Which of the four execution methods is considered most severe?
Stoning is the most severe of the four methods. The hierarchy from most to least severe is: stoning > burning > decapitation > strangulation.
Question 2
When a person is liable for two different methods of execution, which is applied?
When someone is liable for two methods of execution — whether from one act or two separate transgressions — the more severe method is applied.
Question 3
When must capital cases be adjudicated, according to Rambam's reading of the Temple requirement?
Capital cases require the Great Sanhedrin to be seated in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. When the Sanhedrin went into exile, capital jurisdiction ended — even though the Temple was still standing.
Question 4
How many years before the Temple's destruction did capital punishment cease in Israel?
Forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple, the Sanhedrin went into exile from its chambers, ending capital jurisdiction. The Temple stood, but the court's proper location did not.
Question 5
What is the tradition regarding where the Sanhedrin will first reconvene in the future?
Tradition holds that the Sanhedrin will first reconvene in Tiberias — its last exile location — before proceeding to the Temple in Jerusalem.