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Mishnayos Kerisos Perek 3 Mishnah 1

כריתות פרק ג׳ משנה א׳

1

If witnesses said to a person: We saw that you ate forbidden fat, he is liable to bring a sin offering if he did so unwittingly. If a witness says: He ate forbidden fat, and a witness says: He did not eat forbidden fat, or if a woman says: He ate forbidden fat, and a woman says: He did not eat forbidden fat, he is liable to bring a provisional guilt offering, brought by one who is uncertain as to whether he committed a sin that requires a sin offering. If a witness says: He ate forbidden fat, and the person himself says: I did not eat forbidden fat, he is exempt. If two witnesses say: He ate forbidden fat, and the person himself says: I did not eat forbidden fat, Rabbi Meir deems him liable to bring a sin offering. Rabbi Meir said: This conclusion can be derived a fortiori: If two witnesses could have brought him liability to receive the severe punishment of death, can they not bring him liability to sacrifice an offering, which is relatively lenient? The Rabbis said to him: Witnesses are unable to render another person liable to bring an offering contrary to his statement, as what if he wishes to say: I did so intentionally, in which case he would be exempt from bringing an offering?

אָמְרוּ לוֹ אָכַלְתָּ חֵלֶב, מֵבִיא חַטָּאת. עֵד אוֹמֵר אָכַל וְעֵד אוֹמֵר לֹא אָכַל, אִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת אָכַל וְאִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת לֹא אָכַל, מֵבִיא אָשָׁם תָּלוּי. עֵד אוֹמֵר אָכַל וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לֹא אָכַלְתִּי, פָּטוּר. שְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים אָכַל וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לֹא אָכַלְתִּי, רַבִּי מֵאִיר מְחַיֵּב. אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר, אִם הֱבִיאוּהוּ שְׁנַיִם לְמִיתָה חֲמוּרָה, לֹא יְבִיאוּהוּ לְקָרְבָּן הַקַּל. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, מָה אִם יִרְצֶה לוֹמַר מֵזִיד הָיִיתִי:

א׳
Bartenura

אמרו לו – even if one [witness] says to hm, “you ate forbidden fat,” and he is silent and doesn’t contradict him.

מביא חטאת – by his word.

שנים אומרים לו אכלת חלב – and even one-hundred [witnesses], but he contradicts them and says: “I am sure that I did not eat [prohibited fat],” he does not bring a sacrifice through their word, as it is written (Leviticus 4:28): “Or the sin of which he is guilty is brought to his knowledge,” and not that others would inform him.

רבי מאיר מחייב – but the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.

אם הביאוהו שנים כו' – as, for example, if they testified against him that he killed a person.

ם ירצה לומה מזיד הייתי – if he would want to exempt himself through a lie, he would be able to say, “I acted willfully” for a person who acts willfully is exempt from a sacrifice.

אמרו לו. אפילו אחד אומר לו אכלת חלב והוא שותק ואינו מכחישו:

מביא חטאת. על פיו:

שנים אומרים לו אכלת חלב. ואפילו מאה. והוא מכחישם ואומר ברי לי שלא אכלתי, אינו מביא קרבן על פיהם, דכתיב (ויקרא ד׳:כ״ג,) או הודע אליו חטאתו, ולא שיודיעוהו אחרים:

רבי מאיר מחייב. ואין הלכה כר׳ מאיר:

אם הביאוהו שנים כו׳ כגון אם העידו עליו שהרג את הנפש:

אם ירצה לומר מזיד הייתי. אם היה רוצה לפטור עצמו בשקר היה יכול לומר מזיד הייתי, ומזיד פטור מקרבן: