Shevuot 59

מתני׳ <big><strong>שבועת</strong></big> העדות נוהגת באנשים ולא בנשים ברחוקין ולא בקרובין בכשרין ולא בפסולין ואינה נוהגת אלא בראוין להעיד

<big><b>MISHNAH: </b></big>THE OATH OF TESTIMONY<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Witnesses denying on oath that they know any testimony for a litigant; Lev. V, 1.');">¹</span> APPLIES TO MEN AND NOT TO WOMEN,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because women are not eligible as witnesses.');">²</span> TO NON-RELATIVES AND NOT TO RELATIVES,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Sanh. 27b.');">³</span>

בפני בית דין ושלא בפני ב"ד מפי עצמו ומפי אחרים אין חייבין עד שיכפרו בהן בב"ד דברי ר' מאיר וחכמים אומרים בין מפי עצמו ובין מפי אחרים אינן חייבין עד שיכפרו בהן בב"ד

TO THOSE QUALIFIED [TO BEAR WITNESS] AND NOT TO THOSE UNQUALIFIED;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Such as, e.g., a robber.');">⁴</span> AND IT APPLIES ONLY TO THOSE LIABLE TO BEAR WITNESS; AND WHETHER [UTTERED] BEFORE THE BETH DIN OR NOT BEFORE THE BETH DIN, IF [UTTERED] WITH HIS OWN MOUTH; BUT IF [ADJURED] BY THE MOUTH OF OTHERS HE IS NOT LIABLE UNLESS HE DENIES IT BEFORE THE BETH DIN; THIS IS THE OPINION OF R'MEIR'BUT THE SAGES SAY: WHETHER [UTTERED] WITH HIS OWN MOUTH OR [ADJURED] BY THE MOUTH OF OTHERS HE IS NOT LIABLE UNLESS HE DENIES IT BEFORE THE BETH DIN. AND THEY ARE LIABLE FOR WILFUL TRANSGRESSION OF THE OATH, AND FOR ITS UNWITTING TRANSGRESSION COUPLED WITH WILFUL [DENIAL OF KNOWLEDGE OF] TESTIMONY;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Knowing testimony for the litigant, and wilfully denying the knowledge on oath, but transgressing unwittingly so far as the sacrifice is concerned, i.e., not knowing that they are liable to bring a sacrifice for the transgression of the oath.');">⁵</span>

וחייבין על זדון השבועה ועל שגגתה עם זדון העדות ואינן חייבין על שגגתה ומה הן חייבין על זדון השבועה קרבן עולה ויורד:

BUT THEY ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ITS UNWITTING TRANSGRESSION.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If, at the moment of taking the oath, they really thought they did not know any testimony, they are exempt from a sacrifice, for they swore falsely merely by accident.');">⁶</span> AND WHAT ARE THEY LIABLE FOR THE WILFUL TRANSGRESSION OF THE OATH? A SLIDING SCALE SACRIFICE.

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> מנהני מילי דת"ר (דברים יט, יז) ועמדו שני האנשים בעדים הכתוב מדבר

<big><b>GEMARA: </b></big>How do we know?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That women are ineligible as witnesses.');">⁷</span> - Because the Rabbis taught: And the two men shall stand.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIX, 17.');">⁸</span> the verse refers to witnesses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence witnesses must be men.');">⁹</span>

אתה אומר בעדים או אינו אלא בבעלי דינין כשהוא אומר (דברים יט, יז) אשר להם הריב הרי בעלי דינין אמור הא מה אני מקיים ועמדו שני האנשים בעדים הכתוב מדבר ואם נפשך לומר נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן (דברים יט, יז) שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

- You say [it refers to] witnesses; but perhaps [it refers to] the litigants? When it says between whom the controversy is,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIX, 17: And the two men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges.');">¹⁰</span> the litigants are already mentioned; hence, how do I explain and the two men shall stand, [Therefore,] the verse refers to witnesses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the verse could have said: 'And those between whom the controversy is shall stand.' Because the verse adds, superfluously, 'the two men,' the reference is to witnesses, and what follows, 'between whom the controversy is,' is an asyndeton construction.');">¹¹</span>

מאי אם נפשך לומר וכי תימא מדלא כתב ואשר להם הריב כוליה קרא בבעלי דינין משתעי נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

And if you wish to say [something to refute this deduction, I give you another]: Here<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIX, 17.');">¹²</span> it is said, 'two', and there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 15: at the mouth of two witnesses. vua vrzd');">¹³</span> it is said, 'two'; just as there it re to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is a deduction by , similarity of words.');">¹⁴</span>

תניא אידך ועמדו שני האנשים בעדים הכתוב מדבר אתה אומר בעדים או אינו אלא בבעלי דינין אמרת וכי שנים באים לדין שלשה אין באין לדין ואם נפשך לומר נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

What is meant by: If you wish to say [something to refute the deduction]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' How can the first deduction be refuted?');">¹⁵</span> - You might say, because the verse did not write: and those between whom the controversy is, the whole verse refers to the litigants,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Had the verse written: 'And the two men, and those between whom the controversy is, shall stand', we could have inferred definitely that the two men refers to witnesses: since, however, the verse writes: And the two men between whom the controversy is, it refers to litigants only.');">¹⁶</span> [therefore, I give the second deduction:] here it is said: two, and there it is said: two; just as there it refers to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses.

