Mishnah Keritot 1:1

Sugya Map

• Issue: The Mishnah opens by stating "thirty-six cases in the Torah" are liable for karet (excision).
• Nafka Mina: Understanding the didactic purpose of this specific enumeration, especially given the actual number of karet offenses is demonstrably higher. This impacts the halakha of chiyuv chatat for multiple unwitting transgressions.
• Primary Sources: Mishnah Keritot 1:1; Rambam, Perush HaMishnayot, Keritot 1:1.

Text Snapshot

The Mishnah opens: "שלשים ושש כריתות שבתורה" (M. Keritot 1:1). Rambam clarifies: "והתועלת שיש במה שאמר שלשים ושש אע"פ שמנינם ידוע להודיענו שהעושה מאלו עבירות הרבה בהעלם אחת חייב על כל אחד חטאת על כל שגגה..." (Rambam, Perush HaMishnayot, Keritot 1:1). Dikduk/Leshon Nuance: The phrase "מנינם ידוע" (their number is known) implies the Sages were aware the literal count exceeds 36, setting the stage for Rambam's explanation of its utility rather than literal accuracy.

Readings

Rambam's Didactic Purpose

Rambam argues that the "36" is not a literal count but a pedagogical device. Its utility ("והתועלת") is to teach that if one commits multiple types of karet-bearing offenses within a single period of unwitting ignorance (he'elem echad), one is liable for a separate chatat (sin-offering) for each distinct transgression.

Mishnat Eretz Yisrael: Mnemonic Device

Mishnat Eretz Yisrael notes that numerical openings in Mishnayot (e.g., "ארבע מראות נגעים") often serve as mnemonic aids and thematic organizers rather than precise enumerations. This supports Rambam's reading that the number isn't an exact tally.¹

Friction

The Apparent Discrepancy

How can the Mishnah state "36" karet offenses when the list itself, let alone its toladot (sub-categories), clearly exceeds this number? For instance, the Mishnah lists "המחלל את השבת" (desecrates Shabbat), which encompasses 39 Avot Melachot, each carrying karet.

Rambam's Terutz

Rambam's explanation directly addresses this: the "36" is not a tally of individual prohibitions, but a grouping of categories or types of karet offenses. Its function is to establish the halacha that one who transgresses multiple distinct types of karet in one he'elem is liable for a chatat for each. This clarifies that the Mishnah isn't making a mathematical claim, but a halachic one about the scope of chiyuvei chatat.

Intertext

Rambam explicitly draws a parallel to the "ארבעים חסר אחת" (forty minus one) Avot Melachot (M. Shabbat 7:2). There too, the number functions to teach that each distinct Av Melacha performed unwittingly incurs a separate chatat, even if done in one he'elem.²

Psak/Practice

This Mishnaic framing, clarified by Rambam, establishes a fundamental principle in hilchot korbanot: the liability for a chatat is tied to the type of transgression, not merely the number of actions or the duration of ignorance. This prevents a single chatat from covering multiple, distinct karet violations, underscoring the severity of each.

Takeaway

Mishnaic enumerations often transcend mere counting, serving as sophisticated frameworks to convey core halachic principles regarding liability and atonement.

---

¹ Mishnat Eretz Yisrael, Keritot 1:1:1-2 s.v. "שלשים ושש כריתות בתורה". ² Rambam, Perush HaMishnayot, Keritot 1:1 s.v. "והתועלת שיש במה שאמר".