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Sefer Chafetz Chayim םייח ץפח רפס
Hilchot Esurei Rechilut תוליכר ירוסיא תוכלה
Kelal Gimal - Halachah 3 א הכלה - ד ללכ

does the resident have the license to kill the thief). If one’s father tunnels
into one’s home intent on robbing the house it is forbidden for that son to
kill him, because ordinarily a father loves his son so much that even if the
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son puts up a fight to resist the theft, still the father would not kill him. 'ד ללכּ
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But that is not so if the thief was some other relative, because there you are
dealing with another presumed factor. There the presumption is different
because a person does not remain passive (but would put up a fierce fight) רבדַּה םֶצֶע םִא ןינִעל תוּליכרְדּ אנידּ רַאֹבי וֹבּ
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for the sake of his money (and any relative other than a father would try
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to kill the resident who was attacking him in defense of his own money), וֹבוּ ,הזַּה ןוָֹעֶה ןֵקַּתי דַציכו ,וֹרוּפּס אלֹבּ וֹל הלּגּתנ
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because if that was not so, how could the Torah have permitted a case of
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killing someone, the thief, on just conjecture that the thief might kill the .םיפיִעס 'ג
resident? However, the truth is that without doubt or question the Torah
considers it a certainty that the thief would kill because of that presumed .בא ט"כ ,ןסינ ט"י ,תבט 'ט - תרבועמ הנש .לולא 'ב ,רייא 'ב ,תבט 'ב - הטושפ הנש :ימוי חול
factor that the resident would put up a fight to resist the thief. (The Torah
instructs us that this is a case of certainty and not something doubtful
because) with absolute certainty this thief decided beforehand that if his םייחה רוקמ
fellow Jew resisted and put up a fight, he would kill him. Understand
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clearly that what I wrote above is true since human nature is such that a ,שׁדח רבדּ וֹל הלּגְמ ןיא םִא וּלִּפא אוּה תוּליִכרְה רוּסִּא .א
son sincerely loves his father, as we proved above from the commentary הָשׂע וֹא ,ויָתוֹדוֹא ינוֹלְפּ רבּדּ ןכו ןכ יִכּ ,עדַי אוּה םגֶּשׁ
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of the Sifri, perashat Reh’eh, yet even so, in cases of forced entry, the
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Torah permits killing the thief even if he is the son of the resident and we ןנוֹבְּתִה אלֹ וֹמצעבּ אוּהֶשׁ קרַ ,וֹל עגוֹנ אוּהֶשׁ ,ינוֹלְפּ ןינִע
are forced to say the underlying reason is the presumption that he might
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kill the resident first (even though the son normally loves his father, a son הזּה לכוֹרהו )א( ,הֶזָבּ הָלְוַע הָשָׂעֶשׁ ,יִנוֹלְפּ לַע הֶזָבּ ןִידֲַע
burglarizing his father’s house might kill his father if he resists and so the
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father has license to kill him first. But the reverse is not true). וֹבּ עגפוּ ,ןידּבּ ביּח ןבוּארְ אציֶּשׁ ןוֹגכּ( הז לע וֹל ררֵוֹעְמ
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:ןבוּארְ ביִשׁהו ?ךָנידּבּ הָשֲׂענּ המ :וֹתִּאֵמ לאָשׁו ןוֹעְמִשׁ
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And do not ask- Why did the Torah specifically use the language (Devarim
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13:7) “Your fellow Jew who is like your soul,” when the issue involved ,ךְָתוֹא וּנדּ הפי אלֹ :ןוֹעְמִשׁ וֹל רמאו ,ךְכו ךְכּ יִתּביּחְתנ
a Meh’seet, to include one’s father? If the Torah instructs us not to be ,ירְֵקִּמ תוּליִכרְ )ןֵכ יִפּ לַע ףַא( יִכָה וּלִּפֲא )ב( )אָנְוַגּ יאַהְכוּ
compassionate or to have any mercy on a Meh’seet even on one’s own
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son whom he naturally loves very much, even more than a father, as the סינכהל הזבּ םרֵוֹגֶּשׁ ,שׁדח ןינִע דלוֹנ וֹרוּבּדּ ידֵי לעֶשׁ ןויכּ
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pasuk says “or your son” then by logical deduction a son may (may not
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.ינוֹלְפּ וֹתוֹא לע וֹבִּלבּ האנִשׂ
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9 Chazal have taught in Gemara Sanhedrin (72b) “If someone comes to kill you,
kill him first.” A thief breaking into a home has the presumption of coming to
kill the resident because if the resident resists the theft, the thief will kill the םייח םימ ראב
resident or try to kill the resident and so the resident can kill him first. But that
is not the case if the thief is the resident’s father, because a father would never דיבע )ב"ע ט"צ( ק"בב ארמג .'וכו לכורהו )א(
kill his son even if the son put up a fight to resist the theft, and so the son has
no license to kill him. הז ןיד אבוהו ,ש"יע 'וכו יתרת יאמ ,יתרת בר ךב
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