: Part I
Background: Jesus and Chazal
A. Similarities
תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף כד עמוד ב
המשמיע קולו בתפלתו - הרי זה מקטני אמנה.
המגביה קולו בתפלתו - הרי זה מנביאי השקר
Berachot 24b
One who allows his voice to be heard in payer, he is of little faith. One who raises his voice in prayer, he is one of the false prophets.
Matt. Ch. 6
5. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף כד עמוד א
: כל המסתכל באצבע קטנה של אשה כאילו מסתכל במקום התורף!
Berachot 24a.
Anyone who gazes even at the little finger of a woman, it is as if he gazes at the place of her nakedness
Matt. Ch. 5
27"You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.”' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
English
תלמוד בבלי מסכת בבא מציעא דף נח עמוד ב
תני תנא קמיה דרב נחמן בר יצחק:
כל המלבין פני חבירו ברבים כאילו שופך דמים.
- אמר ליה: שפיר קא אמרת,
דחזינא ליה דאזיל סומקא ואתי חוורא.
Bava Metzia 58b
A Tanna taught before Rav Nachman b. Yitzchaq
Anyone who makes his friend’s face turn white in public,
It is as if he spilled his blood.
Matt. Ch. 5.
22 You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.
Jesus’ & the Law: Differences
Matthew Ch. 5
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Matt Ch 23
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
. . .
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
Shemirat Shabbat
The Gemara in Yoma 85 discusses the source for the rule that one may violate Shabbat in order to save a life. The Gemara cited several opinions including a derasha based on in Exodus 31.
רבי יונתן בן יוסף אומר: כי קדש היא לכם - היא מסורה בידכם, ולא אתם מסורים בידה
Rabbi Yonatan says: The verse states
for it is holy unto you
Rather—the Sabbath is given over to you,
but you are not to be given over to the Sabbath.
Mark Chapter 2:
23: One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24: And the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”
25: And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him:
26: how he entered the house of God, when Abi’athar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”
27: And he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; 28: so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.”
וכרוז יוצא לפניו לפניו אין מעיקרא לא
והתניא [..]בערב הפסח תלאוהו לישו[..]
והכרוז יוצא לפניו מ' יום
ישו יוצא ליסקל על שכישף והסית והדיח את ישראל
כל מי שיודע לו זכות יבא וילמד עליו ו
לא מצאו לו זכות ותלאוהו בערב הפסח
אמר עולא ותסברא בר הפוכי זכות הוא?
מסית הוא ורחמנא אמר (דברים יג, ט) לא תחמול ולא תכסה עליו
אלא שאני ישו דקרוב למלכות הוה
On [Sabbath eve and] the eve of Passover, Jesus [the Nazarene] was hanged. And a crier went before him forty days proclaiming that Jesus [the Nazarene] will be stoned because he practiced sorcery and instigated and seduced Israel to idolatry. Whoever knows anything in his defense may come and state it. But since they did not find anything in his defense, they hanged him on [Sabbath eve and] the eve of Passover.
(ה) המסית אין דיניו כשאר דיני נפשות מכמנין לו את העדים ואינו צריך התראה כשאר הנהרגין ואם יצא מבית דין זכאי ואמר אחד יש לי ללמד עליו חובה מחזירין אותו יצא חייב ואמר אחד יש לי ללמד עליו זכות אין מחזירין אותו ואין טוענין למסית
(ד) כל הנסקלין נתלין, דברי רבי אליעזר. וחכמים אומרים, אינו נתלה, אלא המגדף והעובד עבודה זרה. האיש תולין אותו פניו כלפי העם, והאשה פניה כלפי העץ, דברי רבי אליעזר. וחכמים אומרים, האיש נתלה, ואין האשה נתלית. אמר להן רבי אליעזר, והלא שמעון בן שטח תלה נשים באשקלון. אמרו לו, שמונים נשים תלה, ואין דנין שנים ביום אחד.
