Sanhedrin

Then Joab was brought before the Court,  and he [Solomon] judged and questioned him, 'Why didst thou kill Abner?'  He answered, 'I was Asahel's  avenger of blood.'  'But Asahel was a pursuer!'  'Even so,' answered he; 'but he [Abner] should have saved himself at the cost of one of his [Asahel's] limbs.'  'Yet perhaps he could not do so, remonstrated [Solomon]. 'If he could aim exactly at the fifth rib,' he retorted, ('even as it is written, Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him at the waist;  concerning which R. Johanan said: It was at the fifth rib, where the gall-bladder and liver are suspended.) — could he not have aimed at one of his limbs?' Thereupon [Solomon] said: 'Let us drop [the incident of] Abner; why didst thou kill Amasa?'  He answered: 'Amasa disobeyed the royal order,  for it is written, Then said the King to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days etc. So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried etc.' 'But,' said he [Solomon], 'Amasa interpreted [the particles] 'Ak and Rak.'  [Thus:] he found them  just as they had begun [the study of] a tractate; whereupon he said: It is written, Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy [the King's] commandments and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death.  Now, one might have thought that this holds good even [when the transgression is committed] for the sake of the study of the law: it is therefore written, only [Rak] be strong and of good courage.  But thou thyself  didst disobey the royal order, for it is written, And the tidings  come to Joab, for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he had turned not after Absalom.  What is the purpose of 'though he had turned not.'  — Rab Judah said: He wished to turn [after him], but did not. And why did he not? — R. Eleazar said: David still possessed his vitality.  R. Jose the son of R. Hanina said: David's star  was still in the ascendant, for Rab Judah said in Rab's name:  Four hundred children had David, all the issue of yefoth to'ar; they had long locks, and used to march at the head of the troops; it was they who were the men of power in David's household. This [view of Joab] is in contradiction to the view held by R. Abba b. Kahana, who said: But for David,  Joab would not have succeeded in  war; and but for Joab, David could not have devoted himself to [the study of] the Torah, for it is written, And David executed justice and righteousness for all his people, and Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host:  — i.e., why was David able to execute 'justice and righteousness for all his people'? — Because 'Joab was over the host.' And why was 'Joab over the host'?  — Because 'David executed justice and righteousness for all his people.' And when Joab was come out from David he sent messengers after Abner and they brought him back from Bor-Sira.  What meaning has [the name] Bor-Sira? — R. Abba b. Kahana said: Bor  and Sira  caused Abner to be killed. And Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly.  R. Johanan said: He judged him according to the law of the Sanhedrin.  Thus he asked him: 'Why didst thou kill Asahel?' — 'Because Asahel was my pursuer.' 'Then thou shouldst have saved thyself  at the cost of one of his limbs!' 'I could not do that,' [he answered]. 'If thou couldst aim exactly at his fifth rib, couldst thou not have prevailed against him by [wounding] one of his limbs?' 'To speak with him ba-sheli [quietly]:' Rab Judah said in Rab's name: [He spoke to him] concerning the putting off [of the shoe].  'And smote him there at the waist:' R. Johanan said: At the fifth rib, where the gall-bladder and liver are suspended. And the Lord will return his [Joab's] blood upon his own head because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he.  'Better,' because they interpreted aright [the particles] 'ak and rak,  whilst he did not;  'More righteous,' because they were instructed verbally,  yet did not obey, whereas he was instructed in a letter,  and nevertheless carried it out. But Amasa did not beware of the sword that was in Joab's hand.  Rab said: That was because he did not suspect him. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.  But was his house a wilderness?  — Rab Judah said in Rab's name: It was like a wilderness, just as a wilderness is free to all, so was Joab's house free to all.  Alternatively: 'Like a wilderness' means, just as a wilderness is free from robbery and licentiousness,  so was Joab's house free from robbery and licentiousness. And Joab kept alive  the rest of the city:  R. Judah said: Even fish broth and hashed fish he would merely taste and then distribute to the poor.