daf bit: Sanhedrin 53

[cellio]

The mishna on today's daf lists those for whom the death penalty is stoning. (There are four methods of execution in halacha, of which stoning is the most severe.) Stoning is for:

• a man who commits incest with his mother, his father's wife, or his son's wife, or a man who commits adultery with a betrothed maiden

• a man who sexually abuses another man or a beast, or a woman who commits bestiality (the g'mara here does not discuss what counts as abuse)

• a blasphemer, an idolater, or one who gives of his seed to Molech (Molech was a foreign god to whom people made child sacrifices)

• one who incites individuals to idolatry or seduces a whole town to idolatry

• a necromancer, wizard, or sorcerer (I'm unclear about the difference between the latter two)

• one who desecrates Shabbat

• one who curses his father or mother

• a wayward and rebellious son

(53a)

Comments

[goljerp]

True, but remember that while the death penalty (including stoning) is on the books, the Rabbis jumped through hoops to prevent it from being applied in practice.