For the source text click/tap here: Sanhedrin 79
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What is more significant – a person’s intent or a person’s actions?
This question comes to the fore in the Mishna on our daf where many cases are presented where a person’s specific intention is not fulfilled, but a very similar thing does take place.
For example, if a person meant to hit a child severely enough so that the child would die, but instead his blow hit an adult, and there was not enough force in the blow to actually kill an adult. In such a case, if the adult died nonetheless, the attacker will not be held liable, since his blow was not strong enough to kill an adult.
We explore intent