(Heb. ben sorer u-moreh). Term given by the Bible to a son who intentionally rebels against the authority of his parents: "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not listen to his father's and his mother's voice and though they chasten him, he will not listen to them" (see Deut. 21:18-21). The Talmud states that the designation applies only to sons, not daughters, and limited the applicability of the law to the few months after he became a legal adult (at the age of 13 years and one day). Both parents had to be alive and neither could be deaf, dumb, blind, lame, or crippled (Sanh. 8:4).
The rebellious son is brought to the Bet Din (rabbinical court) only after he has stolen money from his father in order to buy and consume a certain amount of meat and wine. Furthermore, he must previously have been convicted, whipped, and warned by his parents in front of three witnesses to cease his rebellious ways. He is tried by a court of 23 judges and, if found guilty, stoned to death by the men of the city. Although this punishment appears extreme in relation to the crime, the sages explain that he is punished not for what he is but for what he will become: If allowed to continue to steal from his father, he will consume all his family's wealth and then, because of his desires, will resort to robbing people on highways. Therefore, the Bible states, "Let him die innocent and not die guilty" (Sanh. 71a).
This law is not included in the 613
