Sanhedrin

MISHNAH. NOW, THE FOLLOWING ARE REGARDED AS RELATIONS;  A BROTHER,  FATHER'S BROTHER, MOTHER'S BROTHER, SISTER'S HUSBAND, THE HUSBAND OF ONE'S PATERNAL OR MATERNAL AUNT, A STEP-FATHER, FATHER-IN-LAW, AND BROTHER-IN-LAW [ON THE SIDE OF ONE'S WIFE]; ALL THESE WITH THEIR SONS AND SONS-IN-LAW; AND ONE'S STEPSON HIMSELF. R. JOSE SAID: THIS IS [THE TEXT OF] R. AKIBA'S MISHNAH;  BUT THE FIRST MISHNAH  [READS]: AN UNCLE AND HIS SON,  AND WHOEVER IS ELIGIBLE TO BE ONE'S HEIR.  AND ALL WHO WERE RELATED AT THAT MOMENT.  IF ONE HAD BEEN RELATED, BUT SUBSEQUENTLY CEASED TO BE SO,  HE IS ELIGIBLE. R. JUDAH HOLDS; EVEN IF ONE'S DAUGHTER HAS DIED, BUT HE [THE SON-IN-LAW] HAS HAD CHILDREN BY HER, HE STILL RANKS AS A KINSMAN. FURTHER, A FRIEND OR AN ENEMY [IS INELIGIBLE]. BY 'FRIEND' ONE'S GROOMSMAN  IS MEANT; BY 'ENEMY', ANY MAN WHO, BY REASON OF ENMITY, HAS NOT SPOKEN TO ONE FOR THREE DAYS, IS UNDERSTOOD.TO THIS THE RABBIS REPLIED: ISRAELITES, AS A RULE, ARE NOT TO BE SUSPECTED ON SUCH GROUNDS. GEMARA. Whence is this law derived? — From what our Rabbis taught: The fathers shall not be put to death for [on account of] the children.  What does this teach? Is it that fathers shall not be executed for sins committed by their children and vice versa? But is it not already explicitly stated, Every man shall be put to death for his own sin?  Hence, Fathers shall not be put to death on account of children, must mean, fathers shall not be put to death on the testimony of their sons and similarly, and sons shall not be put to death on account of fathers, means, nor sons on the testimony of their fathers. [To revert to the text.] Are not children then to be put to death for the sins committed by their parents? Is it not written, Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children?  — There the reference is to children who follow their parents' footsteps.  As it has been taught: And also in the iniquities of their parents shall they pine away with them,  [i.e.,] if they hold fast to the evil doings of their fathers. Thou sayest thus: Yet perhaps it is not so, but true even if they do not hold fast to their [evil] doings?  When Scripture states, Every man shall be put to death for his own sin,  [it must refer to those who do not hold fast to their fathers' ways. Then how shall we interpret, And also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them?]— As referring to those who continue in the ways of their fathers.  But do they [really] not [suffer for the sins committed by others]? Is it not written, And they shall stumble one upon another,  meaning, One [will stumble] through the sin of the other, which teaches that all are held responsible for one another?  — There the reference is to such as had the power to restrain [their fellowmen from evil] but did not.