Sanhedrin 50

קים לי בנפשאי דידענא טפי אבל תולה בדעת יונו אימא לא

An objection is raised: Dice-players include the following: Those who playwith checkers,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] ([G] = pebble), polished blocks or stones. ');">⁴</span>

ואי תנא תולה בדעת יונו דאמר בנקשא תליא מילתא ואנא ידענא לנקושי טפי אבל תולה בדעת עצמו אימא לא צריכא

and not only with checkers,but even with nut-shells and pomegranatepeel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' These latter were probably employed as a temporary means for gambling when proper dice were not obtainable. ');">⁵</span>

מיתיבי המשחק בקוביא אלו הן המשחקים בפיספסים ולא בפיספסים בלבד אמרו אלא אפילו קליפי אגוזים וקליפי רימונים

And when are they consideredto have repented?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And thus become qualified again to be witnesses and judges. ');">⁶</span>

ואימתי חזרתן משישברו את פיספסיהן ויחזרו בהן חזרה גמורה דאפילו בחנם לא עבדי

When they breakup their checkers and undergo a complete reformation, so much so, that theywill not play even as a pastime.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'for nothing'. ');">⁷</span>

מלוה בריבית אחד המלוה ואחד הלוה ואימתי חזרתן משיקרעו את שטריהן ויחזרו בהן חזרה גמורה אפילו לנכרי לא מוזפי

Ausurer: this includes both lender andborrower.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 144, n. 9. ');">⁸</span>

ומפריחי יונים אלו שממרין את היונים ולא יונים בלבד אמרו אלא אפילו בהמה חיה ועוף ואימתי חזרתן משישברו את פגמיהן ויחזרו בהן חזרה גמורה דאפי' במדבר נמי לא עבדי

And when are they judgedto have repented? When they tear up their bills and undergo a completereformation, that they will not lend [on interest] even to a Gentile. Pigeontrainers: that is those who racepigeons,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So the Aruch. Rashi, however, translates: Those who train pigeons to fight with each other — probably a form of cock-fighting. ');">⁹</span>

סוחרי שביעית אלו שנושאין ונותנין בפירות שביעית ואימתי חזרתן משתגיע שביעית אחרת ויבדלו

and not only pigeons, buteven cattle, beasts, or other birds. When may they be reinstated? When theybreak up their pegmas<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A fixture made of boards; a wooden contrivance that opened and shut itself, [a trap (R. Han.), or a rattle to spur on the pigeons (Rashi).] ');">¹⁰</span>

וא"ר נחמיה לא חזרת דברים בלבד אמרו אלא חזרת ממון כיצד אומר אני פלוני בר פלוני כינסתי מאתים זוז בפירות שביעית והרי הן נתונין במתנה לעניים

and undergoa complete reformation, so that they will not practise their vice even inthe wilderness.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where there is no one to see or pay. According to the view that 'pigeon trainer' means an ara, the meaning would be: 'Even in the place far from civilisation, they would not put up their pegmas' (Rashi). ');">¹¹</span>

קתני מיהת בהמה בשלמא למאן דאמר אי תקדמיה יונך ליון היינו דמשכחת לה בהמה אלא למ"ד ארא בהמה בת הכי היא

Sabbatical tradersare those who trade in the produce of the Sabbatical year. They cannot berehabilitated until another Sabbatical year comes round and they desist fromtrading.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., leave their fields free to the poor. ');">¹²</span>

אין בשור הבר וכמאן דאמר שור הבר מין בהמה הוא דתנן שור הבר מין בהמה הוא רבי יוסי אומר מין חיה

Whereon R. Nehemia said:They [the Rabbis] did not mean a mere verbal repentance, but a reformationthat involves monetary reparation. How so? He must declare, 'I, so and so,have amassed two hundred <i>zuz</i> by trading in Sabbatical produce, and behold,here they are made over to the poor as agift.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Tosef. Sanh. V. ');">¹³</span>