מאי אם נפשך לומר וכי תימא בתובע ונתבע קא משתעי קרא נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

Another [Baraitha] taught: And the two men shall stand; the verse refers to witnesses. You say [it refers to witnesses; but perhaps [it refers to] the litigants? You may retort: Do, then, two come to court, and do not three ever come to court?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Litigants may be more than two: therefore the two men refers to witnesses.');">¹⁷</span>

תניא אידך ועמדו שני האנשים בעדים הכתוב מדבר אתה אומר בעדים או אינו אלא בבעלי דינין אמרת וכי אנשים באין לדין נשים אין באות לדין ואם נפשך לומר נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

But if you wish to say something [to refute this deduction, I give you another]: Here it is said, 'two', and there it is said, 'two',' just as there it refers to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses. What is meant by: If you wish to say [something to refute this]? You might say, the verse refers to plaintiff and defendant,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And though there may be several plaintiffs and several defendants, the verse calls them the two men, i e., the two protagonists, plaintiffs on the one side, and defendants on the other.');">¹⁸</span>

מאי אם נפשך לומר וכי תימא אשה לאו אורחה משום (תהלים מה, יד) כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה נאמר כאן שני ונאמר להלן שני מה להלן בעדים אף כאן בעדים

[therefore I give the second deduction:] here it is said, 'two', and there it is sai 'two'; just as there it refers to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses. Another [Baraitha] teaches: And the two men shall stand; the verse refers to witnesses. You say [it refers to] witnesses; but perhaps [it refers to] the litigants?

ת"ר ועמדו שני האנשים מצוה לבעלי דינין שיעמדו אמר ר' יהודה שמעתי שאם רצו להושיב את שניהם מושיבין איזהו אסור שלא יהא אחד עומד ואחד יושב אחד מדבר כל צרכו ואחד אומר לו קצר דבריך

You may retort: Do, then, men come to court, and do not women ever come to court?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely, women are also litigants sometimes; hence, the two men refers to witnesses, who must be men.');">¹⁹</span> But if you wish to say [something to refute this deduction, I give you another]: Here it is said, 'two', and there it i said, 'two'; just as there it refers to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses. What is meant by: If you wish say [something to refute this]? - You might say, it is not usual for a woman,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To go to court as a litigant: therefore the verse talks of the two men, but in reality it includes women and refers to litigants.');">²⁰</span>

ת"ר (ויקרא יט, טו) בצדק תשפוט עמיתך שלא יהא אחד יושב ואחד עומד אחד מדבר כל צרכו ואחד אומר לו קצר דבריך ד"א בצדק תשפוט עמיתך הוי דן את חבירך לכף זכות

because all glorious is the King's daughter within,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XLV, 14; the King's daughter (i.e., the Jewish woman) is modest, and stays within her home as much as possible.');">²¹</span> [therefore I give the second deduction:] here it is said, 'two', and there it is sai 'two'; just as there it refers to witnesses, so here it refers to witnesses. Our Rabbis taught: And the two men shall stand: it is a precept that the litigants stand.

תני רב יוסף בצדק תשפוט עמיתך עם שאתך בתורה ובמצות השתדל לדונו יפה

R'Judah said: I heard that if they<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The court.');">²²</span> desire to allow them both to sit, they may allow them to sit. What is prohibited?

רב עולא בריה דרב עילאי הוה ליה דינא קמיה דרב נחמן שלח ליה רב יוסף עולא חברנו עמית בתורה ובמצות אמר למאי שלח לי לחנופי ליה הדר אמר למישרא בתיגריה

One should not stand, and the other sit; one speak all that he wishes, and the other bidden to be brief. Our Rabbis taught: In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIX, 15.');">²³</span> that one should not sit, and the other stand; one speak all that he wishes, and the other bidden to be brief. Another interpretation: In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour: judge thy neighbour in the scale of merit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When you see a person doing what appears to be wrong, take a favourable view of his action. l,hng l,t og');">²⁴</span> R'Joseph learnt: In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour- he who is with thee<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Taking as .');">²⁵</span> in Torah and precepts - endeavour to judge him favourably. R'Ulla the son of R'Elai had a case before R'Nahman. R'Joseph sent [a message] to him:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Nahman.');">²⁶</span> Our friend Ulla is a neighbour<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A colleague, of your fraternity; i.e., a learned man.');">²⁷</span> in Torah and precepts. Said [R'Nahman]: Why did he send [this message] to me? That I should favour him?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely, that cannot be!');">²⁸</span> Then he said: [Probably] that I should settle his case first;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Before any other case that may come before me, and not keep him waiting.');">²⁹</span>