סימן קפד סעיף א
אָסוּר לְאָדָם לְהַכּוֹת אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ. וְאִם הִכָּהוּ, עוֹבֵר בְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וְהָיָה אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע וְגוֹ', אַרְבָּעִים יַכֶּנּוּ לֹא יֹסִיף פֶּן יֹסִיף וְגוֹ', אִם הִקְפִּידָה הַתּוֹרָה בְּהַכָּאַת הָרָשָׁע שֶׁלֹּא לְהַכּוֹתוֹ יוֹתֵר עַל רִשְׁעוֹ, קַל וָחֹמֶר בְּהַכָּאַת צַדִּיק. וְכָל הַמֵּרִים יַד עַל חֲבֵרוֹ לְהַכּוֹתוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא הִכָּהוּ, נִקְרָא רָשָׁע, שֶׁנֶאֱמַר, וַיֹּאמֶר לָרָשָׁע לָמָּה תַכֶּה רֵעֶךָ, לָמָּה הִכִּיתָ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא לָמָּה תַכֶּה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא הִכָּהוּ, נִקְרָא רָשָׁע. וְכָל מִי שֶׁהִכָּה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, הֲרֵי הוּא מָחֳרָם בְּחֵרֶם הַקַּדְמוֹנִים, וְאֵין לְצָרְפוֹ לְמִנְיַן עֲשָׂרָה לְכָל דָּבָר שֶׁבִּקְדֻשָּׁה, עַד שֶׁיַתִּירוּ לוֹ בֵּית דִּין אֶת הַחֵרֶם, כְּשֶׁמְּקַבֵּל עָלָיו לִשְׁמֹעַ דִּינָם. וְאִם אֶחַד מַכֶּה אוֹתוֹ אוֹ לְיִשְֹרָאֵל אַחֵר וְאִ אֶפְשָׁר לְהַצִיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ אוֹ אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ מִיַד מַכֵּהוּ אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיַכֶּה אוֹתוֹ, מֻתָּר לְהַכּוֹתוֹ.
It is forbidden to strike your fellow Jew, and if you do strike him you are transgressing a Divine negative command, as it is said, "If the wicked man deserves to be beaten etc., he should be given forty stripes, he shall not exceed, lest he exceed."1Deuteronomy 25:2,3. If the Torah is concerned not to strike a wicked person more than prescribed for his evil, all the more so does this apply to the striking of the righteous. Whoever raises his hand against another to strike him, even if he does not actually strike him, is called a rasha (wicked person) as it is said, "And he said to the rasha: 'Why will you strike your neighbor?'"2Exodus 2:13. It is not said, "Why have you struck," but "Why will you strike;" although he did not actually strike him, he is called a rasha. Whoever strikes his fellow Jew has been excommunicated by the early Sages. He can not be counted as one of a quorum of ten required for the performance of sacred rituals, until Beis Din releases him from excommunication, upon his acceptance to abide by their decisions.3Ramah 420:1. Smah 420:4 says that from the Ramah we learn that even now, one who does this is automatically excommunicated, by virtue of this ancient ruling, and requires a Beis Din of three to annull it. Chasam Sofer Responsa 182 says that nowadays if we were to follow the example of the early Sages, we would not be able to deal with the majority of the population. However, if someone strikes you or a fellow Jew, and you are unable to save yourself or your fellow Jew from the attacker unless you strike him, you are permitted to strike him.
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות (נדה ע"ג.)