To Life

How did they examine the witnesses? It is written: Then thou shalt inquire, and make search, and ask diligently, and behold if it be true (Deut. 13:15). At the time they examined the witnesses concerning a sin an individual had committed, the Sanhedrin and all the Israelites would go out into the public square. They brought there the individual who had been charged with the offense which required stoning or one of the four death penalties that were imposed by the Beth Din. Two or three of the most distinguished leaders of the community would come forth and would question the witness. After they returned from the cross-examination, a member of the Sanhedrin would say to them: “What is your decision?” And they would say: If life, "To life"; and, if death, "To death." If he were to be sentenced to stoning, they would bring a pleasant-tasting but potent wine, and give it to him to drink so that he would not suffer pain from the stoning. Then the witnesses would come, bind his hands and feet, and place him where the stoning was to occur. The witnesses would then take a large stone, (large) enough to kill him, and would place it upon his heart. How did they place it on his heart? They did so simultaneously in order that no one of them might lower his portion of the stone before his companion. They would place it on his heart together to conform to the verse: Thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death (Deut. 13:10). After that all the Israelites were free to pelt him with stones. They did this to everyone condemned to death by the Beth Din.

Similarly, when the representative of the community held the Kiddush or Havdalah cup in his hand, he would fear that it would contain deadly poison, so he would say: “Have you agreed, what is your decision?”

And the congregation would respond: “To life”; that is to say, May this cup be for the living.

There was an incident with Rabbi Akiva, who made a drinking party for his son: upon each and every barrel he opened, he said, "Life to our rabbis and life to their students."

There was an incident with Rabbi Akiva, who made a drinking party for his son, Shimon: upon each and every barrel he opened, he blessed upon it, saying, "Good wine for the rabbis and their students."

There was an incident with Rabbi Akiva who made a drinking party for his son, and over each and every cup he brought, he said: "Wine and life to the mouth of the Sages, life and wine to the mouth of the Sages and to the mouth of their students."