''Sanhedrin'' () is one of ten tractates of Seder

Nezikin ''Nezikin'' ( he, נזיקין ''Neziqin'', "Damages") or ''Seder Nezikin'' (, "The Order of Damages") is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court s ...

(a section of the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

that deals with damages, i.e. civil and criminal proceedings). It originally formed one tractate with

Makkot Makot (in Hebrew: מכות) (in English: "Lashes") is a tractate of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the fifth volume of the order of Nezikin. Makkot deals primarily with laws of the Jewish courts (beis din) and the punishments which they may adminis ...

, which also deals with criminal law. The

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah ...

of the tractate is noteworthy as precursors to the development of

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omniprese ...

principles, for example the presumption of innocence and the rule that a criminal conviction requires the concurrence of twelve.

Summary of Sanhedrin

Within Seder Nezikin, the Sanhedrin focuses on questions of jurisdiction,

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law ...

and punishments. The tractate includes eleven chapters, addressing the following topics: # The different levels of courts and which cases each level presides over # Laws of the high priest and Jewish king and their involvement in court proceedings # Civil suits: acceptable witnesses and judges and the general proceedings # The difference between criminal and civil cases, general proceedings in criminal cases # Court procedures, including examination of witnesses and the voting of the judges # Procedures for execution after condemnation, especially stoning # The 4 types of capital punishments, details of crimes which merit stoning (in fact stoning was only actually done if the convict survived being dropped off a 5-meter cliff first) # The rebellious son, and other crimes for which the offender is killed before committing the actual prohibition, and the commandments which Jews are to die before violating. # Details of crimes meriting capital punishment by burning (actually the pouring of hot lead down the throat, the

Sadducee The Sadducees (; he, צְדוּקִים, Ṣədūqīm) were a socio- religious sect of Jewish people who were active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Th ...

heretics instead used burning at the stake) or beheading; auxiliary punishments # Details of crimes meriting capital punishment by strangulation (i.e. hanging) # The

World to Come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or ...

and who does not receive it. This chapter is known individually by ''Helek'', one of its opening words. This is the order found in the Gemara, but the Mishna has the last 2 chapters reversed in order.

3. Civil Suits

Disqualified witnesses: Gamblers, usurers, those who engage in commerce with sabbatical year produce.

External links

Sanhedrin Tractate
Jewish Virtual Library
Full Hebrew and English text of the Mishnah for tractate Sanhedrin
on

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Full Hebrew and English text of the Talmud Bavli for tractate Sanhedrin
on

Full Hebrew text of the Talmud Yerushalmi for tractate Sanhedrin
on

Full Hebrew text of the Tosefta for tractate Sanhedrin
on

{{mishnah Talmud Jewish courts and civil law Oral Torah