תנא הוסיפו עליהן הגזלנין והחמסנין

At any rate, cattle too arementioned.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Parallel with pigeons, as being trained for racing. ');">¹⁴</span>

גזלן דאורייתא הוא לא נצרכא אלא למציאת חרש שוטה וקטן

Now, on the view thatit means pigeon racing, it is correct, for racing of beasts, is also possible.But if it means 'an Ara', are cattle suited to this [viz. to decoy otherbeasts]? — Yes, in the case of the wildox,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It would appear that these were caught, domesticated, and then used to decoy beasts, also semi-domesticated and possessing owners, on perhaps similar lines to elephant hunting and taming. ');">¹⁵</span>

מעיקרא סבור מציאת חרש שוטה וקטן לא שכיחא אי נמי מפני דרכי שלום בעלמא כיון דחזו דסוף סוף ממונא הוא דקא שקלי פסלינהו רבנן

on the view that this is a speciesof cattle. For we have learnt:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kil. VIII, 6. ');">¹⁶</span>

החמסנין מעיקרא סבור דמי קא יהיב אקראי בעלמא הוא כיון דחזו דקא חטפי גזרו בהו רבנן

Awild ox is a species of cattle; R. Jose said: It is a wildanimal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cattle and wild animals must not be mated with one another. ');">¹⁷</span>

תנא עוד הוסיפו עליהן הרועים הגבאין והמוכסין

A Tanna taught: [To those enumerated in the Mishnah] were added robbers andthose who compel a sale.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Against the desire of the owner, even though they pay fairly. ');">¹⁸</span>

רועים מעיקרא סבור אקראי בעלמא הוא כיון דחזו דקא מכווני ושדו לכתחילה גזרו בהו רבנן: הגבאין והמוכסין מעיקרא סבור מאי דקיץ להו קא שקלי כיון דחזו דקא שקלי יתירא פסלינהו

But arenot robbers [disqualified] by Biblicallaw?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On the basis of Ex. XXIII, 1. ');">¹⁹</span>

אמר רבא רועה שאמרו אחד רועה בהמה דקה ואחד רועה בהמה גסה

— [Yes, but] it [the addition]was necessary in respect of one who appropriates the finds of a deaf-mute,an imbecile, or a minor.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Under the age of thirteen for males, and twelve for females. ');">²⁰</span>

ומי אמר רבא הכי והאמר רבא רועה בהמה דקה בא"י פסולין בחוצה לארץ כשרין רועה בהמה גסה אפילו בא"י כשרין ההוא במגדלים איתמר

At firstit was thought that this was of infrequentoccurrence,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which did not call for a specific legal provision. ');">²¹</span>

ה"נ מסתברא מדקתני נאמנין עלי שלשה רועי בקר מאי לאו לעדות

or [that such appropriationwas robbery only] judged by neighbourliness ingeneral:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But not by Biblical law, because these have no legal powers of acquisition or possession, and therefore, Biblically speaking, their finds do not belong to them. Nevertheless, it is obvious that to enforce this in practice would lead to strife and a feeling of grievance, and hence the Rabbis conferred upon them the power of effecting possession. Thus, since such appropriation was not robbery in the Biblical sense, it was thought unnecessary to impose disqualification on its account. ');">²²</span>

לא לדינא דיקא נמי דקתני שלשה רועי בקר ואי לעדות שלשה למה לי

but when it was seen thatafter all it was someone else'sproperty<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though only by Rabbinical law, still, the ruling of the Rabbis was fully binding. ');">²³</span>

ואלא מאי לדינא מאי איריא שלשה רועי בקר כל בי תלתא דלא גמרי דינא נמי

that theyseized,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And that it was greed for money that tempted them to transgress the laws. ');">²⁴</span>

הכי קאמר אפילו הני דלא שכיחי ביישוב

the Rabbis disqualifiedthem.

