Study Sanhedrin folio 49B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Mishnah: 4 types of the death penalty were given over to the court, with which those who committed certain transgressions are executed. They are, in descending order of severity: Stoning, burning, killing by decapitation, and strangulation. R' Shimon says: They are, in descending order of severit
Talmud: Rava says that Rav Seḥora says that Rav Huna says: Wherever A baraita states a halakha by means of a list, there is no significance to the order of their list, except for in the Mishnah that discusses the 7 abrasive substances, where the order is significant.
As we learned in a Mishnah (Nidda 61b): One applies 7 abrasive substances to the stain found on a woman’s clothing in order to find out whether the stain is from menstrual blood, and therefore ritually impure, or whether it is another type of stain, and therefore pure. These substances are: Bland sp
And it is taught in the latter clause of that Mishnah that the order of the substances is essential, as it states: If one applied them not in the order prescribed for them, or applied all 7 of them at once, he has done nothing; the laundering has not been effective.
Rav Pappa the elder says in the name of Rav: The 4 types of the death penalty are also taught in order. This is apparent from the fact that R' Shimon disagrees with the first order; conclude from it that it is taught in an exact order. The Talmud adds: And the other Sage, Rav Huna, does not include