Sanhedrin 46 - Shabbat February 1, 3 Shvat

Study Guide Sanhedrin 46 Today's daf is sponsored by Joyce Bendavid. "In tremendous appreciation of Rabbanit Farber who inspired me to begin learning the daily Daf."  Today's daf is sponsored by Lori Schuldiner Schor. "With gratitude for the constant love and support of her husband, Joshua Schor." Those who were stoned were also hung, but it's unclear whether this applied to all or only some of those who were stoned. Rabbi Eliezer and the rabbis engage in a debate about these issues, basing their arguments on different interpretations of the verses in Devarim 21:22-23. They also discuss whether women were also hung as part of this process. The source for burial in the Torah is derived from these same verses. In a discussion with the Persian king (Shpur Malka), Rav Hama did not use this verse as proof. This raises questions about why he chose not to do so and why he couldn't find alternative verses in the Torah to support his argument. The hanging process was specific and brief. Those who were hung were immediately taken down and were hung only for a short moment. This practice was derived from the verses in Devarim, with the explicit purpose of not desecrating the name of God. The dead body must be buried by nightfall. Furthermore, these verses establish a broader principle that anyone who has a relative who dies must bury them by nightfall, with exceptions only for important reasons directly related to respecting the deceased. Two questions were asked: Is the purpose of burial to prevent the disgrace of the dead body or to provide atonement? Similarly, are eulogies meant to show respect for the deceased or out of respect for the relatives? Various verses are brought to address these questions, though each verse can be interpreted in multiple ways to support the different possibilities.