About this episode
Today's daf is sponsored by Blima Shorchein in loving memory of her mother, Mazal (Tina) bat Rina and David. When King Shlomo executed Yoav ben Tzruya, what was his legal justification? The Gemara details a series of trials: First, Shlomo tried Yoav for killing Avner ben Ner, but Yoav defended himself by claiming it was justified vengeance for Avner's murder of his brother Asael. Next, Shlomo tried him for the killing of Amasa ben Yeter, but again Yoav provided justification for his actions, as Asael rebelled against the king. Finally, Shlomo tried him for an unambiguous crime - joining Adonijah's rebellion against King David - and it was for this act of treason that Yoav was ultimately executed. While the Gemara demonstrates that Yoav's execution was legally justified, it also acknowledges that he possessed notable positive qualities. Regarding the four death penalties prescribed by the Jewish courts: What is their hierarchical order in terms of severity? Which is considered the most severe and which the least? When we find lists of items or actions in the Mishna presented in a specific order, should we understand this ordering as deliberately meaningful or merely incidental?