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Sanhedrin 73b

סנהדרין ע״ג ע״ב

Learn Sanhedrin 73b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Why the פסוק of the betrothed נערה uses the words חטא, מות, נער and נערה: which forbidden relations allow saving the victim at the cost of the attacker's life (רודף), and which sins are excluded.

Overview

The amud opens in the middle of a צריכותא on the פסוק 'אין לנערה חטא מות'. The word 'חטא' is needed to include all עריות, 'מות' keeps out plain לאוין, and 'חטא' again brings in כריתות. If 'חטא מות' covers everything, the words 'נער' and 'נערה' come to exclude cases: עבודה זרה, בהמה and שבת, where we do not kill a person to stop the sin. The גמרא then shows how רבי שמעון בן יוחי and רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון, who do not exclude עבודה זרה or שבת, use these two words. Next it returns to the ברייתא: רבי יהודה says that when the girl tells rescuers 'leave him alone' out of fear, the attacker is not killed. רבא explains that the רבנן base the law on her degradation, while רבי יהודה bases it on her readiness to die. אביי adds that only a big degradation counts, not a widow with a כהן גדול. Finally, the גמרא asks why a brother who rapes his sister pays a קנס if he could be killed. רב חסדא answers with two separate acts, and רבא answers that she gave in, following רבי יהודה.

Opening lines

מִשּׁוּם דְּהַאי לָאו אוֹרְחֵיהּ הוּא,

because for this one it is not his natural way,

וְהָא קָא פָגֵים לַהּ.

and that one, he degrades her.

אֲבָל שְׁאָר עֲרָיוֹת דְּאוֹרְחַיְיהוּ,

But the other forbidden women, for whom it is their natural way,

וְלָא נְפִישׁ פִּיגְמַיְיהוּ, אֵימָא לָא.

and their degradation is not great, I would say: no.

The steps (22)

  1. StatementWhy the word 'sin' is needed to include other forbidden relations
  2. StatementWhy the word 'death' is needed to limit the rule
  3. StatementWhy 'sin' is still needed alongside 'death'
  4. ChallengeWhy are 'young man' and 'young woman' needed at all?
  5. Resolution'Young man' and 'young woman' come to exclude idol worship, animals and שבת
  6. ChallengeHow does רבי שמעון בן יוחי use the two words?
  7. ResolutionOne word excludes בהמה, the other excludes שבת
  8. ResolutionWhy שבת needs its own exclusion
  9. ChallengeWhat about רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון, who includes שבת?
  10. ResolutionOne word excludes בהמה; the other is just a style of writing
  11. Statementרבי יהודה: even when she says 'leave him alone'
  12. QuestionWhat is the argument about?
  13. Responseרבא defines the case of the disagreement
  14. ResponseThe reasoning of each side
  15. ChallengeA widow with a כהן גדול is also degraded
  16. ResolutionOnly a big degradation counts
  17. StatementBack to the ברייתא: 'sin' means חייבי כריתות
  18. ChallengeContradiction: a man who rapes his sister pays a fine
  19. ResolutionDeath-liability ends before the payment begins
  20. Challengeרב חסדא shows the Sages' answer only works by one opinion
  21. Resolutionרב חסדא: the first act was not the usual way
  22. Resolutionרבא: the sister let him, following רבי יהודה