## Sanhedrin Daf 78b

###### Sanhedrin 78b:1
[Sanhedrin 78b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:1)

עַל מִשְׁעַנְתּוֹ וְנִקָּה הַמַּכֶּה״. וְכִי תַּעֲלֶה עַל דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁזֶּה מְהַלֵּךְ בַּשּׁוּק וְזֶה נֶהֱרָג? אֶלָּא זֶה שֶׁאֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה, וְהֵקֵל מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה, וּלְאַחַר כָּךְ הִכְבִּיד וָמֵת – שֶׁהוּא פָּטוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**upon his staff, then he that struck him is absolved;** only for his loss of livelihood shall he give and he shall heal him” (Exodus 21:19). The phrase: “Then he that struck him is absolved,” is superfluous; **would it enter your mind** to say **that this** individual whom he struck **is walking in the marketplace, and that** individual who struck him **will be executed** as a murderer? **Rather, this** is referring to a case **where** the doctors **assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death, and** his condition **eased** somewhat **from what it was** and he walked in the marketplace, **and thereafter** his condition **worsened and he died,** and the verse is teaching **that he is exempt.**


###### Sanhedrin 78b:2
[Sanhedrin 78b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:2)

וְרַבָּנַן, הַאי ״וְנִקָּה הַמַּכֶּה״ מַאי דָּרְשִׁי בֵּיהּ? מְלַמֵּד שֶׁחוֹבְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And** as for **the Rabbis** who disagree with Rabbi Neḥemya and hold that he is liable in that case, **what do they interpret from that** phrase: **“Then he that struck him is absolved”?** The Gemara explains that according to the Rabbis, the verse **teaches that they incarcerate him** until the fate of the victim can be determined, and the phrase: “Then he that struck him is absolved,” means that he is freed from incarceration.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:3
[Sanhedrin 78b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:3)

וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, חֲבִישָׁה מְנָא לֵיהּ? יָלֵיף מִמְּקוֹשֵׁשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And** as for **Rabbi Neḥemya, from where does he** derive the *halakha* of **incarceration?** The Gemara answers: **He derives it from** the incident of the wood **gatherer** in the wilderness with regard to whom it is written: “And they placed him under guard” (Numbers 15:34).


###### Sanhedrin 78b:4
[Sanhedrin 78b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:4)

וְרַבָּנַן נָמֵי לֵילְפוּ מִמְּקוֹשֵׁשׁ? מְקוֹשֵׁשׁ בַּר קְטָלָא הוּא, וּמֹשֶׁה לָא הֲוָה יָדַע קְטָלֵיהּ בְּמַאי. לְאַפּוֹקֵי הַאי, דְּלָא יָדְעִינַן אִי בַּר קְטָלָא הוּא אִי לָאו בַּר קְטָלָא הוּא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara challenges: **And the Rabbis too, let them derive** the *halakha* of incarceration **from** the incident of the wood **gatherer.** The Gemara explains: With regard to the wood **gatherer,** he was incarcerated because it was known from the outset that he **was liable to be killed, and Moses did not know with what** form of capital punishment **his death** would be implemented. This is **to the exclusion of this** individual who struck another, with regard to **whom we do not know if he is liable to be killed** or **if he is not liable to be killed.** Therefore, one cannot derive the *halakha* in this case from the case of the wood gatherer.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:5
[Sanhedrin 78b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:5)

וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה יָלֵיף מִמְּגַדֵּף, דְּלָא הֲוָה יָדַע אִי בַּר קְטָלָא הוּא, וְחַבְשׁוּהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And Rabbi Neḥemya,** from where does he derive the *halakha*? He too should not be able to derive the *halakha* from the case of the wood gatherer. The Gemara answers: Rabbi Neḥemya **derives** the *halakha* with regard to one who strikes another **from** the incident of **the blasphemer** (see Leviticus 24:12), where Moses **did not know if he was liable to be killed, and** he nevertheless **imprisoned** the blasphemer.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:6
[Sanhedrin 78b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:6)

וְרַבָּנַן: מְגַדֵּף – הוֹרָאַת שָׁעָה הָיְתָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And the Rabbis,** why don’t they derive the *halakha* from the incident of the blasphemer? The Gemara answers: The Rabbis hold that the case of the **blasphemer was a provisional edict.**


