How did the Jews deal with people who disobeyed or broke the laws?

Answer 1

It depended on what the person did, and when they did it. In Bible times, the Hebrews (later called the Jews) lived in communities governed by the codes of laws and rules of conduct that were established by Moses; many of these could be found in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). The Bible made distinctions between various types of wrongdoing, often translated as "sins," but not all of them were considered as equally serious, and the punishments for these transgressions varied. Some "sins" were considered relatively minor, especially those that were accidental: for instance, a person said something that came out all wrong and hurt another person's feelings, but it was not done intentionally. But in other cases, the wrongdoing was more serious, especially if it resulted in a person being injured or killed, or if property was stolen. The more serious the offense, the harsher the punishment could be.

The Ten Commandments forbade such grave sins as committing murder, committing adultery, or stealing; but it also forbade being envious of what another person had, or failing to show respect to one's parents; and it forbade the worship of other deities. The violations for breaking the Mosaic laws varied. In the case of minor transgressions, the emphasis was on repentance--on turning back to God, promising to obey His laws, and on trying to set things right with the person you wronged.

There were a number of ways to show you were sorry for wrongdoing, including humbling yourself before God, bringing sacrifices to the temple, and making amends to those your behavior had harmed. But in some cases, the punishment for a severe offense (murder for example) was that the wrongdoer would be put to death. (It should be noted that the phrase "an eye for an eye" has been widely misinterpreted as permission to inflict vengeance; but actually, it is a legal formula that refers to making sure the punishment is not out of proportion to the crime that was committed.)

While some Bible verses seem harsh to modern readers, this was an era without jails and without social workers and therapists. The writers of the Scriptures, while believing they were serving their God, a Deity who demanded ethical behavior, also understood that fear of a terrible punishment could be a powerful motivator in keeping people on the straight and narrow. For example, the verse that said a "stubborn child" should be stoned to death was clearly meant to scare recalcitrant children, since there are few if any examples of this penalty ever being carried out.

When the Jewish people were scattered, after the destruction of the second temple, there was no longer one central sacred place where rituals of repentance could occur. Gradually, a new set of rules and laws of conduct was compiled by various rabbis and sages-- it was called the Talmud, and it helped Jewish people continue to practice their religion by giving them guidance they could use in daily life. (Orthodox Jews still rely upon its teachings even in modern times.) However, by the time the Talmud was compiled, many Jews were living in lands where they were in the minority, as subjects of non-Jewish rulers. This meant that the religious laws of Bible times were often replaced in daily life by whatever the laws of the country in which Jewish people were living.

In modern times, Jewish people are citizens of countries all over the world, and follow the laws of those countries. For example, if an American Jew committed a crime, he or she would be judged by the laws of the state where the crime occurred, rather than by the laws of the Bible. But when it comes to following religious beliefs (such as keeping kosher or observing certain holy days), Jews do much the same as Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus or Christians would do-- they observe the laws of their religion in their home, their religious community, or their house of worship.

But like members of other faiths, not every Jewish person is religious nor does ever Jew follow all the customs or laws. In our modern world, we do not live under a theocracy, so there is no official punishment for failing to keep kosher, nor is there a penalty for not attending synagogue. However, in some of the most observant communities (ultra-Orthodox, especially), failing to observe these laws would be stigmatized, or the rabbi might chastise the person for not being sufficiently religious.