Reply To: A Study in Trolls: Updated

” Molesting is something rarely done before witnesses other than the child.”

Murderers generally try to avoid having 2 witnesses as well. What gave you the idea that “the Torah doesn’t bother prescribing a punishment because there wouldn’t be witnesses anyway” is a good argument? (P.S. I don’t disagree with your overall opinion, ethically. That’s just a really weak argument that I felt the need to point out).

The reason you guys are getting so emotional is because this discussion forces you into a corner. You have to either say that we don’t weigh the gravity of wrongdoings on their punishment in the Torah, or that you simply don’t agree with how the Torah weighs this particular act relative to others (or more likely use the lashon “don’t understand”). You can’t have it both ways.

Is there not just a definitive proof that we do or don’t weigh acts based on their punishments? I think I remember being told once by a Rebbe that we for sure do not infer from punishment, but I certainly would not know where to find a source for that.

And, can someone catch me up on the sides here? Is kluger the one arguing that we DO infer based on punishment, or was it someone else and he’s using this case as an example of how we clearly can’t?