What Would Jewish Law Say About George Zimmerman?
The recent acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin has been seemingly endlessly scrutinized and debated across the political and legal spectrums. Still, Jewish law might offer a new perspective. There are two areas of halacha related to self-defense and crime intervention: the law of the intruder and that of the pursuer. Each has its own set of criteria and applications that are worth analyzing in turn.
Regarding the intruder, Exodus 22:1-2 states:
If the thief is seized while tunneling, and he is beaten to death, there is no bloodguilt (en lo damim) in his case. If the sun has risen on him, there is bloodguilt (damim lo) in that case.
The Talmud (Bavli Sanhedrin 72a) explains that a thief who is breaking into a home to rob it at night must presume that the...