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Perek 1

Mishnayos Makkos Perek 1 Mishnah 3

מכות פרק א׳ משנה ג׳

3
Likewise, if witnesses said: We testify with regard to a man called so-and-so that he is liable to receive forty lashes, and they were discovered to be conspiring witnesses, they are flogged with eighty lashes; one set of lashes due to violation of the prohibition: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13), and one set of lashes due to the verse: “And you shall do to him as he conspired” (Deuteronomy 19:19), which is the punishment for conspiring witnesses; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: They are flogged with only forty lashes, due to the verse “And you shall do to him as he conspired.” When punishing conspiring witnesses based on the verse: “As he conspired to do to his brother” (Deuteronomy 19:19), one divides the punishment of money among them, but one does not divide the punishment of lashes among them; each receives thirty-nine lashes. The mishna elaborates: How so? If the witnesses testified about someone that he owes another person two hundred dinars and they were then found to be conspiring witnesses, the witnesses divide the sum among themselves and pay a total of two hundred dinars. But if they testified about someone that he was liable to receive forty lashes and they were then found to be conspiring witnesses, each and every one of the witnesses receives forty lashes.

מְעִידִין אָנוּ בְאִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב מַלְקוּת אַרְבָּעִים, וְנִמְצְאוּ זוֹמְמִין, לוֹקִין שְׁמֹנִים, מִשּׁוּם לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר (שמות כ), וּמִשּׁוּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר זָמַם (דברים יט), דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, אֵינָן לוֹקִין אֶלָּא אַרְבָּעִים. מְשַׁלְּשִׁין בְּמָמוֹן וְאֵין מְשַׁלְּשִׁין בְּמַכּוֹת. כֵּיצַד, הֱעִידוּהוּ שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב לַחֲבֵרוֹ מָאתַיִם זוּז, וְנִמְצְאוּ זוֹמְמִין, מְשַׁלְּשִׁין בֵּינֵיהֶם. אֲבָל אִם הֱעִידוּהוּ שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב מַלְקוּת אַרְבָּעִים, וְנִמְצְאוּ זוֹמְמִין, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד לוֹקֶה אַרְבָּעִים:

ג׳

Because you shall not bear false witness. Since behold when it is impossible to [punish] the witnesses with "do to them as they planned", for example [they say] "We testify about a certain person [kohen] that he is the son of a divorced woman, the witnesses are lashed due to "you shall not bear false witness". Here [in this case], where there is warning against "you shall not bear false witness" and also "as they planned", they are lashed 80 [times]. The halacha is not like Rabbi Meir.

They pay with money. The zommemin that are obligated in with [their attempt] to cause payment, pay the money according to the number of the witnesses. If it was three witnesses and they were made zommemin, each one pay a third of the [total] money that they wanted to cause him [the person they are testifying about] to lose.

Lashes are not divided. It's not that each of the witnesses are lashed a portion of the [total number of] lashes, rather each one is lashed 40 [times]. This is because we need "do to them as they planned", and each one sought to have the accused lashed a full amount. [However] money is combined [after being divided], when each of the witnesses gives their portion, behold he [the accused] receives what they sought to make him lose, however lashes are not combined.

משום לא תענה. שהרי כשאי אפשר לקיים בעדים ועשיתם לו כאשר זמם, כגון מעידים אנו באיש פלוני שהוא בן גרושה, לוקים העדים משום לא תענה, הכא דאיכא אזהרת לא תענה ואיכא נמי כאשר זמם, לוקים שמונים. ואין הלכה כר׳ מאיר:

משלשין בממון. עדים זוממין שחייבין בתשלומין משלמין הממון לפי מספר העדים. אם היו שלשה עדים והוזמו, כל אחד משלם שליש הממון שהיו רוצים להפסידו:

ואין משלשין במכות. שאין כל אחד מהעדים לוקה שליש מלקות, אלא כל אחד לוקה ארבעים. דבעינן ועשיתם לו כאשר זמם, וכל אחד מהם מבקש להלקות הנדון מלקות שלם. וממון מצטרף, כשיתן כל אחד מהם שליש הרי קיבל מה שרצו להפסידו בין כולם, אבל מכות לא מצטרפין: