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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Sanhedrin 7:4 - 7:5

The Mishnah Yomi for Tuesday, January 7, 2025 is Sanhedrin 7:4 - 7:5

Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Sanhedrin Perek 7 Mishnah 4

סנהדרין פרק ז׳ משנה ד׳

4
These transgressors are those who are stoned to death: One who engages in intercourse with his mother; or with his father’s wife, even if she is not his mother; or with his daughter-in-law; or with a male; or with an animal; and a woman who engages in intercourse with an animal. And one who blasphemes, and one who engages in idol worship. And one who gives of his offspring to Molekh, and a necromancer, and a sorcerer. And one who desecrates Shabbat, and one who curses his father or his mother, and one who engages in intercourse with a betrothed young woman, and an inciter who incites individuals to idol worship, and a subverter who incites an entire city to idol worship, and a warlock, and a stubborn and rebellious son. The mishna elaborates: One who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his mother who is also his father’s wife is liable to bring two sin-offerings for his intercourse with her: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s mother and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s father’s wife. Rabbi Yehuda says: He is liable to bring only one sin-offering, due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s mother. One who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his father’s wife while his father is married to her is liable to bring two sin-offerings: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s father’s wife and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with a married woman. He is liable due to the former prohibition both during his father’s lifetime and after his father’s death, and whether the relationship between the woman and his father is one of betrothal or one of marriage. Likewise, one who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his daughter-in-law during his son’s lifetime is liable to bring two sin-offerings for his intercourse with her: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one’s daughter-in-law, and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with a married woman. The former liability applies both during his son’s lifetime and after his son’s death, and whether the relationship between the woman and his son is one of betrothal or one of marriage. A man who engages in intercourse with a male or with an animal, and a woman who engages in intercourse with an animal, are executed by stoning. The animal is likewise stoned to death. The mishna asks: If the person sinned by doing this, how did the animal sin? Rather, because a calamity was caused to a person by it, therefore the verse states that it should be stoned, so that it does not cause another to sin. Alternatively, it is so that this animal will not pass through the marketplace, and those who see it will say: This is the animal because of which so-and-so was stoned, and its existence would shame his memory.
אֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּסְקָלִין, הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם, וְעַל אֵשֶׁת הָאָב, וְעַל הַכַּלָּה, וְעַל הַזְּכוּר, וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהָאִשָּׁה הַמְבִיאָה אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהַמְגַדֵּף, וְהָעוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְהַנּוֹתֵן מִזַּרְעוֹ לַמֹּלֶךְ, וּבַעַל אוֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִי, וְהַמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, וְהַמְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ, וְהַבָּא עַל נַעֲרָה הַמְאֹרָסָה, וְהַמֵּסִית, וְהַמַּדִּיחַ, וְהַמְכַשֵּׁף, וּבֵן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה. הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם, חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵם וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם הָאֵם בִּלְבָד. הַבָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אָב חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, בֵּין בְּחַיֵּי אָבִיו בֵּין לְאַחַר מִיתַת אָבִיו, בֵּין מִן הָאֵרוּסִין בֵּין מִן הַנִּשּׂוּאִין. הַבָּא עַל כַּלָּתוֹ, חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם כַּלָּתוֹ וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, בֵּין בְּחַיֵּי בְנוֹ בֵּין לְאַחַר מִיתַת בְּנוֹ, בֵּין מִן הָאֵרוּסִין בֵּין מִן הַנִּשּׂוּאִין. הַבָּא עַל הַזְּכוּר וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהָאִשָּׁה הַמְבִיאָה אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה, אִם אָדָם חָטָא, בְּהֵמָה מֶה חָטָאת, אֶלָּא לְפִי שֶׁבָּאת לָאָדָם תַּקָּלָה עַל יָדָהּ, לְפִיכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב תִּסָּקֵל. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁלֹּא תְהֵא בְּהֵמָה עוֹבֶרֶת בַּשּׁוּק וְיֹאמְרוּ זוֹ הִיא שֶׁנִּסְקַל פְּלוֹנִי עַל יָדָהּ:
ד׳

אלו הן הנסקלין – there are from among them, that it is written concerning them explicitly “stoning,” and those that are not written on them “stoning,” are written concerning them, “his blood be upon him,” or “their blood will be upon them,” for every place where it says, “is blood be upon him,” or “their blood will be upon them” – is none other than stoning, as we derive from the cited ghost and soothsayer, as it is written (Leviticus 20:27): “…they shall be pelted with stones – their bloodguilt shall be upon them.”

