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Makkos 14a

מכות י״ד ע״א

Makkot 14a

Learn Makkos 14a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether חייבי כריתות get מלקות, and how the רבנן and רבי יצחק each find sources for counting forbidden relationships separately, for one woman with three names, and for a full sister.

Overview

The גמרא finishes explaining why, according to the רבנן, a person who is חייב כרת can still get מלקות: כרת is never certain, because תשובה can erase it. Then it brings רבי יצחק, who learns from the extra mention of כרת for a sister that חייבי כריתות get כרת and not מלקות. The גמרא asks where each side learns that every forbidden relationship counts separately (לחלק), and concludes that both learn it from 'ואל אשה' in the פסוק about a נדה. According to the רבנן, the extra כרת for a sister then teaches a separate חיוב for one woman who is a man's sister, his father's sister and his mother's sister, a case that happens only with a רשע son of a רשע. For רבי יצחק, the גמרא first suggests a קל וחומר from רבי עקיבא's question about five נדות. It rejects that קל וחומר because it can be broken, and gives him the second 'אחותו' in the פסוק instead. The רבנן use that second 'אחותו' for a full sister, which teaches אין עונשין מן הדין. The amud ends while the גמרא is giving רבי יצחק's source for the full sister, and that answer continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

כִּדְאָמְרִינַן מֵעִיקָּרָא,

As we said at the start,

שֶׁאִם עָשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה –

that if they did repentance,

בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל מַעְלָה מוֹחֲלִין לָהֶן.

the heavenly court forgives them.

מַאי אָמְרַתְּ?

What would you say?

The steps (27)

  1. Resolutionתשובה can erase כרת, so מלקות still apply
  2. ChallengeBut these people did not repent
  3. Resolutionכרת is never certain
  4. Statementרבי יצחק: כרת replaces מלקות
  5. QuestionWhat do the רבנן learn from the sister verse?
  6. ResponseTo count each forbidden relationship separately
  7. QuestionWhere does רבי יצחק learn לחלק?
  8. ResponseFrom the verse about a נדה
  9. ChallengeWhy not let the רבנן learn separation from the נדה verse too
  10. ResolutionThe רבנן agree, so the sister verse needs a new purpose
  11. ResponseFirst suggestion: three different sisters
  12. ChallengeThat is obvious: different women, different prohibitions
  13. ResolutionOne woman who is all three relatives
  14. QuestionHow could such a woman exist?
  15. ResponseA רשע son of a רשע
  16. QuestionWhere does רבי יצחק learn the three-names case?
  17. Responseרבי יצחק learns it from a קל וחומר
  18. Proofרבי עקיבא's question in the meat market
  19. ResponseThe קל וחומר from five נדות
  20. RejectionThe other side rejects the קל וחומר from five נדות
  21. ChallengeThe same weakness applies to רבי יצחק
  22. Resolutionרבי יצחק learns it from the second 'אחותו'
  23. QuestionWhat do the רבנן use the second 'אחותו' for?
  24. ResponseThe second 'אחותו' covers a full sister
  25. QuestionWhere does רבי יצחק learn the full sister?
  26. ResponseFirst answer: he learns the punishment from the prohibition
  27. ResponseSecond answer begins: he learns it from another source