For the source text click/tap here: Sanhedrin 80
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The Mishnah (79b) records two opinions in a case in which one group of people -- who were sentenced to be killed with Sekilah -- became mixed with a larger group of people who were sentenced to be killed with Sereifah (see Rashi on the Mishnah). Rebbi Shimon rules that the entire combined group receives Sekilah, because he maintains that Sereifah is a more severe form of death (and out of doubt Beis Din may not give the more severe form of death to those who might not be deserving of it). The Rabanan argue and say that the entire group receives Sereifah, because they maintain that Sekilah is more severe than Sereifah.
We continue our exploration of fetal status liability and Rachel Neis’ work on:
"Fetus, Flesh, Food: Generating Bodies of Knowledge in Rabbinic Science.”