Even Hashem’s Judgment Comes with Mercy | Rabbi Yosef Benyaminov

There's a very little known story about Mikoshesh Itzim Parshat Shlach that we just read. There was a guy who went outside on Shabbat. He decided to gather wood. >> [music] >> Some say it was the father of Benot Slafchad and he wanted to actually, for good reason, to show Jewish people that Hashem means business. [music] That if you desecrate Shabbat, you're going to die. So, what did he do? He collected the wood, which is Melacha of Ma'amer, and and he um gathered together as a bundle >> [music] >> and the Jewish people saw and they reported to Moshe and Moshe heard from Hashem that this person needs to be stoned. But, before they did [music] that, Midrash says they put him in the prison to hear what to do with him. Right? >> [music] >> And this at the same time there was a story about the Megadef, the guy who who whose mother was Jewish and his father was Egyptian. He also >> [music] >> And you know, he also deserved to have the death penalty. You're supposed to die. But, they did not put them together in the same prison. Why not? Because this person that was Mikoshesh Itzim gathered the wood, he was Chiyav >> [music] >> Skilah. They had to stone him to death. But, the one who was Megadef, who cursed Hashem, they didn't know what his punishment was supposed to be. So, even in that case, they didn't put him in the same cell because he might think that I also going to get the same punishment as Skilah, stoning to death. So, he wasn't put in the same cell. It's an incredible lesson that we learn from that. That even if somebody's punished, the system of Hashem is very merciful. We care about the person. We want to give him exactly what he deserves. Not any more, not any less.