Mishnah
Mishnah

Talmud for Sanhedrin 8:1

בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, מֵאֵימָתַי נַעֲשֶׂה בֵן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה, מִשֶּׁיָּבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת וְעַד שֶׁיַּקִּיף זָקָן, הַתַּחְתּוֹן וְלֹא הָעֶלְיוֹן, אֶלָּא שֶׁדִּבְּרוּ חֲכָמִים בְּלָשׁוֹן נְקִיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כא), כִּי יִהְיֶה לְאִישׁ בֵּן, בֵּן וְלֹא בַת, בֵּן וְלֹא אִישׁ. הַקָּטָן פָּטוּר, שֶׁלֹּא בָא לִכְלָל מִצְוֹת:

Ben sorer umoreh (a rebellious son): From when does one become "a rebellious son?" From the time he brings two hairs, [when he is thirteen years and one day old; for before this time, hairs are not a sign (of maturity), but only fuzz] until he is "circled" by a beard. The lower and not the upper [i.e., this "beard" spoken of by the rabbis is the lower, that circling the penis], but the sages speak euphemistically, viz. (Deuteronomy 21:18): "If there be to a man a son…" — a son, and not a daughter; a son, and not a man. A minor is not liable, not having entered the realm of mitzvoth. [When he is "circled" by the lower beard, he is a man. And even though he is called a "son" when he is a minor, we cannot hold him liable before he brings two hairs, a minor being exempt, not having entered the realm of mitzvoth. For this reason, his liability begins thereafter. The verse is understood thus: "If there be to a man a son" — a son close to the estate of man. But when he is circled by the lower beard he is already a man.]

Jerusalem Talmud Yevamot

The following is obvious: If a person younger than twenty years of age developed two pubic hairs, he becomes a man retroactively. Older than twenty years of age, he becomes a man from that point into the future221The Babli, 80b and Niddah 47b, disagrees and treats the man who at age 20 has no pubic hair and shows the body characteristics of a castrate as castrated by nature who never will be accepted as a man; otherwise he will be a minor until age 35, half the normal life span. (There is an Amora who disagrees and holds that many cases of impotent men without pubic hair can be treated medically.). Where do they disagree? If he is twenty. Samuel said, he becomes a man retroactively. Rav said, he becomes a man from that point into the future222In the Babli, 80a, Rav holds that if he or she are late to grow pubic hair but do so before they reach 20, they retroactively become adult and can be prosecuted for any crimes committed earlier; Samuel holds that they remain underage until they grow pubic hair or reach age 18 when they immediately become adults.. A baraita disagrees with both of them: The castrate cannot become a rebellious son223Deut. 21:18–21. Since he is called “son” rather than “child”, it is concluded that he must be an adult. The Babli concurs, 80a. since he has no pubic hair. Should one not warn him, maybe he will develop two pubic hairs within the next three months? Following him who says, one does not accept conditional warnings224The opinion of R. Simeon ben Laqish in the next Chapter; Babli Makkot 16a. In the Babli, that opinion is unopposed.. Our Mishnah225That the legal status of one 20 years old is not different from one 9 years old if he did not grow two pubic hairs. disagrees with Samuel: Does it make no difference whether he is nine years and one day or twelve years and one day old, if by then he did not grow two pubic hairs, he becomes a man retroactively? Could you say: If he did grow two pubic hairs between the ages of nine years and one day until twelve years and one day226Even though the text is formulated in the masculine, it must refer to girls since for a boy standard adulthood is at age 13., he becomes a man retroactively? Similarly, if he is older than twenty years of age and did not grow two pubic hairs, he becomes a man from that point into the future. How does Samuel handle this? He explains it: soon after he turns twenty227But if he grows pubic hair by his 20th birthday, he retroactively becomes an adult from age 13..
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