NUM420 From Judaism's perspective, no one can forgive a crime committed against another. Only the victim of the crime can grant forgiveness. Since he or she is no longer able to do so, that means that murder is, by definition, an unforgivable act (see pages 184–185). Judaism's perspective on not forgiving murderers has long distinguished it from many of the societies among whom the Jews have lived. In the ancient world, for example, it was common for a murderer to pay a ransom to the victim's family, in return for which the family granted absolution. In repudiating this practice, the Torah ruled, "You may not except ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of a capital crime; he must be put to death" [this verse]. As Maimonides explains, "The soul of the victim is not the property [of his family members] but the property of God" ("Laws of Murder and Preservation of Life" 1:4). Thus, from Judaism's perspective, parents who forgive their child's murderer are behaving as if the child were their property. Just as they have the right to forgive a thief for stealing their television, so too, they imply, they have the right to forgive another for stealing their child's life; according to the Torah and Jewish law, however, they do not. ... The Jewish view can be summed up as follows: forgiveness is almost always a virtue, but the taking of an innocent life is an unforgivable offense.