###### Sanhedrin 78b:7
[Sanhedrin 78b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:7)

כִּדְתַנְיָא: יוֹדֵעַ הָיָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ שֶׁהַמְקוֹשֵׁשׁ בְּמִיתָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מְחַלְּלֶיהָ מוֹת יוּמָת״, אֶלָּא לֹא הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בְּאֵיזוֹ מִיתָה נֶהֱרָג, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי לֹא פֹרַשׁ וְגוֹ׳״. אֲבָל מְגַדֵּף לֹא נֶאֱמַר בּוֹ אֶלָּא ״לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם עַל פִּי ה׳״, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מֹשֶׁה יוֹדֵעַ אִם הוּא בֶּן מִיתָה כׇּל עִיקָּר אִם לָאו.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The difference between the uncertainty in the case of the wood gatherer and the uncertainty in the case of the blasphemer is **as it is taught** in a *baraita*: **Moses our teacher knew that the** wood **gatherer** was liable to be sentenced **to death, as it is stated:** “And you shall observe the Shabbat as it is sacred to you; **one who desecrates it shall be put to death”** (Exodus 31:14). **But he did not know with which death** penalty **he was** to be **killed, as it is stated:** “And they placed him under guard, **as it had not been declared** what should be done to him” (Numbers 15:34). **But** concerning the **blasphemer it is stated only:** “And they placed him under guard **that it might be declared to them according to the Lord”** (Leviticus 24:12), **as Moses did not know if** the blasphemer **was liable to be killed at all, or not.**


###### Sanhedrin 78b:8
[Sanhedrin 78b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:8)

בִּשְׁלָמָא לְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיבִי תְּרֵי אוּמְדָּנֵי: חַד – אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה וְחָיָה, וְחַד – אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה וְהֵקֵל מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה. אֶלָּא לְרַבָּנַן, תְּרֵי אוּמְדָּנֵי לְמָה לִי?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Granted, according to Rabbi Neḥemya, that is** the reason **that two assessments are written.** It is written in one verse: “And if men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he did not die but is bedridden” (Exodus 21:18), indicating that after the initial blow the victim is assessed to determine whether or not he is expected to die. In the following verse it is written: “If he rises and walks outside upon his staff, then he that struck him is absolved” (Exodus 21:19), indicating that there is an additional assessment to determine whether or not he fully recovers. **One verse** is where **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death, and he recovered** fully; **and one verse** is where **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death, and** his condition **eased from what it was** and he died thereafter. **But according to the Rabbis, why do I** need **two assessments?**


###### Sanhedrin 78b:9
[Sanhedrin 78b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:9)

חַד אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה וְחָיָה, וְחַד אֲמָדוּהוּ לְחַיִּים וָמֵת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: According to the Rabbis, **one** assessment is where **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death and he recovered** fully, in which case the assailant is certainly not executed but pays compensation. **And one** assessment is where **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to life and he died,** in which case the assailant is also not executed but pays compensation.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:10
[Sanhedrin 78b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:10)

וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, אֲמָדוּהוּ לְחַיִּים וָמֵת – לָא צְרִיךְ קְרָא, שֶׁהֲרֵי יָצָא מִבֵּית דִּין זַכַּאי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And Rabbi Neḥemya,** from where does he derive these two *halakhot*? The Gemara answers: He holds that in the case where **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to life, and he died, one does not need** an explicit **verse** to exempt the assailant from execution, **as he emerged from the court** after the first hearing **innocent** when they predicted that the victim would live, and the court does not rescind its initial ruling and convict him.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:11
[Sanhedrin 78b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:11)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַמַּכֶּה אֶת חֲבֵירוֹ, וַאֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה, וְחָיָה – פּוֹטְרִין אוֹתוֹ. אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה וְהֵקֵל מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה – אוֹמְדִין אוֹתוֹ אוֹמֶד שֵׁנִי לְמָמוֹן. וְאִם לְאַחַר כֵּן הִכְבִּיד וָמֵת – הַלֵּךְ אַחַר אוֹמֶד הָאֶמְצָעִי, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: אֵין אוֹמֶד אַחַר אוֹמֶד.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught:** In the case of **one who strikes another and they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death, and he recovered** fully, the court **exempts** the assailant. If **they assessed** his condition saying that it would lead **to death and** his condition **eased from what it was, they assess** the victim with **a second assessment to** determine the **monetary restitution** for damages. **And if thereafter** his medical condition **worsened and he died,** the *halakha* is: **Follow the assessment** that was assessed at **the intermediate** stage, which determined that the victim would live, and the assailant is not executed; this is **the statement of Rabbi Neḥemya. And the Rabbis say: There is no assessment after assessment.** The death of the victim proves that the assessment at the intermediate stage was erroneous, and the assailant is executed.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:12
[Sanhedrin 78b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:12)