והנותן מזרעו למולך – For this Tanna holds that Molekh (the fire-god of the Canaanites) is not idolatry, but is a statute of the nations in general, since he teaches in the Mishnah “idolatry”, and also teaches in the Mishnah “Molekh.”

והמקלל אביו ואמו – which is worse than striking [his father and/or his mother]. For there are two [forms of] degradation of his father and mother – as well as taking the Name of Heaven in vain, and it is taught in the Mishnah that he is not liable until he curses them by name.

והמסית – individuals.

והמדיח – The apostate city.

מכשף – as it is written (Exodus 22:17): “You shall not tolerate a sorceress,” and near it (next verse, 18): “Whoever lies with a beast shall be put to death.” Just as the one who lies with a beast [shall be put to death] by stoning, so too, the sorceress, [shall be put to death] by stoning.

הבא על האם חייב עליה – two sins, and with all of them [which deal with] incest [it is written concerning them "כרת" / extirpation and it is written concerning them] a separation of sins, and even with one body, and such is the Halakha.

בין מן האירוסין – for since he betrothed her, she is his wife, as it is written (Leviticus 20:14): “If a man marries a woman….” From the time of his taking, she is called “his wife.” And this “taking” is Kiddushin/Sanctification, as we derive "קיחה"קיחה" – from the field of Ephron (via an analogy – Leviticus 20:14 and Genesis 23:13 – “accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there”).

אלו הן הנסקלין. אית מינייהו דכתיב בהו סקילה בהדיא, והנך דלא כתיבא בהו סקילה כתיב בהו דמיו בו דמיהם בם, וכל מקום שנאמר דמיו בו דמיהם בם אינו אלא סקילה, דילפינן מאוב וידעוני דכתיב (ויקרא כ׳:כ״ז) באבן ירגמו אותם דמיהם בם:

והנותן מזרעו למולך. קסבר האי תנא מולך לאו עבודה זרה הוא אלא חוק האומות בעלמא הוא. מדתנא עבודה זרה, ותנא מולך:

והמקלל אביו ואמו. חמור ממכה, דאיכא תרתי קלון אביו ואמו ומוציא שם שמים לבטלה, דהא תנן אינו חייב עד שיקללם בשם:

והמסית. את היחידים:

והמדיח. עיר הנידחת:

והמכשף. דכתיב (שמות כ״כ) מכשפה לא תחיה, וסמיך ליה כל שוכב עם בהמה מות יומת, מה שוכב עם בהמה בסקילה, אף מכשפה בסקילה:

הבא על האם חייב עליה. שתי חטאות. דבכולהו עריות [כתיב בהו כרת וכתיב בהו חילוק חטאות]. ואפילו בגוף אחד. וכן הלכה:

בין מן האירוסין. דכיון שקידשה, אשתו היא, דכתיב (ויקרא כ׳) ואיש כי יקח אשה, משעת לקיחה נקראת אשתו. והך קיחה קדושין הן, דגמר קיחה קיחה משדה עפרון:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Sanhedrin Perek 7 Mishnah 5

