Talk:Judaism/Reward and punishment sandbox

Reward and punishment

From heaven

Main article: Jewish_principles_of_faith § Reward_and_punishment

The concept of divine reward and punishment has long been considered a basic tenet of Judaism, to the extent that when Maimonides codified Jewish thought into 13 Principles of Faith, he included (as number 11), "I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them."

Legal system

Traditional Judaism does not recognise a formal difference between civil and criminal law, or indeed religious law. Punishments laid down in the Torah and Oral law range from monetary (for many torts, for example), to physical, including the power given to the Bet Din to impose lashes, or even execution. Various other punishments also existed, from excommunication to the exile imposed on someone who had committed manslaughter, according to the Jewish definition. Today, most of these powers are in abeyance, but Batei Din exist wherever there are large Jewish communities, and retain their ability to impose fines on those who recognise their authority.