(4) All who are stoned are hanged, according to Rabbi Eliezer. But the Sages say, the only [offenders] who are hanged are the blasphemer and the idolator. A man is hanged with his face toward the people, and a woman with her face toward the the gallows, according to Rabbi Eliezer. But the Sages say, a man is hanged, but a woman is not hanged. Rabbi Eliezer said to them, Did Shimon ben Shetach not hang women in Ashkelon? They said to him, he hanged eighty women, and we do not [even] judge two [capital cases] in one day!
. היינו דתנינן שמונים נשים תלה שמעון בן שטח באשקלון ואין דנין שנים ביום אחד אלא שהשעה צריכה לכן:
(ב) מצות הנשרפין, היו משקעין אותו בזבל עד ארכבותיו, ונותנין סודר קשה לתוך הרכה, וכורך על צוארו. זה מושך אצלו וזה מושך אצלו עד שפותח את פיו, ומדליק את הפתילה וזורקה לתוך פיו, ויורדת לתוך מעיו וחומרת את בני מעיו. ... אמר רבי אליעזר בן צדוק, מעשה בבת כהן אחת שזנתה, והקיפוה חבילי זמורות ושרפוה. אמרו לו, מפני שלא היה בית דין שלאותה שעה בקי.
(2) The law [i.e. procedure] concerning those to be burned [is as follows]: They would set him into manure up to his knees, and put a stiff scarf inside a soft one, and wrap it around his neck. One would pull [one end] towards him and one would pull [the other end] towards him, until he [who was being executed] opened his mouth. Then [one] would light a wick and throw it into his mouth, and it would descend into his bowels and burn his entrails... Rabbi Eliezer ben Tzadok said, there was once a priest's daughter who committed adultery; they placed bundles of branches around her and burned her. The [Sages] said to him, [this happened] because the court at that time was not expert.
אימרתא בת טלי בת כהן שזינתה הואי אקפה רב חמא בר טוביה חבילי זמורות ושרפה.
אמר רב יוסף טעה בתרתי
טעה בדרב מתנה וטעה בדתניא (דברים יז, ט) ובאת אל הכהנים הלוים ואל השופט אשר יהיה בימים ההם בזמן שיש כהן יש משפט בזמן שאין כהן אין משפט:
אמר רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק מעשה בבת כהן שזינתה וכו':
אמר רב יוסף בית דין של צדוקים הוה
הכי אמר להו והכי אהדרו ליה
והתניא אמר רבי אלעזר ברבי צדוק זכורני כשהייתי תינוק ומורכב על כתיפו של אבא והביאו בת כהן שזינתה והקיפוה חבילי זמורות ושרפוה
אמרו לו קטן היית ואין מביאין ראיה מן הקטן
שני מעשים הוו
(ו) אין אחד מן העדים נעשה זומם עד שיהיו שניהם זוממין ואין לוקה עד שיהיו שניהם לוקין ואין נהרג עד שיהיו שניהם נהרגים ולא משלם עד שיהיו שניהם משלמין אמר ר' יהודה בן טבאי אראה בנחמה אם לא הרגתי עד זומם בשביל לעקור מלבן של בייתוסין שהיו אומרים עד שיהרג הנדון אמר לו שמעון בן שטח אראה בנחמה אם לא שפכת דם נקי שהרי אמרה תורה (דברים יז) על פי שנים עדים או שלשה עדים יומת המת בעדים ב' ובזוממין ב' מה עדים שנים אף זוממין ב' באותה שעה קבל עליו יהודה בן טבאי שלא יהיה מורה הלכה אלא ע"פ שמעון בן שטח.
תניא ר"א בן יעקב אומר שמעתי שבית דין מכין ועונשין שלא מן התורה ולא לעבור על דברי תורה אלא כדי לעשות סייג לתורה ומעשה באחד שרכב על סוס בשבת בימי יונים והביאוהו לבית דין וסקלוהו לא מפני שראוי לכך אלא שהשעה צריכה לכך
Matthew's account of Jesus' Death
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin (Matt. Ch.26)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. ...59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”“He is worthy of death,” they answered.
Jesus Before Pilate (Matt. Ch.27)
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”“You have said so,” Jesus replied. 12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.“Barabbas,” they answered.22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.They all answered, “Crucify him!”23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.