חזקוני בראשית פרק ז: כא
וא"ת איך נענשו דור המבול מאחר שלא נצטוו על המצות. וי"ל יש כמה מצות שחייבים בני אדם לשמרן מכח סברת הדעת אעפ"י שלא נצטוו ולפיכך נענשו כמו קין שנענש על שפיכות דמים אעפ"י שלא נצטוה על כך או שמא על הגזל עצמו נצטוו
You may ask: Why was the generation of the flood punished when they never received the commandments? It may be suggested that there are certain commandments that people are obligated to observe by force of reason, even if they were never commanded, and therefore they were punished. [Translation by David Strauss]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. According to the Chizkuni, why was the generation of the flood (during the time of Noah) punished for their sins if they had not yet received the commandments from God?
2. What does it mean to act “by force of reason?”?
3. Once society has a set of laws in place, do we still need to act by force of reason?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)