Zichru Daf Simanim
Sanhedrin - Daf 37
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אפילו ריקנין שבך מלאין מצוות כרמון

The next Mishnah describes a sanhedrin as seated in a semicircle, which is based on a passuk in Shir Hashirim. The end of that passuk says: סוגה בשושנים – hedged with roses, teaching: שאפילו כסוגה של שושנים לא יפרצו בהן פרצות – that even with a mere hedge of roses, [Jews] will not make breaches. This is illustrated by an incident in which a heretic asked Rav Kahana about the permit for a niddah to be secluded with her husband: אפשר אש בנעורת ואינה מהבהבת – is it possible for fire to come in contact with chips and not singe it (i.e., is it realistic that they will not sin)?!  Rav Kahana quoted the above derashah, that Jews reliably refrain from sinning with little prevention. Reish Lakish quoted a second source: "כפלח הרמון רקתך", darshened as: אפילו "ריקנין" שבך מלאין מצוות כרמון – even the “empty ones” among you are full of mitzvos like a pomegranate. Rebbe Zeira brought a third source: וירח את ריח בגדיו – and he smelled the fragrance of his clothes, which should be read as "בוגדיו" – his rebels; even Yisroel’s rebels are filled with the fragrance of mitzvos. Rebbe Zeira befriended local outlaws so they should repent, which upset the other Rabbis. When he passed away, the outlaws wondered who would pray for them, and did teshuvah.

 

  • כל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל...כאילו קיים עולם מלא, בשבילי נברא העולם

The next Mishnah describes how Beis Din intimidates witnesses in דיני נפשות. They warn them that although someone can compensate for a monetary loss he caused and receive atonement, but in capital cases, דמו ודם זרעותיו תלויין בו עד סוף העולם – [the victim’s] blood and his descendants’ blood are [the witness’s] responsibility forever, as we find Hevel’s blood described as "דמי אחיך" – your brother’s “bloods,” indicating דמו ודם זרעותיו – his blood, and his descendants’ blood. The Mishnah continues: לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי – Therefore man was created as a single being, to teach you that whoever destroys a single life from Yisroel, the Torah considers him as if he destroyed an entire world, וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל – and whoever sustains a single life from Yisroel, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא – the Torah consider him as if he sustained an entire world. After adding other reasons man was created as a single being, the Mishnah concludes: לפיכך כל אחד ואחד חייב לומר בשבילי נברא העולם – therefore, every single [person] is obligated to say, “The world was created for my sake!”

 

  • The incident of Rebbe Shimon ben Shetach discovering an apparent murderer

The Mishnah says we cannot kill someone based on אומד – circumstantial evidence, and a Baraisa illustrates that the witnesses are told that perhaps they saw a person chase someone into a ruin, and they found a sword in the pursuer’s hand, dripping with his blood, and the victim dying. Such testimony is inadmissible for דיני נפשות. Rebbe Shimon ben Shetach witnessed such an event, and told the pursuer: רשע מי הרגו לזה – Wicked one, who killed this person? או אני או אתה – Either I or you! But what can I do, when your blood is not in my hand to administer justice? היודע מחשבות יפרע מאותו האיש שהרג את חבירו – May the One Who knows man’s thoughts punish that man who killed his fellow! A snake immediately bit the murderer, and he died. The Gemara asks why he was killed by snakebite, because a Baraisa teaches that although Sanhedrin ceased to administer capital punishment, דין ארבע מיתות לא בטלו – the Heavenly punishment of the four execution categories did not cease. The Baraisa illustrates each category’s parallel death, and says that death by snakebite substitutes שריפה – burning, not beheading, the murderer’s execution!? The Gemara answers that the murderer was also deserving of death by burning and received the more severe punishment.

Siman – Laser Tag. The ריקנין laser tag players disguised as רמונים, who went on a mission to save one friend in the "Save the Whole World" competition, were shocked when the man exited a house with a bloody laser gun, leaving behind a bloody victim, and was zapped by a laser shaped like a snake.

Rabbi Avraham Goldhar

Rabbi Avraham Goldhar has been designing and teaching Jewish literacy courses for over thirty years. His knowledge frameworks for Biblical mastery, Jewish History, Talmudic Law & Jewish Holidays enable students of all backgrounds to better integrate Jewish concepts and learn systematically. After serving as the Educational Director of Aish HaTorah New York, Avraham launched GoldharSchool.com, Home of Big Picture Jewish Education, featuring Jewish literacy content for schools and individuals. He is the developer of the Goldhar Method, a revolutionary learning system that integrates memory into the learning process and has trained over 80,000 students, teachers and professionals. He lectures internationally on the topic of academic mastery and the solutions required to raise the bar in education. Avraham learned in Aish HaTorah, Mir, and Chaim Berlin and received his ordination under the tutelage of Rabbi Yitzchok Berkovits in Jerusalem.