Eye-Opening Truth About "An Eye for An Eye"
The graphic statement “an eye for an eye,” found in Exodus 21:24 in the Torah portion Mishpatim, may at first seem to endorse revenge, something the Torah rejects in Leviticus 19:18.
Unlike those who read the Bible out of context, Judaism requires that we examine the original language and context to determine the Torah's correct meaning. In this case, Judaism has always understood 'an eye for an eye,' or Ayin Tachat Ayin in Hebrew, as teaching the principle of monetary compensation for injuries.
Evidence for this is found just a few verses earlier in Exodus 21:19, which mandates that the person who caused an injury must pay for the victim’s “loss of time and healing.”
Since monetary compensation is only one part of making amends, our Sages explain that the Torah employs the graphic “eye for an eye” imagery to prompt offenders to contemplate the profound damage they have inflicted and be motivated to repent and seek forgiveness.
There is also an insight from a Jewish sage who noted that the original Hebrew phrase Ayin Tachat Ayin, “an eye for an eye”, contains an allusion to monetary compensation.
The word Tachat literally means 'underneath.' If you replace the three Hebrew letters of the word Ayin (ע-י-ן) meaning “eye” with the letters that immediately follow or are underneath them, in the Hebrew alphabet, they are the letters for the Hebrew word Keseph (כ-ס-ף), meaning 'money.'
This fascinating insight demonstrates the divine nature of the Torah by providing a profound hint that the 'inner' meaning of the law was always intended to be financial restitution.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz
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