א"ר יהודה סתם רועה פסול סתם גבאי כשר

'Those who compel a sale:' At first they thought, They do, in fact, pay money,and their pressure isincidental.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Yet perhaps the owners were willing to sell all the same. ');">²⁵</span>

אבוה דר' זירא עבד גביותא תליסר שנין כי הוה אתי ריש נהרא למתא כי הוה חזי רבנן א"ל (ישעיהו כו, כ) לך עמי בא בחדריך כי הוה חזי אינשי דמתא אמר ריש נהרא אתא למתא והאידנא נכיס אבא לפום ברא וברא לפום אבא

But when they observedthat they deliberately seized thegoods,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Without the owners' agreement to the sale. ');">²⁶</span> they made this decree againstthem. A Tanna taught: They further added to the list,herdsmen,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because they allowed cattle to graze on other people's lands. This law applies only to graziers of their own cattle, but not to hired herdsmen, for it is taken for granted that a man does not trespass unless material benefit accrues to him. Cf. B.M. 5b. ');">²⁷</span> tax collectors andpublicans.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Government lessees who collected customs duties, market tolls and similar special imposts, thus helping the Romans to exact the heavy taxes imposed upon the Jews. Hence these men were classed with robbers. ');">²⁸</span> 'Herdsmen': At first they thought that it was a question of merechance;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That their cattle grazed upon other people's land. ');">²⁹</span> but when it was observedthat they drove them there intentionally, they made the decree against them. 'Tax collectors and publicans:' At first they thought that they collectedno more than the legally imposed tax. But when it was seen that they overcharged,they were disqualified. Raba said: The 'herdsmen' whom they [the Rabbis] refer to, include the herdsmenof both large and small cattle, [i.e., both cowherds and shepherds]. But didRaba actually say so? Did he not say: Shepherds are disqualified only inPalestine, but elsewhere they are eligible; while cowherds are qualifiedeven in Palestine?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.K. 79b and discussion in Gemara. ');">³⁰</span> — That appliesto breeders.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who stable their cattle. Thus only shepherds are disqualified, since sheep cannot be kept tethered. ');">³¹</span> Logic too supportsthis. For we learnt: [If one says,] I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THREE COWHERDS etc.[they are acceptable].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Supra 24a. From which it follows that they are usually disqualified. ');">³²</span> Surely [thatimplies that they are normally ineligible] for witnesses? — No: forjudges.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who must be persons learned in the law. ');">³³</span> This is also evident fromthe expression: THREE COWHERDS; for if it means, qualified as witnesses,why three? What then: it refers to judges? Then why particularly cowherds;the same applies to any court of three men unversed inlaw?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who are normally ineligible to act as judges. ');">³⁴</span> — He [the Tanna] means this:Even such as these, who are rarely to be found in populousareas.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And so have little experience of ordinary human affairs; yet they are eligible by mutual agreement. ');">³⁵</span> Rab Judah said: A herdsman ingeneral<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., of whom it is not known whether he trespasses or not. V. p. 148, n. 5. ');">³⁶</span> is ineligible, while a taxcollector in general iseligible.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Unless it is definitely known that he is making exorbitant demands in taxation. ');">³⁷</span> R. Zera's father acted as tax collector for thirteen years. When the ReshNahara<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] lit., 'head of the river' — chief of the district bordered by a river or canal. ');">³⁸</span> used to come to a town, ifhe [R. Zera's father] saw the scholars [of the city] he would advise them,Come my people, enter thou into thychambers.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. XXVI, 20; i.e., hide, so as to avoid giving the impression that the town was largely populated, lest it be heavily taxed. ');">³⁹</span> And when he saw the otherinhabitants of the town he would say to them: The Resh Nahara is coming tothe city, and now he will slaughter the father in the presence of the son,and the son in the presence of thefather;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., will collect heavy taxes. ');">⁴⁰</span>