Sanhedrin 99

Chapter 99

א קסברי רבנן נשואה יוצאה לשריפה ולא ארוסה ומדאפקה רחמנא לארוסה בסקילה ש"מ סקילה חמורה

1 — The Rabbis1

ב סקילה חמורה מסייף שכן ניתנה למגדף ולעובד עבודת כוכבים ומאי חומרא כדאמרן

2 maintain that a priest'sdaughter, only if a nesu'ah, is excepted [from the usual punishment bystrangulation meted out for adultery] and is executed by burning; but anarusah, [who, if an Israelite's daughter, is stoned] as [if a priest's daughter]not excepted [from the usual punishment, i.e., she is stonedlikewise].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Marriage consists of two stages: kiddushin or erusin, whereby the matrimonial bond is made, not to be broken without divorce; and huppah, or home taking, without which cohabitation is forbidden. A woman who has undergone the first ceremony is called an arusah (betrothed); after the second she is called a nesu'ah (married). Nowadays both ceremonies are united, the canopy (huppah) being symbolic of the home to which the husband takes his newly-married wife; but in ancient days there was generally an interval between them. ');">2

ג אדרבה סייף חמור שכן ניתן לאנשי עיר הנדחת ומאי חומרא שכן ממונן אבד

3 Now since [in a case ofa priest's daughter] an arusah is singled out by the Divine Law [and punished]by stoning [instead of burning], we may conclude that stoning is more severethan burning.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For obviously the offence of an arusah, who is still in her father's house and thereby profanes him, is greater than that of a nesu'ah; and therefore we may assume that her punishment is correspondingly greater. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that a nesu'ah, if an Israelite's daughter, is punished by strangulation, the most lenient of all death penalties, whilst an arusah is punished by stoning, the most severe. Rashi, however, points out that Scripture does not state that a priest's daughter, only if a nesu'ah, is excepted from the punishment of an Israelite's daughter: but not if an arusah. It is only because the Rabbis hold stoning to be more severe than burning that they assume that an arusah, if a priest's daughter, cannot be more leniently treated than if a Israelite's daughter, for her penalty to be commuted from stoning to burning. This vitiates the whole argument. Hence we must fall back upon the first line of reasoning, that stoning is severer, since it is the punishment of an idol worshipper and blasphemer, because their offence, constituting a rejection of the fundamental basis of Judaism is greater than that of the harlot, in spite of the fact that she profanes her father. That being so, the passage 'the Rabbis maintain etc.' will not be part of the proof, but an answer to an unexpressed difficulty. For this difficulty arises: If stoning is severer than burning, how is it that a priest's daughter is punished by the latter instead of the former, which is the punishment of an Israelite's daughter (if an arusah)? To this the answer is given that only a nesu'ah is thus punished by burning, whilst an Israelite's daughter is only strangled — an easier death than burning. But if an arusah, her death is by stoning, just as in the case of an Israelite's daughter. Consequently, the next passage now, since an arusah, etc.' is entirely superfluous, being neither part of the argument nor an answer to the unexpressed difficulty: Rashi therefore deletes it from the text. ');">3

ד אמרת איזה כח מרובה כח המדיח או כח הנידח הוי אומר כח המדיח ותניא מדיחי עיר הנדחת בסקילה

4 Stoning is severer thanslaying by the sword, since it is the punishment of a blasphemer and an idolworshipper, the greater enormity of whose offence has already beenstated.4

ה סקילה חמורה מחנק שכן ניתן למגדף ולעובד עבודת כוכבים ומאי חומרא כדאמרן

5 On the contrary, is not deathby the sword more severe, since that is the penalty for the inhabitants ofa seduced city,5

ו אדרבה חנק חמור שכן ניתן למכה אביו ואמו ומאי חומרא שכן הוקש כבודן לכבוד המקום

6 the graver characterof whose sin is proved by the fact that their property is destroyed? — Now,let us consider: whose crime is greater; that of the seducer or of the seduced?Surely that of the seducer.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Rabbis always regarded the offence of the tempter as greater than that of the sinner himself. Cf. Ab. V, 23: 'He who causes the multitudes to sin, shall not have the means to repent … Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, sinned and caused the multitude to sin; the sin of the multitude was laid upon him.' This is in conformity with the general rabbinic dictum: 'All Israel are sureties for one another'. ');">6

ז מדאפקיה רחמנא לארוסה בת ישראל מכלל נשואה בת ישראל מחנק לסקילה ש"מ סקילה חמורה

7 And ithas been taught: The seducers of a seduced city are executed bystoning.7

ח שריפה חמורה מסייף שכן ניתנה לבת כהן שזינתה ומאי חומרא שכן מחללת את אביה

8 Stoning is severer than strangulation, since it is the penalty of the blasphemerand the idol worshipper, the enormity of whose offence has already been stated.On the contrary, is not strangulation severer, since it is the punishmentof one who smites his father or mother, the greater seriousness of whoseoffence lies in the fact that their honour is assimilated to that of theOmnipresent?8

ט אדרבה סייף חמור שכן ניתן לאנשי עיר הנדחת ומאי חומרא שכן ממונן אבד

9 — Since the Divine Lawexcluded an arusah, the daughter of an Israelite, from the general penaltyof a nesu'ah, the daughter of an Israelite, altering her punishment fromstrangulation to stoning, it follows that stoning isseverer.9

י נאמר אביה בסקילה ונאמר אביה בשריפה מה אביה האמור בסקילה סקילה חמורה מסייף אף אביה האמור בשריפה שריפה חמורה מסייף

