About this episode
Study Guide Sanhedrin 8 Today's daf is sponsored by Gila Pollack in loving memory of her mother in law, Menorah Rotenberg, Menora bat Sara Gittel v'Yechezkel, who passed away suddenly last week. "Menorah was in the first kindergarten class at Ramaz, and was upset that the girls had to learn sewing instead of Gemara like the boys. She complained to Rabbi Lookstein and was given permission to learn Gemara with the boys. This was just the start of her fighting for equality for women in Jewish life and practice. She will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren and friends." The sages derive various laws relating to judges by analyzing the verses at the beginning of Devarim, where Moshe explains how he established the court system. A braita then introduces another matter requiring three people - zimun . Initially, the Gemara interprets this as referring to the blessing after eating, but this interpretation is rejected, and zimun is instead explained as a subpoena, which needs to state that three people decided to summon the person to the court. The Mishna states that cases involving double payment for theft must be judged by a court of three. Rav Nachman bar Rav Chisda asked: Can payment of a fine be judged by one specialist as in theft and injuries (that require three judges, but are also able to be ruled by one specialist)? Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak answers from an inference of a statement of Rav that it requires three specialists. The Mishna also presents a debate between Rabbi Meir and the rabbis regarding a defamer (one who falsely accuses his new wife of not being a virgin when they married). They disagree about whether a court of three or twenty-three should judge such a case. The Gemara explores several explanations for the root of this debate, with most explanations limiting the disagreement to specific scenarios.