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Perek 1

Mishnayos Sanhedrin Perek 1 Mishnah 6

סנהדרין פרק א׳ משנה ו׳

6
With regard to the number of judges in the different courts the mishna presents a halakhic midrash: The Great Sanhedrin was composed of seventy-one judges, and a lesser Sanhedrin was composed of twenty-three. From where is it derived that the Great Sanhedrin was composed of seventy-one judges? As it is stated: “Gather Me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, whom you know to be the Elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them into the Tent of Meeting, and they shall stand there with you” (Numbers 11:16), and together with Moses at the head of this body, there are a total of seventy-one. Rabbi Yehuda says: Moses was indeed at the head of the body, but he is not counted as part of the group. Consequently, a future Great Sanhedrin modeled after these Elders is to be composed of seventy judges. And from where is it derived that a lesser Sanhedrin is composed of twenty-three judges? As it is stated: “And the congregation shall judge between the assailant and the avenger…and the congregation shall save the manslayer from the hands of the avenger” (Numbers 35:24–25). Therefore, there must be a congregation, which consists of at least ten judges, that judges the accused and attempts to convict him, and there must be a congregation, also consisting of at least ten judges, which attempts to save the accused by finding him innocent. Together, there are twenty judges here. Before proceeding to derive the requirement for the final three judges, the mishna clarifies: And from where is it derived that a congregation consists of at least ten men? As it is stated concerning the spies: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that keep complaining about me?” (Numbers 14:27) There were twelve spies; excluding Joshua and Caleb, who did not complain, there would be ten men who are called: A congregation. Accordingly, the verses describing a congregation that attempts to convict the accused and a congregation that attempts to acquit him together add up to twenty judges. And from where is it derived to bring three more judges to the court? From the implication of that which is stated: “You shall not follow a multitude to convict” (Exodus 23:2), I would derive that I may not convict a person on the basis of a majority but I should follow the majority to exonerate. If so, why is it stated in the same verse: “To incline after a multitude,” from which it can be understood that the majority is followed in all cases? In order to resolve the apparent contradiction it must be explained: Your inclination after the majority to exonerate is not like your inclination after the majority to convict. Your inclination after the majority to exonerate can result in a verdict by a majority of one judge. But your inclination after the majority to convict a transgressor must be by a more decisive majority of at least two. Therefore, the court must have at least twenty-two judges. And since there is a principle that a court may not be composed of an even number of judges, as such a court may be unable to reach a decision, therefore they add another one to them, and there are twenty-three judges here. And how many men must be in the city for it to be eligible for a lesser Sanhedrin? One hundred and twenty. Rabbi Neḥemya says: Two hundred and thirty, corresponding to the ministers of tens, as outlined by Moses and Yitro in the wilderness (Exodus, chapter 18). That is to say, each member of the Sanhedrin can be viewed as a judge with responsibility for ten residents. If there are not enough men in the city to enable this calculation, it would not be honorable to appoint a Sanhedrin, as their members will each preside over less than the minimum of ten residents.
סַנְהֶדְרִי גְדוֹלָה הָיְתָה שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד, וּקְטַנָּה שֶׁל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה. וּמִנַּיִן לַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁהִיא שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יא) אֶסְפָה לִּי שִׁבְעִים אִישׁ מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמֹשֶׁה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן, הֲרֵי שִׁבְעִים וְאֶחָד. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, שִׁבְעִים. וּמִנַּיִן לַקְּטַנָּה שֶׁהִיא שֶׁל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם לה) וְשָׁפְטוּ הָעֵדָה וְגוֹ' וְהִצִּילוּ הָעֵדָה, עֵדָה שׁוֹפֶטֶת וְעֵדָה מַצֶּלֶת, הֲרֵי כָאן עֶשְׂרִים. וּמִנַּיִן לָעֵדָה שֶׁהִיא עֲשָׂרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם יד) עַד מָתַי לָעֵדָה הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת, יָצְאוּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָלֵב. וּמִנַּיִן לְהָבִיא עוֹד שְׁלֹשָׁה, מִמַּשְׁמַע שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג) לֹא תִהְיֶה אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְרָעֹת, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁאֶהְיֶה עִמָּהֶם לְטוֹבָה, אִם כֵּן לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר (שם) אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטֹּת, לֹא כְהַטָּיָתְךָ לְטוֹבָה הַטָּיָתְךָ לְרָעָה. הַטָּיָתְךָ לְטוֹבָה עַל פִּי אֶחָד, הַטָּיָתְךָ לְרָעָה עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם, וְאֵין בֵּית דִּין שָׁקוּל, מוֹסִיפִין עֲלֵיהֶם עוֹד אֶחָד, הֲרֵי כָאן עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה. וְכַמָּה יְהֵא בְעִיר וּתְהֵא רְאוּיָה לְסַנְהֶדְרִין, מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר, מָאתַיִם וּשְׁלשִׁים, כְּנֶגֶד שָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרוֹת:
ו׳

ומשה על גביהן הרי שבעים ואחד – for the Biblical verse states (Numbers 11:17): “they shall bear [the burden of the people] with you, [and you shall not bear it alone],” and they will be with you.”