10 Burning is severer than slaying by the sword, since it is the penalty ofa priest's adulterous daughter, the greater enormity of whose offence liesin the fact that she thereby profanes her father. On the contrary, is notthe sword severer, since this is the penalty of the inhabitants of a seducedcity, the enormity of whose crime is shewn by the fact that their propertyis destroyed? — 'Her father' is mentioned in connection withstoning;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of a betrothed damsel who committed whoredom: Then shall they bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die; because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house. Deut. XXII, 21. ');">10

יא שריפה חמורה מחנק שכן ניתנה לבת כהן שזינתה ומאי חומרא כדאמרן

11 'her father' is also mentionedin reference to burning:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of a priest's daughter: And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. Lev. XXI, 9. ');">11

יב אדרבה חנק חמור שכן ניתן למכה אביו ואמו ומאי חומרא שכן הוקש כבודן לכבוד המקום

12 just aswhen 'her father' is mentioned in connection with stoning, stoning is severerthan the sword; so 'her father', when mentioned in connection with burning,shews that burning is severer than slaying by thesword.12

יג מדאפקיה רחמנא לנשואה בת כהן מכלל נשואה בת ישראל מחנק לשריפה ש"מ שריפה חמורה

13 Burning is severer than strangulation, since it is the punishment of a priest'sadulterous daughter, the enormity of whose offence has already been stated.On the contrary, is not strangulation severer, since it is the punishmentof one who smites his father or mother, the greater enormity of whose offencelies in the fact that their honour is assimilated to that of the Omnipresent?— Since the Divine Law varied the penalty of a nesu'ah, if a priest's daughter,from that of a nesu'ah, if an Israelite's daughter, from strangling to burning,we may conclude that burning isseverer.13

יד סייף חמור מחנק שכן ניתן לאנשי עיר הנדחת ומאי חומרא שכן ממונם אבד

14 Slaying is severer than strangling, since thereby the inhabitants of a seducedcity are punished, the severity of whose punishment is attested by the factthat their property is destroyed. On the contrary, is not strangulation severer,being the punishment of one who smites his father or mother, the greaterenormity of whose offence lies in the fact that their honour is assimilatedto that of the Almighty? — Even so the offence against the fundamental tenetof Judaism [which is the crime of the seduced city] is greater.

טו אדרבה חנק חמור שכן ניתן למכה אביו ואמו ומאי חומרא שכן הוקש כו'

15 R. SIMEON ENUMERATED THEM THUS etc.

טז אפילו הכי פושט ידו בעיקר עדיף:

16 [In his view] burning is severer than stoning, since it is the punishmentof a priest's adulterous daughter, the enormity of whose offence lies inthe fact that she profanes her father. On the contrary, is not stoning severer,being the punishment of a blasphemer and idol-worshipper, the gravity ofwhose offence lies in that they reject the fundamental tenet of Judaism?— R. Simeon's view here is in accordance with his other opinion, viz., thata priest's adulterous daughter, whether an arusah or a nesu'ah, is excepted[from the punishment meted out to an Israelites' daughter], in that her penaltyis burning. Now since the Divine Law varied the punishment of an arusah,if a priest's daughter, from that of an Israelite's daughter, from stoningto burning, it follows that burning is a severer penalty.

יז רבי שמעון אומר כו': שריפה חמורה מסקילה שכן ניתנה לבת כהן שזינתה ומאי חומרא שכן מחללת את אביה

17 Burning is severer than strangulation, since it is the punishment of a priest'sadulterous daughter, the gravity of whose offence has already been stated.On the contrary, is not strangulation severer than burning, being the punishmentof one who strikes his father or mother, the enormity of whose offense isconstituted by the fact that their honour is compared to that of theOmnipresent? — Since the Divine Law excluded a nesu'ah, the daughter of a priest,from the penalty of a nesu'ah, if an Israelite's daughter, by changing herdeath from strangling to burning, it follows that burning is severer.

יח אדרבה סקילה חמורה שכן ניתנה למגדף ולעובד עבודת כוכבים ומאי חומרא שכן פושט ידו בעיקר

18 Burning is severer than slaying, since it is the punishment of a priest'sadulterous daughter, the enormity of whose offence has already been stated.On the contrary, is not the sword more severe, since it is the penalty ofthe inhabitants of a seduced city, the gravity of whose offence is shewnby the fact that their property is destroyed? Now consider, whose offenceis greater: that of the seducer or of the seduced?

יט רבי שמעון לטעמיה דאמר אחת ארוסה ואחת נשואה יצאה לשרפה ומדאפקיה רחמנא לארוסה בת כהן מכלל ארוסה בת ישראל מסקילה לשריפה ש"מ שריפה חמורה

כ שריפה חמורה מחנק שכן ניתנה לבת כהן שזינתה ומאי חומרא כדאמרן

כא אדרבה חנק חמור שכן ניתן למכה אביו ואמו ומאי חומר' שכן הוקש כבודם לכבוד המקו'

כב מדאפקיה רחמנא לנשואה בת כהן מכלל נשואה בת ישראל מחנק לשריפה ש"מ שריפה חמורה

כג שריפה חמורה מסייף שכן ניתנה לבת כהן שזינתה ומאי חומרא כדאמרן

כד אדרבה סייף חמור שכן ניתן לאנשי עיר הנדחת ומאי חומרא שכן ממונם אבד

כה אמרת וכי איזה כח מרובה כח המדיח או כח הנידח

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