Sanhedrin 42 - January 28, 28 Tevet

Study Guide Sanhedrin 42 Why do we make a blessing on the new moon and what is the wording of the blessing? If a student has something to say to help acquit the accused, he is brought to sit with the judges. When does he return to his place and on what does it depend? What if after adding extra judges, they still do not have a majority on one to acquit or two to convict? Once convicted of stoning, they would take the convict to the beit ha'skila (house of stoning) which was far from the court. This was to enable time to pass and allow for new evidence to be brought that could possibly acquit the convict. The Gemara brings a braita that explains that the beit ha'skila was far out of the court - the distance of the three camps in the desert. This is derived in the braita from the bull sin offerings that were burned outside the camp. Rav Papa derived it from the verses that discuss stoning the blasphemer.