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Ubiq
“T!hats a variant of slippery slope. It isnt logically compelling.”
No not at all a variant, and it’s totally compelling.
Here’s why
We seemingly both agree that there exists a ” rule” that the severity of punishment indicates severity of crime. And that there are exceptions.
If so, then,
I believe that exceptions can only be made by the one who made the rule. So it’s really all one package. The rule and it’s exceptions are really all a single expression of the rule makers will. (I’m talking logic. This applies to human rules too)
However, you state
“in this case, following the rule leaves one in a moral or logical untenable position. Therefore this must be an exception to the rule ”
That means that every time you follow the rule, it’s only because it did not land you in such a bind.
What means in essence that each time, you evaluated the two sins, and decided, yes , since the one with the greater punishment seems to be a greater sin (or the greater sin has the greater punishment, same thing) i can follow the rule stating that greater punishment equals greater sin.
But in reality you haven’t followed the rule at all, because you have already arrived at that conclusion yourself, before you are willing to accept that rule.
You know who says this sevarah ?
The Chafetz Chaim brings it, I don’t remember from who.
He quotes
One who says he will keep the entire Torah except one item, is a heretic. For if is no longer a slave of hashem. For everything else that he does listen to, is only because he chooses to do so.
R Chaim shmuelevitz discusses it at length too but I don’t remember the exact place.
(disclaimer I’m NOT calling you a heretic here for not agreeing with my take. I’m showcasing my logical deduction process from a better source than myself )
So it’s not “slippery slope ”
It is in itself a negation of the entire rule.
And to the veracity of the rule in a general sense, there are many proofs, some of which have been quoted in this very thread