וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּקְרַ֤ב אֶל־כָּל־בְּהֵמָה֙ לְרִבְעָ֣ה אֹתָ֔הּ וְהָרַגְתָּ֥ אֶת־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָ֑ה מ֥וֹת יוּמָ֖תוּ דְּמֵיהֶ֥ם בָּֽם׃
И если женщина приблизится к какому-нибудь зверю и сядет там, ты убьешь женщину и зверя: они непременно будут преданы смерти; их кровь будет на них.
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
This mishnah lists all of those who are executed by stoning and then begins to explain some of the details. Most of these crimes are specifically listed in the Torah as being punishable by stoning. Some are learned through an analogy with other crimes. We will mention the verses for each crime.(1) one who has sexual relations with his mother: Leviticus 18:7, 20:11. (2) with his father's wife: Leviticus 18:8, 20:11. (3) with his daughter -in-law: Leviticus 20:12. (4) with a male: Leviticus 20:13. (5) with a beast: Leviticus 20:15. (6) a woman who commits bestiality with a beast: Leviticus 20:16. (7) a blasphemer: Leviticus 24:15-16. (8) an idolater: Deuteronomy 17:2-5. (9) one who gives of his seed to molech: Leviticus 20:2. (10) a necromancer or a wizard: Leviticus 20:27. (11) one who desecrates the Sabbath: Number 15:35. (12) he who curses his father or mother: Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9. (13) he who commits adultery with a betrothed woman: Deuteronomy 22:23-24. (14) one who incites [individuals to idolatry: Deuteronomy 13:7-11. (15) one who seduces [a whole town to idolatry]: Deuteronomy 13:7-11. (16) a sorcerer: Exodus 22:17, Deuteronomy 18:10. (17) a wayward and rebellious son: Deuteronomy 21:18-21. The rest of chapter seven will deal with the first 16 of these issues.
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
A beast that has sexual relations with a woman or with a man is [judged] by twenty three, as it says, “You shall execute the woman and the beast” (Lev. 20:16) and it says, “You shall execute the beast”. According to Lev. 2O:15-16 when a man or woman has sexual relations with an animal, not only are the human beings to be executed but the animal as well. Our mishnah teaches that just as the human beings are judged by twenty three so too are the animals.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל וגו', “the woman saw that the tree was good as food, etc.” The sages (Berachot 40) disagree as to the exact nature of this tree.
Some say it was a fig tree and they base themselves on the fact that immediately after eating from the tree Adam and Chavah are described as covering their genitals with fig leaves (verse 7). They feel that this shows that the very thing which had become their downfall now had become the instrument of their rehabilitation.
Other sages believe that the tree in question was the grapevine. This is why we read in Bereshit Rabbah 19,8 Chavah squeezed the juice from the grapes and brought it to her husband. Seeing that its appearance was red like blood, their blood would be spilled and the blood of the whole universe, tit for tat, measure for measure, the punishment fitting the crime. The blood of the female of the species which would be spilled at regular intervals is the menstrual blood. This is also the mystical dimension of Deut. 32,14: “and the blood of the grapes you will drink as if it were delicious wine.” The Torah called the grape “blood,” seeing that grapes had brought blood into the world.
Still another view is that of Rabbi Abba from Acco in Bereshit Rabbah 15,8 who believes that the tree in question was the Etrog tree, the citron fruit.
Other scholars were aghast at all such suggestions, saying that there can be no question that G-d did not reveal the nature of this tree to any man living or in the future. As proof for their view that the Torah deliberately concealed what tree it was they cite Leviticus 20,16 ואשה אשר תקרב אל כל בהמה לרבעה אותה והרגת את האשה ואת הבהמה. “And a woman who approaches any animal for it to mate with her, you shall kill the woman and the animal, etc.” To the question that if the woman has sinned why should the animal be killed also, what sin did it commit?” The answer given is that the animal must not be allowed to survive as otherwise people would point to it saying: “this is the animal which caused a certain woman to be executed.” If G-d had been so concerned with the honour or dignity of His creatures, would He not be equally concerned with His own honour and not reveal that He Himself had been the cause of man’s death by allowing man to point to that tree?
Some say it was a fig tree and they base themselves on the fact that immediately after eating from the tree Adam and Chavah are described as covering their genitals with fig leaves (verse 7). They feel that this shows that the very thing which had become their downfall now had become the instrument of their rehabilitation.
Other sages believe that the tree in question was the grapevine. This is why we read in Bereshit Rabbah 19,8 Chavah squeezed the juice from the grapes and brought it to her husband. Seeing that its appearance was red like blood, their blood would be spilled and the blood of the whole universe, tit for tat, measure for measure, the punishment fitting the crime. The blood of the female of the species which would be spilled at regular intervals is the menstrual blood. This is also the mystical dimension of Deut. 32,14: “and the blood of the grapes you will drink as if it were delicious wine.” The Torah called the grape “blood,” seeing that grapes had brought blood into the world.
Still another view is that of Rabbi Abba from Acco in Bereshit Rabbah 15,8 who believes that the tree in question was the Etrog tree, the citron fruit.
Other scholars were aghast at all such suggestions, saying that there can be no question that G-d did not reveal the nature of this tree to any man living or in the future. As proof for their view that the Torah deliberately concealed what tree it was they cite Leviticus 20,16 ואשה אשר תקרב אל כל בהמה לרבעה אותה והרגת את האשה ואת הבהמה. “And a woman who approaches any animal for it to mate with her, you shall kill the woman and the animal, etc.” To the question that if the woman has sinned why should the animal be killed also, what sin did it commit?” The answer given is that the animal must not be allowed to survive as otherwise people would point to it saying: “this is the animal which caused a certain woman to be executed.” If G-d had been so concerned with the honour or dignity of His creatures, would He not be equally concerned with His own honour and not reveal that He Himself had been the cause of man’s death by allowing man to point to that tree?
Rashi
כל שכב עם בהמה מות יומת — All who have carnal connection with beasts, whether men or women, shall surely be put to death — by stoning, for it states of such, (Leviticus 20:16) “their blood is upon them” (cf. Rashi on Exodus 21:17) (Mekhilta)].
Rashi
ואותה החייתי AND IT WOULD I HAVE KEPT ALIVE — but now because it spoke and rebuked you andyou could not stand against its rebuke, — just as it is written, "and he said, No!" — I have killed it in order that people should not be able to say: This is the animal that silenced Balaam by its rebuke, so that he could not reply. For God has regard for human dignity. Similar is (Leviticus 20:16): “And thou shalt slay the woman and the animal (with which sin was committed)”, and similarly Leviticus 20:15): “And the animal shalt thou slay” (Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 9).