Makkot

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Makkot is a tractate in the Mishnah and Talmud. It’s the fifth volume of the order called Nezikin and mainly deals with the laws of the religious courts (beth din) and the punishments they may impose. It continues the discussion from the tractate Sanhedrin.

- The third chapter lists 59 offenses that carry lashes (malkot). These include: three priestly sins in marriage, four forbidden marriages, seven incestuous sexual relations, eight violations of dietary laws, twelve breaches of negative commandments, and twenty-five abuses of Levitical laws and vows.
- If a sin continues after warnings, the punishment depends on how many times warnings were given (hatra’ah).
- The Mishnah says the maximum is 39 lashes for one offense, but the court must check that the person can endure them without endangering life. The offender is bound to a post, and a public executioner administers the lashes while a judge recites verses (Deuteronomy 28:58–59; 29:8; Psalm 78:38).
- Someone guilty of a sin punished by kareth (excision) may be cleared by flogging.
- A midrash by Hanina ben Gamaliel adds: if sin costs a person their soul, the act of willingly accepting punishment may help save it.

(Note: this is a concise summary of the tractate Makkot.)