Faith
How Judaism Differs from ISIS: The Truth About Justice, Mercy, and Peace
Unlike extremist violence, Judaism teaches compassion, strict limits on punishment, and a path of peace rooted in Torah values
How is Judaism different from ISIS, who also kill those who don’t follow their god?
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Judaism is fundamentally different. The Torah describes its path as “ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace.” Violence and cruelty are the opposite of Torah values.
The Talmudic Sages taught that Jews are by nature compassionate, modest, and kind. The Torah itself says: “And He will give you compassion, and you will show compassion.” God acts with mercy, not with a desire to punish. In fact, the Talmud says that a Jewish court that executed even once in seventy years was called a “murderous court”! The great Rabbis even declared that if they had been judges, no one would ever have been executed at all (Makkot 7a).
To clarify, Judaism has not allowed the death penalty for more than two thousand years. Even in ancient times, the conditions for it were so strict it was almost impossible:
A panel of 23 judges was required.
The accused had to receive a formal warning moments before the act.
He had to verbally acknowledge the warning and declare his intent to proceed.
Two trustworthy eyewitnesses needed to testify.
This is completely unlike the Christians or Muslims of the Middle Ages, who burned women as “witches” or killed freely at the whim of their leaders. The Prophet Ezekiel recorded God’s words: “Do I desire the death of the wicked? Rather, when he turns from his ways and lives” (Ezekiel 18). Similarly: “I do not desire the death of anyone, says the Lord God.”
At the same time, Judaism does stress that keeping the commandments is essential. The Prophet Jeremiah said in God’s name: “If not for My covenant of day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25). The world exists for human purpose, but even so, preserving life overrides almost every commandment. Saving a life pushes aside Shabbat and nearly all laws.
Evidently, capital punishment was never the norm in Judaism. It was a last resort, and some laws were given more as “warning signs”—to teach the seriousness of sins, rather than as practical penalties.
