- Hiding witnesses to entrap a מסית
The next Mishnah states: המסית זה הדיוט – an instigator to idolatry, this refers to a common person. והמסית את ההדיוט – and it refers to one who instigates a common person to idolatry. The Gemara initially understands these phrases to exclude a נביא who is מסית others, and one who is מסית a city, respectively, from סקילה. However, Rav Pappa ultimately explains that a מסית is called a הדיוט – a foolish simpleton regarding the law of הכמנה – witnesses lying in wait, which follows in the Mishnah. His life is treated lightly, and does not require התראה (as opposed to all other capital punishments).
If the מסית only spoke to one person (and another witness is needed), he can tell the מסית there are others who also want to hear his words. If the מסית is afraid to speak before multiple people, we hide witnesses behind a wall, and the first person persuades the מסית to repeat his words, and if he does not retract, the עדים can bring him to Beis Din and stone him. A Baraisa says that a light is lit for him in an inner room, so the witnesses can see and hear him from the outer room but remain unseen.
- כשפים שמכחישין פמליא של מעלה, אין עוד מלבדו
Rebbe Yochanan said: למה נקרא שמן כשפים – why are [powers of sorcery] called “keshafim”? שמכחישין פמליא של מעלה אין עוד מלבדו – because they “contradict” the heavenly region (e.g., they can kill someone who was decreed to live). Rebbe Chanina said that the passuk "אין עוד מלבדו" – there is none beside Him, means אפילו לדבר כשפים – even regarding the matter of sorcery, and they cannot do harm to someone if it was not decreed upon him. A woman once attempted to take dust from under Rebbe Chanina’s feet to perform sorcery against him. He told her: אי מסתייעת זילי עבידי – “If you are successful, go and do [your sorcery]; the Torah says 'אין עוד מלבדו', and you cannot harm me if Hashem desires me; if you do harm me, it is from Him, and I accept it.” The Gemara asks that Rebbe Yochanan said the term "כשפים" connotes that sorcery can contradict the פמליא של מעלה!? It answers that Rebbe Chanina is different, דנפיש זכותיה – for his merit was great and was given special protection.
- The חרטומים’s inability to duplicate כנים, and the single צפרדע
After the Egyptian sorcerers failed to duplicate the plague of כנים – lice, they told פרעה, "אצבע אלקים היא" – this is the finger of Hashem! Rebbe Elazar said: מיכן שאין השד יכול לבראות בריה פחות מכשעורה – from here we see that a demon cannot create a creature smaller than a barleycorn. Rav Pappa swore that they cannot even create a creature as large as a camel; rather, they are able to summon large creatures from elsewhere, but small creatures do not gather to them, since they cannot travel great distances. Regarding the plague of צפרדע, the passuk says: ותעל הצפרדע ותכס את ארץ מצרים – and the “frog” (singular) ascended and covered the land of Egypt. Rebbe Elazar said: צפרדע אחת היתה – it was a single frog, השריצה ומלאה כל ארץ מצרים – and it spawned many frogs and they filled the land of Egypt. This interpretation was also said by Rebbe Akiva, but Rebbe Elazar ben Azaryah said to him: עקיבא מה לך אצל הגדה – Akiva, what do you have to do with Aggadah? כלה מדברותיך ולך אצל נגעים ואהלות – stop these discussions and go to the difficult subjects of Negaim and Oholos! Rather, there was a single frog, שרקה להם והם באו – and it croaked to [the others] and they came to מצרים.