סנהדרין פרק ז׳ משנה ה׳

5
One who blasphemes, i.e., one who curses God, is not liable unless he utters the name of God and curses it. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: On every day of a blasphemer’s trial, when the judges judge the witnesses, i.e., interrogate the witnesses, they ask the witnesses to use an appellation for the name of God, so that they do not utter a curse of God’s name. Specifically, the witnesses would say: Let Yosei smite Yosei, as the name Yosei has four letters in Hebrew, as does the Tetragrammaton. When the judgment is over, and the court votes to deem the defendant guilty, they do not sentence him to death based on the testimony of the witnesses in which they used an appellation for the name of God, without having ever heard the exact wording of the curse. Rather, they remove all the people who are not required to be there from the court, so that the curse is not heard publicly, and the judges interrogate the eldest of the witnesses, and say to him: Say what you heard explicitly. And he says exactly what he heard. And the judges stand on their feet and make a tear in their garments, as an act of mourning for the desecration of the honor of God. And they do not ever fully stitch it back together again. And the second witness says: I too heard as he did, but he does not repeat the curse explicitly. And the third witness, in the event that there is one, says: I too heard as he did. In this manner, the repetition of the invective sentence is limited to what is absolutely necessary.
הַמְגַדֵּף אֵינוֹ חַיָּב עַד שֶׁיְּפָרֵשׁ הַשֵּׁם. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה, בְּכָל יוֹם דָּנִין אֶת הָעֵדִים בְּכִנּוּי יַכֶּה יוֹסֵי אֶת יוֹסֵי. נִגְמַר הַדִּין, לֹא הוֹרְגִים בְּכִנּוּי, אֶלָּא מוֹצִיאִים כָּל אָדָם לַחוּץ וְשׁוֹאֲלִים אֶת הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבָּהֶן וְאוֹמְרִים לוֹ אֱמֹר מַה שֶּׁשָּׁמַעְתָּ בְּפֵרוּשׁ, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר, וְהַדַּיָּנִים עוֹמְדִין עַל רַגְלֵיהֶן וְקוֹרְעִין וְלֹא מְאַחִין. וְהַשֵּׁנִי אוֹמֵר אַף אֲנִי כָּמוֹהוּ, וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי אוֹמֵר אַף אֲנִי כָּמוֹהוּ:
ה׳

עד שיפרש את השם – and he will blaspheme the name of God by name, as it states (Leviticus 24:16): “If he also pronounces the name LORD, [he shall be put to death. The whole community shall stone him;] if he has thus pronounced the Name [he shall be put to death],” that he pronounces God’s name, by Name.

בכל יום – all the time that there is give-and-take in the examination of the witnesses.

היו דנין אותן בכינוי – any person who perverts matters and speaks like he is cursing and attaches to another is called a substitute in the language of the Sages, and in the language of the Bible (Job 32:22): “For I do not know how to temper my speech – [My Maker would soon carry me off!].”

יכה יוסי את יוסי – AI heard because it is four letters [in length], and in Gematria, equals “Elo’him”/”God” (i.e., 86), therefore we use as a nickname, the name of four letters for “Yosi.”

נגמר הדין – and the Jewish court comes to state that he is guilty, they are not able to kill him based upon this testimony that they heard, for they did not hear from their lips other than the curse by nickname.

אלא מוציאים את כל האדם לחוץ – for it is a disgrace/obscenity to announce blasphemy in public.

וקורעין ולא מאיחין – forever, [and specifically] and Alexandrian seam where the tear is not recognized, but other forms of sewing are permitted.

אף אני לא שמעתי כמוהו – and he does not have to mention the blaspheming by Name.

והשלישי אומר – and he brings it like one who says: just as two are one testimony, also three are one testimony.

עד שיפרש את השם. ויברך השם בשם. שנאמר (שם כ״ד) ונוקב שם ה׳ בנקבו שם, שינקוב השם בשם:

בכל יום. כל זמן שהיו נושאים ונותנים בבדיקת העדים:

היו דנין אותן בכינוי. כל אדם שמהפך דבר ומדבר כמי שמקלל ותולה באחר קרוי כינוי בלשון חכמים. ובלשון מקרא, כי לא ידעתי אכנה (איוב ל״ב:כ״ב):

יכה יוסי את יוסי. אני שמעתי מפני שהוא בן ארבע אותיות ועולה בגימטריא אלהי״ם, לכך מכנה שם בן ארבע אותיות ליוסי:

נגמר הדין. ובאים ב״ד לומר חייב הוא, לא היו יכולים להרגו על פי עדות זו ששמעו, שהרי לא שמעו מפיהם אלא קללת כינוי:

אלא מוציאים את כל האדם לחוץ. דגנאי הוא להשמיע ברכת השם לרבים:

וקורעין ולא מאחין. עולמית. תפירה אלכסנדרית שאין הקריעה ניכרת, אבל שאר תפירות מותר:

אף אני שמעתי כמוהו. ואינו צריך להזכיר ברכת שם בשם:

והשלישי אומר. אתיא כמאן דאמר מה שנים עדות אחת אף שלשה עדות אחת:

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