Positive Commandment 226 (Digest)
Execution by Beheading
"[The sin] shall surely be avenged"—Exodus 21:20.
Transgressors of certain sins are to be executed via decapitation.
The 226th mitzvah is that we are commanded to execute by the sword those who transgress certain mitzvos.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), [the death] "must be avenged."
In our list of the prohibitions we will point out which mitzvos are punishable by decapitation.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 7th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
Positive Commandment 227 (Digest)
Execution by Strangulation
"He shall be put to death"—Exodus 21:16.
Transgressors of certain sins are to be executed via strangulation.
The 227th mitzvah is that we are commanded to execute by strangulation those who transgress certain mitzvos.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "He shall be put to death."
In our list of the prohibitions we will point out which mitzvos are punishable by strangulation.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 7th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
Positive Commandment 230 (Digest)
Hanging
The 230th mitzvah is that we are commanded to hang certain individuals who have been executed by the High Court.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "You must hang him on a gallows."
In our list of the prohibitions we will point out for which mitzvos the transgressor is hung.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 6th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
Positive Commandment 231 (Digest)
Burying the Dead
"You shall surely bury him on the same day"—Deuteronomy 21:23.
We are commanded to bury those executed by the courts on the same day of their execution.
The same applies to all dead—every Jewish deceased must be buried on the day of the passing. (This is why a person who died with no one to care for his interment is called a "met mitzvah" (a "mitzvah corpse"), because it is a mitzvah on everyone to ensure that he is buried.)
The 231st mitzvah is that we are commanded to bury those who have been executed by the High Court on the same day of their execution.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "[You may not allow his body to remain on the gallows overnight,] you must certainly bury him on the same day."
The Sifri says, "The phrase, 'You must certainly bury him' is a positive commandment."
This law applies to all deceased; every Jew should be buried on the day in which he passes away. This is the reason why a person who has nobody to arrange his burial is called a "meis mitzvah." This means that he is a meis (dead person) for which the mitzvah is on every individual to bury. [The mitzvah referred to is] G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "You must certainly bury him [on the same day]."
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 6th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
Negative Commandment 66 (Digest)
Leaving a Corpse Hanging Overnight
"His body shall not remain all night upon the tree"—Deuteronomy 21:23.
It is forbidden to leave a corpse that was hung by the courts hanging overnight.
This because only two offenses are punishable by hanging [post execution]: idolatry and blasphemy. As such, someone seeing the hanging corpse might contemplate the reason why the individual was hanged, and will come to blaspheme G‑d in his thoughts.
[This prohibition also includes leaving any Jewish corpse unburied overnight, unless the delay in the internment is in honor of the deceased; e.g., to allow time for relatives to arrive for the funeral.]
The 66th prohibition is that we are forbidden from leaving a person hung on a tree [after being executed by the High Court] overnight. This is to prevent a person who would see him from repeating in his thought a curse against G‑d, since the only ones who are hanged are those who cursed G‑d or who worshipped idols. The verse also terms the latter as having "cursed G‑d."
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's statement, "You may not allow his body to remain on the gallows overnight."
The Sifri says, "The phrase, 'You may not allow his body to remain on the gallows overnight,' is a prohibition.
The details of this mitzvah are explained in the 6th chapter of tractate Sanhedrin.
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