Sanhedrin's Mnemonic

We just finished Sanhedrin, so here’s a short post to acknowledge this. Mazal tov to all who completed it today!

Here is how the Karlsruhe Reuchlin 2 manuscript finished it, with giant letters:

Besides the hadran, the scribe adds a mnemonic, listing each of the chapters. “And these are their siman”:

1. Dinei Mamonot

2. Kohen Gadol

3. Zeh Borer

4. Echad Dinei

5. Hayu Bodekin

6. Nigmar Hadin

7. Arba Mitot

8. Ben Sorer

9. HaNisrafin

10. HaNechenakin

11. Chelek

Chazak, meaning that the siman, as well as the tractate, are over.

As I was preparing my summary post for last week’s article (about the last chapter of Sanhedrin), I ruminated on the fact that חלק and חנק are similar.

Now, to explore the idea further, even through this scribe wrote it correctly as הנחנקין, a different scribe who had the mnemonic, or an oral Garsan who committed the mnemonic to memory, might have had it as חנק instead of the full chapter title. Also, the word חזק is similar to both חלק and חנק.

Aside from any content-based reasons for ordering perek 10 and 11, or 11 and 10, I therefore wonder if a mnemonic, then messed up, could have led to the reordering.