Sanhedrin 56B

Study Sanhedrin folio 56B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.

Text Excerpt

רבי חנניה בן גמלא אומר: אף על הדם מן החי. רבי חידקא אומר: אף על הסירוס. רבי שמעון אומר: אף על הכישוף.

R' Ḥananya ben Gamla says: The descendants of Noah are also commanded concerning the prohibition against consuming the blood from a living animal. R' Ḥideka says: They are also commanded concerning castration, i.e., they are prohibited to castrate any living animal. R' Shimon says: They are also commanded concerning the prohibition against engaging in sorcery.

רבי יוסי אומר: כל האמור בפרשת כישוף ⁠– בן נח מוזהר עליו. ״לא ימצא בך מעביר בנו ובתו באש קסם קסמים מעונן ומנחש ומכשף. וחבר חבר ושאל אוב וידעני ודרש אל המתים וגו׳. ובגלל התועבת האלה ה׳ אלהיך מוריש אותם מפניך״. ולא ענש אלא אם כן הזהיר.

R' Yosei says: With regard to every type of sorcery that is stated in the passage about sorcery, it is prohibited for a descendant of Noah to engage in it. This is derived from the verses: “When you come into the land that YHWH your God gives you, you should not learn to do like the abominations of those nations. There should not be found among you one who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, a diviner, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a warlock, or a charmer, or one who consults a necromancer and a sorcerer, or directs inquiries to the dead. For whoever does these things is an abomination to YHWH; and because of these abominations, YHWH your God is driving them out from before you” (Deuteronomy 18:9–12). Evidently, the Canaanites were punished for these practices; and since God would not have punished them for an action unless He first prohibited it, these practices are clearly prohibited to non-Jews.

רבי אלעזר אומר: אף על הכלאים. מותרין בני נח ללבוש כלאים ולזרוע כלאים, ואין אסורין אלא בהרבעת בהמה ובהרכבת האילן.

R' Elazar says: The descendants of Noah were also commanded concerning the prohibition of diverse kinds. Nevertheless, it is permitted for the descendants of Noah to wear diverse kinds of wool and linen and to sow diverse kinds of seeds together, and they are prohibited only with regard to breeding diverse species of animals and grafting diverse species of trees.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.