְּאַבְרֵי לִיבֵּיהּ עֲלוֹי לְמֵיעֲבֲד לֵיהּ דָּא מִילְּתָא אֵין זֶה חֲנַנְיָה בֶן שִׁילָא. It is written: If the thief was found in a tunnel, was smitten, and died, there is no blood-guilt⁷⁵Ex. 22:1 permits the residents of a house to kill the stealth intruder since it is assumed that he would kill anybody offering resistance to his burglary.. Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: In the tunnel⁸⁶From חתר “to undermine”. The thief digs under the wall to enter the house. there is no blood-guilt, outside the tunnel there is blood guilt. Rebbi Simeon ben Ioḥai stated: Even outside the tunnel there is no blood-guilt, for a person’s property is beloved by him like his own soul. He⁸⁷The property owner. sees him⁸⁸The thief., that he⁸⁸The thief. comes to take his⁸⁷The property owner. money away from him, stands up against him⁸⁸The thief. and kills him^88,The thief.⁸⁹A similar statement is anonymous in the Babli, Yoma 85b.. Rav Huna said, if he took a wallet, turned to leave and went, if then one stood up against him and killed him⁸⁸The thief. the killer will not be killed. What is Rav Huna’s reason? For his temper is hot⁹⁰Deut. 19:6, another case of non-prosecutable homicide.. Rav said, I would kill anybody who would come against me, except Ḥanania ben Shila⁹¹A cousin of Rav, lover of roast pigeon (Babli Pesaḥim 10:8)., of whom I know that he would come only to take his meal from me. Rebbi Isaac said, if he has the temerity to do something like that, he cannot be Ḥanania ben Shila⁹²Therefore, any their caught in a house may be killed by the owner..