- The procedure for שריפה: שריפת נשמה וגוף קיים
The next Mishnah states: מצות הנשרפין – this is the procedure for those who are burned: He is sunk up to his knees in manure (so he does not move), and a coarse kerchief inside a soft kerchief is wound around his neck, and it is pulled from both sides, forcing him to open his mouth. One then lights a פתילה – wick, meaning a wick of lead, which is melted and thrown into his throat, and it descends into his stomach and burns his intestines. Rebbe Yehudah argues that pulling a kerchief from both sides may kill him by strangulation, and says his mouth is held open with tongs. Rav Masnah says this method of “burning” is derived from a gezeirah shavah (שריפה שריפה) from עדת קרח: just as with Korach’s company, שריפת נשמה וגוף קיים – the burning was burning of the soul with the body remaining intact, this שריפה is as well. Rebbe Elazar derives the gezeirah shavah from the death of Aharon’s sons. Each Amora holds the other incident of burning was literal burning of the bodies, but derives from the case of internal “burning,” because of the principle of ברור לו מיתה יפה – choose a favorable death for him.
- The procedure for הרג\סייף
The next Mishnah states: מצות הנהרגין – this is the procedure for those who are beheaded: היו מתיזין את ראשו בסייף כדרך שהמלכות עושה – They cut off his head with a sword, like the government does (i.e., standing). Rebbe Yehudah says: ניוול הוא לו – this is a disgrace for him! אלא מניחין את ראשו על הסדן וקוצץ בקופיץ – Rather, they place his head on a block and chop it off with a hatchet. They told him: אין מיתה מנוולת מזו – there is no more disgraceful death than this! In a Baraisa, Rebbe Yehudah says he agrees that his method of הרג is disgraceful, אבל מה אעשה – but what shall I do, since the Torah says, "ובחוקותיהם לא תלכ"ו – you shall not follow their practices? The Rabbonon hold that since beheading is dictated by the Torah, this method of execution is not derived from the gentile nations. This reasoning can be proven, because a Baraisa teaches that we burn a deceased king’s personal items, and it does not violate "ובחוקותיהם לא תלכו"!? It must be because such burning is mentioned in the Torah.
- The procedure for חנק
The next Mishnah describes the procedure for הנחנקין – those killed by strangulation: he is sunk up to his knees in manure, and a coarse kerchief inside a soft kerchief is wound around his neck. זה מושך אצלו וזה מושך אצלו – This one pulls towards himself and this one pulls towards himself, עד שנפשו יוצאת – until his soul leaves him. The punishment for adultery is written as "מות יומת" – ]they[ shall be put to death, which is interpreted as חנק. Rebbe Yoshiyah explains that wherever the execution is unspecified, it means to be lenient. The Gemara later adds that the four methods of execution were known through a halachah leMoshe miSinai, חנק being the most lenient, so it is given for any unspecified execution. Rebbe Yonasan says that it is not because חנק is the most lenient, rather, there is a rule that כל מיתה האמורה בתורה סתם אינה אלא חנק – any death (through Beis Din) which is unspecified it means strangulation. [These two Tannaim disagree if חנק is the most lenient execution]. Rebbe explains, since the Torah mentions מיתה בידי שמים – death at the hand of Heaven, as well as מיתה בידי אדם (i.e., Beis Din), we say that just as מיתה בידי שמים is מיתה שאין בה רושם – death which leaves no external mark, so too unspecified מיתה בידי אדם leaves no mark, i.e., חנק.