Another sin mentioned in the Mishnah for which a person gets sekilah (execution) is mechashef, somebody who does magic. If somebody actually makes something happen through magic, he would be liable for execution, but somebody who only makes it appear as if he did something through illusion or sleight of hand would not. That's just an illusion. That person would not be put to death. Rabbi Akiva says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua that there could be two people who use magic to gather cucumbers, bringing them all to one spot in the field. One of these two people gathering them might not be liable for execution, while the other would be liable for execution. How could that be? One of the two who actually brings the cucumbers all together and gathers them through his magic would be chayav, he would be liable, but somebody who creates the illusion that he is bringing the cucumbers together, when in reality he is not, would not be liable.
Torah Lecture
Mishnah Sanhedrin 7-11
Lectured by Rabbi Joseph Dana
- Lecture code
- RJD-MSAN-7-11
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