משנה: מִצְוַת הַנֶּהֱרָגִין. הָיוּ מַתִּיזִין אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ בַּסַּיִיף כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת עוֹשָׂה. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר נִיוּוּל הוּא זֶה אֶלָּא מַנִּיחַ אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ עַל הַסַּדָּן וְקוֹצֵץ בַּקּוֹפִיץ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ אֵין מִיתָה מְנוּוֶּלֶת מִזּוֹ. MISHNAH: The order of beheading. They were chopping off his head with a sword just as the [Roman] government does. Rebbi Jehudah says, this is ugliness but one puts his head on the block and cuts it with a butcher knife. They told him, there is no death uglier than this.
הלכה: מִצְוַת הַנֶּהֱרָגִין כול׳. מוֹדֶה רִבִּי יְהוּדָה שֶׁאֵין מִיתָה מְנוּוֶּלֶת מִזּוֹ. אֶלָּא שֶׁאָֽמְרָה תוֹרָה וּבְחֻקּוֹתֵיהֶם לֹ֥א תֵלֵֽכוּ׃ אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. וְתַנֵּי כֵן. יִרְצַח֭ הָרוֹצֵחַ. בְּמַה שֶׁרָצַח. יָכוֹל אִם הֲרָגוֹ בְסַיִיף יַהַרְגֶּנּוּ בְסַיִיף. בַּמַּקֵּל יַהַרְגֶּנּוּ בַּמַּקֵּל. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן נְקִימָה וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן וְהֵֽבֵאתִ֨י עֲלֵיכֶ֜ם חֶ֗רֶב נֹקֶ֨מֶת֙ נְקַם־בְּרִ֔ית. מַה נְקִימָה שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרָה לְהַלָּן בְּחֶרֶב. אַף נְקִימָה שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרָה כָאן מִיתָה בַּחֶרֶב. יָכוֹל יִטְלֶינּוּ מִבֵּין הָאַגַּפַּיִים. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּבַעֵ֛ר הַדָּ֥ם הַנָּקִ֖י מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ. הַבְעָרָה הַבְעָרָה. עֲרִיפָה עֲרִיפָה. מָה הַבְעָרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמְרָה לְהַלָּן מוּל הָעוֹרֶף אַף כָּאן מוּל הָעוֹרֶף. מָה עֲרִיפָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמְרָה לְהַלָּן הַתָּזַת הָרֹאשׁ אַף כָּאן הַתָּזַת הָרֹאשׁ. HALAKHAH: “The order of beheading,” etc. 41Sanhedrin.52b">Babli 52b; Sanhedrin 9:3" href="/Tosefta_Sanhedrin.9.3">Tosephta 9:11.“Rebbi Jehudah agrees that there is no death uglier than this but the Torah said42Leviticus.18.3">Lev. 18:3., in their statutes you shall not walk.” Rebbi Joḥanan said, also it was stated thus: One shall murder the murderer43Numbers.35.30">Num. 35:30: Any homicide; following witnesses one shall murder the murderer., the way he murdered. I could think that if he killed with a sword, one should kill him with a sword, with a rod one should kill him with a rod? Avenging is written here5Exodus.21.20">Ex. 21:20. The slave slain by his master shall be avenged. Sanhedrin.52b">Babli 52b; the Babli text in Mekhilta dR. Ismael p. 273, dR. Simeon bar Iohai p. 175., and there it is written: I shall bring over you a sword which avenges the vengeance of the Covenant6Leviticus.26.25">Lev. 26:25.. Since avenging mentioned there is by the sword, also avenging mentioned here is by the sword. I could think that he44The avenger. should kill him between the arms? It is said here45Deuteronomy.19.19">Deut. 19:19. Since this refers to perjured witnesses, it includes all kinds of death penalties., you shall eliminate the evil from your midst, and it is said there46Deuteronomy.21.9">Deut. 21:9., you shall eliminate the innocent blood from your midst. Elimination, elimination; breaking the neck, breaking the neck47By the doctrine of invariability of lexemes the meaning of “elimination” must be the same in Deuteronomy.19.19">Deut. 19:19 and Deuteronomy.21.9">Deut. 21:9. That of “breaking the neck” in Deuteronomy.21.4">Deut. 21:4 is defined by “neck” in Leviticus.5.8">Lev. 5:8. Since elimination in Deuteronomy.21">Deut. 21 is by breaking the neck, Deuteronomy.19.19">Deut. 19:19 also must refer to the neck. Since strangulation is not mentioned in the Pentateuch, the only method of execution to which this may refer is beheading.. Since elimination here is at the neck, also there it is at the neck. Since breaking the neck there implies chopping off the head, also here chopping off the head.