https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4372311/jewish/Suicide-in-Judaism.htm
Rabbi Yechiel Epstein, one of the renowned halachic experts (poskim) of the 19th century, elaborates on this definition of suicide in his classic work Aruch HaShulchan. Rabbi Epstein writes that essentially only one who kills himself while being of clear and sound mind, free from internal or external coercion, is considered to have committed suicide. If, however, it’s possible that there is another factor at play, such as extremes of fear, pain, distress or mental illness, then it’s almost as though this person were “coerced” into suicide, and it’s not considered a suicide of clear and sound mind. This does not mean that misery is a valid excuse for suicide, only that, post facto, we do not treat the deceased as a suicide.
What arises from the writings of Rabbi Epstein and others is that essentially we latch onto any rationale we can to avoid considering it a deliberate suicide in the halachic sense. In other words, it is not considered a true halachic suicide as far as mourning and burial are concerned unless there is no other theoretical alternative.
No doubt one could make the argument that Walder was overwhelmed by humiliation and the thought of imminently going to jail and that pushed him to do what he did.
ReplyDeleteIt does not justify the hero's funeral he received. Especially when right after a young woman with bonafide mental distress committed suicide and was treated like it was intentional.
Isn't there a chazakah that if a dead body is fouond, we presume it was murder by nochrim, rather than suicide. Well what about the suicide note? And what about the statement of intent that if the story about his violation of eishes ish gets out, he will kill himself? In other words, he was galalvanting from one ervah to another, then doing PR for his books, and apeparing on frum TV to promote himself, and yet if anyone mentions culture, he is ready to reach for his Browning.
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