Reference for Sanhedrin 93:20
אמר ליה אביי מי קא מדמית
Now we pondered thereon,Why should they die? Since they [the inhabitants of the condemned city] areexecuted, they obtain forgiveness: should they [the sacrifices] not thenbe offered to Heaven!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'the (most) High'. Since after death their offerings cannot be classed as offerings of the wicked ');"><sup>32</sup></span> Surely thenis it not so because we hold that once invalidated, they remain so? Abayeretorted; Do you then think that he who dies in his wickedness obtainsforgiveness [by his death]? Nay, he who dies in his wickedness does not obtainforgiveness, for R. Shemaiah learnt: One might have thought that even ifhis [the priest's] parents had dissociated themselves from the practicesof the congregation,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., if they (the parents) had been apostates. ');"><sup>33</sup></span> he [the priest]may defile himself:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Through their dead bodies, attending in their funerals, etc. ');"><sup>34</sup></span> but Scripturestates, among his people<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The whole passage reads: 'Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people. But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father etc. Lev. XXI, 1-2. By linking 'among his people' (as interpreted here) with the following verse, 'But for his kin, etc.' it is deduced that only then may a priest defile himself, but not if his parents were, e.g., apostates. ');"><sup>35</sup></span> teaching,that it is so provided he [the parent] has followed the practices of hispeople.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence death does not bring forgiveness if one had died in his wickedness. ');"><sup>36</sup></span> Said Raba to him: Dost thoucompare one who was executed in his wickedness to one who died in his wickedness?In the latter case, since he dies a natural death, he attains noforgiveness;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By mere death without repentance. ');"><sup>37</sup></span> but in the former,since he does not die a natural death, he obtains forgiveness [by the mereexecution]. In proof thereof, it is written, A Psalm of Asaph, O God, theheathen are come into Thine inheritance; they have defiled Thy Holy Temple…They have given the dead bodies of Thy servants to be food unto the fowlsof the heaven; the flesh of Thy saints onto the beasts of theearth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXIX, 1-2. ');"><sup>38</sup></span> Who are meant by 'Thy servants,'and who by 'Thy saints'? Surely 'thy saints' means literally, saints, whereas,'thy servants' means those who were at first liable to sentence [of death],but having been slain, are designated'servants'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Having attained expiation through execution. ');"><sup>39</sup></span> Abaye retorted: Wouldyou compare