Sanhedrin 44: Achan; Avoiding Litigation & Finding Solutions; Prep for Stoning

A brief outline of the basic ideas presented in today's daf:

• Achan's crime of having intercourse with a betrothed woman is analyzed at length.  Was his sin also representative of the sins of the Jewish people?  How were the Jewish people able to be led by Joshua into the land of Israel?
• People should avoid litigation when at all possible.  Instead, we should try to settle issues with our neighbours (Proverbs 25:8-9).
• The rabbis discuss a possible connection between Achan's transgression and his father.  Are children named based on their behaviours?  Are the sins of sons connected to the sins of their fathers?

Our daf ends with a new Mishna, which continues telling what happens to one who is convicted of a crime punishable by stoning.  Rabbi Yehuda says that at four cubits from the place of stoning, his/her clothes are removed and a man is covered in the front while a woman is covered in the front and the back.  The rabbis disagree, asserting that women leave their clothing on while approaching the place where they will be stoned.