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Text Excerpt
דין ארבע מיתות לא בטלו. מי שנתחייב סקילה — או נופל מן הגג, או חיה דורסתו. ומי שנתחייב שריפה — או נופל בדליקה, או נחש מכישו. ומי שנתחייב הריגה — או נמסר למלכות, או ליסטים באין עליו. ומי שנתחייב חנק — או טובע בנהר, או מת בסרונכי?! אלא, איפוך: אריא וגנבי בידי שמים, צינים ופחים בידי אדם.
the punishment of the 4 death penalties was not abolished. How so? One who was liable to be executed by stoning either falls from the roof or an animal tramples him. That is similar to stoning, which involves being pushed off an elevated place and then stoned. And one who was liable to be executed by burning either falls into a conflagration or a snake bites him, which creates a burning sensation. And one who was liable to be executed by decapitation is either handed over to the ruling monarchy for execution by sword, or bandits attack and kill him. And one who was liable to be executed by strangulation either drowns in a river, or dies of diphtheria [serunki]. Rather, reverse the order of the previous statement: A lion and thieves are cases of harm at the hand of Heaven, while cold and heat are cases of harm at the hands of man.
רבא אמר, טעמא דרבי נחוניא בן הקנה מהכא: ״ואם העלם יעלימו עם הארץ את עיניהם מן האיש ההוא בתתו מזרעו למולך. ושמתי אני את פני באיש ההוא ובמשפחתו והכרתי אותו״, אמרה תורה: כרת שלי כמיתה שלכם, מה מיתה שלכם — פטור מן התשלומין. אף כרת שלי — פטור מן התשלומין.
Rava said an additional explanation: The rationale for the opinion of R' Neḥunya ben HaKana is from here. It is written that one who gives his children to Molech is liable to be executed by stoning: “And if the people of the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and do not put him to death; then I will set My face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off [vehikhrati]” (Leviticus 20:4–5). Through the juxtaposition in this verse the Torah said: My karet is like your death penalty; just as one who is liable to receive your death penalty is exempt from the associated payments, so too, one who is liable to receive My karet is exempt from the associated payments.