Musar for Sanhedrin 91:2
ור' אליעזר דריש ריבויי ומיעוטי והומת ותלית רבוי כי קללת מיעוט אי הוו מקרבי להדדי לא הוו מרבינן אלא עבודת כוכבי' דדמי לה בכל מילי השתא דמרחקי מהדדי אהני לרבויי שאר הנסקלין:
A MAN IS HANGED etc. What is the Rabbis' reason? — Scripture states, thenthe shalt hang him — 'him',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A man. ');"><sup>3</sup></span> but nother.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A woman. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
Prior to the appointment of the first king, the Sanhedrin performed both functions, i.e. משפט התורה as well as הוראת שעה. This is one of the reasons Moses is referred to in our traditonal sources as מלך, king. This is also why, after the destruction of the Temple when Israel no longer had a king, Rabbi Eliezer is on record as saying: "I have heard that (nowadays) a Jewish Court of Law may administer corporal punishment even when Torah law does not call for this."
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy