מסכת מכות
Presented by: Ephraim Diamond
© 2026Winter 5787
Chaburah 1
לע"נ אבא חנוך העניך בן חיים יהודה אריה לייב הכהן
Chaburah 1

Topics Covered in Chaburah 1

  1. 1What is a Mishnah?
  2. 2Introduction to Masechta Makkos: three topics, three punishments
  3. 3From Sanhedrin to Makkos: how Beis Din punishes
  4. 4The Tannaim of our Masechta
  5. 5What we will learn
Chaburah 1

What Is a Mishnah?

  • Before we open Makkos: where does a Mishnah come from, and how is one built?
Chaburah 1

Introduction to מסכת מכות

  • Mesechtas Makkos has three primary topics:
  • Edim Zomemin: false witnesses who are refuted, and the Torah's rule כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם, that they receive what they plotted (Perek 1).
  • Galus: one who kills בִּשְׁגָגָה goes into exile in the ערי מקלט (Perek 2).
  • Malkus: the lashes Beis Din gives, אַרְבָּעִים חָסֵר אַחַת (Perek 3).
Chaburah 1

Introduction to מסכת מכות

  • Makkos picks up exactly where Mesechtas Sanhedrin ends.
  • In fact, many Mefarshim treat Sanhedrin and Makkos as one long Mesechta.
Chaburah 1

The Map of Masechta Sanhedrin

פרקים א–גבֵּית דִּין

The Courts

Perakim 1–3

Who judges, how many judges - and who may not testify?

דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה

פרקים ד–הדִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת

Capital Cases

Perakim 4–5

How a life-and-death trial is run, and how the witnesses are examined

חֲקִירוֹת וּבְדִיקוֹת

פרקים ו–יאאַרְבַּע מִיתוֹת

The Four Deaths

Perakim 6–11

Who is stoned, burned, killed by the sword or strangled?

מִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין

Chaburah 1

The Map of Masechta Makkos

פרק אעֵדִים זוֹמְמִין

False Witnesses

10 Mishnayos

When do lying witnesses get what they plotted?

כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם

פרק בגָּלוּת

Exile

8 Mishnayos

Who runs to an ir miklat — and until when?

עָרֵי מִקְלָט

פרק גמַלְקוֹת

Lashes

16 Mishnayos

Which aveiros receive lashes — and how many?

אַרְבָּעִים חָסֵר אַחַת

Chaburah 1

The Tannaim of our Mesechta

  • Makkos has a big cast: sixteen named Tannaim, most of whom speak only once or twice.
  • Perek One closes with four great voices on capital punishment: Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva and Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (1:10).
  • The voices we will hear most:
  • Rabbi Yehuda: in 7 Mishnayos
  • Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Shimon: 5 each
  • Rebbi himself, who compiled the Mishnah (1:8, 2:1)
  • The Mesechta ends with Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya (3:16)
Chaburah 1

The Tannaim of Makkos by Generation

דור ב׳יַבְנֶה

Yavneh

c. 80–120 CE

Rabbi Eliezer (3:5)

Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya (1:10)

Rabbi Tarfon (1:10)

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov* (2:2)

דור ג׳רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא

Before Bar Kochva

c. 110–135 CE

Rabbi Akiva (1:7, 1:10, 2:7)

Rabbi Chananya ben Gamliel (3:15)

דור ד׳אוּשָׁא

Usha

c. 135–170 CE

Rabbi Meir

Rabbi Yehuda

Rabbi Yossi

Rabbi Shimon

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (1:10)

דור ה׳רַבִּי

Rebbi's generation

c. 170–200 CE

Rebbi (1:8, 2:1)

Rabbi Yossi bar Yehuda (2:3, 2:6)

Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda (3:6)

Rabbi Shimon bar Rebbi (3:15)

* Two Tannaim are named Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov; which one speaks in 2:2 is uncertain. Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya (3:16) cannot be dated.
Chaburah 1

What We Will Learn

פרק אEdim Zomemin
Ka'asher zamam - always?1:1
Four witnesses, one penalty: split or not?1:2–1:3
"You were with us!" - what makes a witness a zomem?1:4–1:5
When are zomemin executed?1:6
Does one relative spoil a hundred witnesses?1:7–1:8
How often may a court execute?1:9–1:10
פרק בGalus
Who goes into galus?2:1
A stone thrown into his own courtyard2:2
Father, son, rebbi - who goes into galus for whom?2:3
Where are the arei miklat?2:4–2:5
Why does galus end with the Kohen Gadol's death?2:6–2:8
פרק גMalkus
Who receives lashes?3:1–3:3
One act, many lavim - how many lashes?3:4–3:9
Why thirty-nine, not forty?3:10–3:14
Do lashes erase kareis?3:15–3:16
← Makkos 5787