The Weekly Daf #69 Sanhedrin 51-57 Week of 2-8 Sivan 5755 / 31 May-6 June 1995 By Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions ========================================================================== Ohr Somayach has a NEW Internet Address: ohr@jer1.co.il Also, look for Ohr Somayach, New York, on the World Wide Web. You can find info on the JLE program by pointing to http:/www.torah.org/os ========================================================================== When Logic Stops The kal v'chomer is a method used in the Oral Law to interpret the Written Law. It is a logical deduction which states that if a particular rule applies to a situation which is of a less serious nature (kal) then this rule should certainly apply to a situation of a more serious nature (chomer). An attempt to apply this method to determining a death penalty for an offender is rejected by one school of thought in our Gemara on the grounds that we cannot punish someone on the basis of a kal v'chomer ("din"). The explanation for such limitation is offered by the Maharsha (Sanhedrin 64b): The death penalty administered by the Sanhedrin is an atonement for the sinner, perfectly matched to the gravity of the crime. If someone commits a crime of a more serious nature we cannot assume that he can achieve atonement for that graver sin through the penalty which is sufficient as an atonement for the lighter one. Sanhedrin 54a ========================================================================== The Price of Impatience "Many old camels have carried on their backs the skins of younger ones." This is a folk saying which sums up this background story of the death of Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu: Moshe and Aaron were once walking with Nadav and Avihu behind them, followed by all of Israel. Said Nadav to Avihu: "When will these two old men die so that you and I will lead the generation!" At that moment Hashem said to them: "Let us see who will bury whom!" Sanhedrin 42a =========================================================================== SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion. dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi. ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach. os-alum - "B'Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter. There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as AOL, Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for The Weekly Daf. Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il =========================================================================== (C) 1995 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample issue.