תַּנְיָא אִידַּךְ: אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה – אוֹמְדִין אוֹתוֹ לְחַיִּים. לְחַיִּים – אֵין אוֹמְדִין אוֹתוֹ לְמִיתָה. אֲמָדוּהוּ לְמִיתָה וְהֵקֵל מִמַּה שֶּׁהָיָה – אוֹמְדִין אוֹתוֹ אוֹמֶד שֵׁנִי לְמָמוֹן, וְאִם לְאַחַר כֵּן הִכְבִּיד וָמֵת – מְשַׁלֵּם נֶזֶק וָצַעַר לַיּוֹרְשִׁים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It is taught** in **another** *baraita*: If **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death,** and his condition improved, **they assess** his condition to determine whether it would lead **to life.** If **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to life,** and his condition deteriorated, **they do not** then **assess** his condition to determine whether it would lead **to death,** but the assailant is exempted based on the initial determination. If **they assessed** his condition, saying that it would lead **to death, and** his condition **eased from what it was, they assess** the victim with **a second assessment to** determine the **monetary restitution** for damages, as the assailant is certainly liable to pay restitution for the injury that he caused. **And if thereafter** his medical condition **worsened and he died,** the assailant **pays** restitution **to the heirs** for **injury and suffering** that he caused.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:13
[Sanhedrin 78b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:13)

מֵאֵימָתַי מְשַׁלֵּם? מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהִכָּהוּ. וּסְתָמָא כְּרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **From when** is the initial assessment of the value of the victim performed to determine the sum of the damages that the assailant **pays?** It is the assessment of his value **from the moment that** the assailant **struck him.** The Gemara notes: **And** this **unattributed** *baraita* **is in accordance with** the opinion of **Rabbi Neḥemya,** as according to the opinion of the Rabbis, he is liable to be executed even if there was a temporary improvement in his condition before he died.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:14
[Sanhedrin 78b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:14)

**מַתְנִי׳** נִתְכַּוֵּין לַהֲרוֹג אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהָרַג אֶת הָאָדָם; לַנׇּכְרִי, וְהָרַג אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל; לַנְּפָלִים, וְהָרַג אֶת בֶּן קַיָּימָא – פָּטוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** If one **intended to kill an animal, and he killed a person** standing adjacent to it, or if he intended **to** kill **a gentile,** for whose murder he is not liable to be executed in court, **and he killed a Jew,** or if he intended **to** kill **non-viable newborns,** for whose murder one is not liable, **and he killed a viable person,** the assailant is **exempt** from execution, since his intent was to kill one for whose murder he is not liable.


###### Sanhedrin 78b:15
[Sanhedrin 78b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/78b:15)

נִתְכַּוֵּין לְהַכּוֹתוֹ עַל מׇתְנָיו, וְלֹא הָיָה בָּהּ כְּדֵי לַהֲמִיתוֹ עַל מׇתְנָיו, וְהָלְכָה לָהּ עַל לִבּוֹ, וְהָיָה בָּהּ כְּדֵי לַהֲמִיתוֹ עַל לִבּוֹ, וָמֵת – פָּטוּר. נִתְכַּוֵּין לְהַכּוֹתוֹ עַל לִבּוֹ

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
If one **intended to strike** another **on his loins, and** the blow **was not** powerful **enough to kill him** if it were to land **on his loins, but** instead the blow landed **on** his chest over the victim’s **heart, and it was** powerful **enough to kill him** when it landed **on** his chest over **his heart, and** the victim **died** as a result of the blow, the assailant is **exempt** from execution, as he did not intend to strike the victim a blow that would cause his death. If **he intended to strike him on** his chest over **his heart**