Question:

What punishment is for those who breaks the Seven Commandments? (Vladimir Peretc, Irshava).

Answer:

This is a very difficult question. It is often to hear that ‘for transgression any of the Seven Commandments there can be the death penalty’, but it is not an adequate answer. It is an answer in the such a sense that, for example, according the Torah, for the breaking Shabbat there is the death penalty. But this is the theoretical thing – i.e. theoretically it may be but there is not such a thing in practical.

Thus, in principle, punishment for Bnei Noah will be established the Bnei Noah, their communities by themselves. They can decide what specifically things will be punishable. For example, murder or theft are punishable without doubts. Wherein Bnei Noah by by themselves can decide that some actions – because they are not considered as a transgressions (idolatry for example) will not be punishable by human court. Although, theoretically, for idolatry the Jews can be punished by death but this has not happened for the last centuries.

In general, all things which were mentioned in literature about Ben Noah’s punishment, perhaps don’t underline enough that it is only the theoretical thing – like the punishment for Jews for breaking the Shabbat or for idolatry. But this is not the practical thing – in any sense – thus people were frightened fully in vain. That’s why in real world today there is no punishment for Bnei Noah from Bnei Noah community because such a punishment can appear only when Bnei Noah will be have their own state, which can establish a punishment for murder or for theft, or for something else. I think we just need to withdraw from the discussion.

Pinkhas Polonsky