רבי יהודה אומר: שבעים – Who expounds on the word אתך/with you, that are similar to you, and not that you will sit with them in judgement. But the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Yehuda.

עדה שופטת – ten who make liable/guilty

עדה מצלת – ten who acquit, and learn from this that there needs to be twenty for if they divided it, there would be ten making liable and ten acquitting.

הטייתך לרעה על פי שנים – This is how the verse (Exodus 23:2) should be read: “You shall neither side with the mighty/multitude to do wrong” – to make guilty via a [majority of] one , so that there would be more than those who acquit; “but to pervert it in favor of the mighty” – with two, even for evil, so that there would be two more declaring guilty than those who acquit. Therefore, perforce, we require twenty-three [judges], for less than ten [judges] who acquit =, we don’t have to say, for it it is written (Numbers 35:25): “And the assembly shall protect (the manslayer from the blood avenger),” and further, we do not find that “guilt” is less than twelve.

ואין בית דין שקול – We don’t make pairs in Jewish courts, for it they would split tdown the middle, it would be half and half – and we would not find giving a verdict according to the majority of votes by a majority of one for good; hence, we add to them one other [judge] so that there would be twenty-three.

מאה ועשרים – The Gemara explains that twenty-three judges is a Small Sanhedrin. And three rows of twenty-three apiece sit before them, for if there was a need increase [the number of] judges, they would add from them, and there would be ten idle individuals [available]. These ten individuals are idle from all work and always sit in the House of Study. And two scribes [are available] who write the words of those who acquit and those who find guilty. And two men who announce the order of proceedings, sextons of the Jewish court who flog the guilty and invite the opponents in court, the two opponents [themselves], and two witnesses and two conspiring witnesses and two witnesses who find the previous witnesses to be conspiring, and two treasurers/managers [of the charity], and a third to distribute the tzedakah/charity, since charity is collected by two and distributed by a third, and an artisan doctor [whose task it is] to draw blood, and a scribe, and a teacher of children which [all together] equals one-hundred and twenty.

מאתים ושלשים כדי שרי עשרות – since that is twenty three groups of ten, whereby each judge would be the prince of ten, for less than the princes of ten, we would not find rulership. But the Halakha does not follow Rabbi Nehemiah.

ומשה על גביהם הרי שבעים ואחד. דאמר קרא (במדבר י״א:י״ז) ונשאו אתך, ואת בהדייהו:

רבי יהודה אומר שבעים. דדריש אתך, בדומין לך, ולא שיהיה הוא יושב עמהן בדין. ואין הלכה כרבי יהודה:

עדה שופטת. עשרה מחייבין:

עדה מצלת. עשרה מזכין. ושמעינן מינה דצריך שיהיו עשרים שאם יחלקו יהיו עשרה מחייבין ועשרה מזכין:

הטייתך לרעה על פי שנים. והכי קאמר קרא, לא תהיה אחרי רבים לרעות, לחייב על פי אחד שיהיה יתר על המזכין. אבל אחרי רבים, להטות בשנים, אפילו לרעות, כשיהיו שנים מחייבין יותר על המזכין. הלכך על כרחך עשרים ושלשה בעינן, דבציר מעשרה מזכין ליכא למימר, דהא כתיב והצילו העדה, ותו לא משכחת חובה בבציר משנים עשר:

ואין בית דין שקול. אין עושין בית דין זוגות, שאם יחלקו לחצאים הוי להו פלגא ופלגא ולא משכחת לה הטייתך לטובה על פי אחד. הלכך מוסיפין עליהם עוד אחד והוו להו עשרים ושלשה:

מאה ועשרים. מפרש בגמרא, עשרים ושלשה, סנהדרי קטנה. ושלש שורות של עשרים ושלש עשרים ושלש יושבים לפניהם, שאם הוצרכו להוסיף על הדיינים מוסיפים מהם. ועשרה בטלנים, עשרה בני אדם בטלים מכל מלאכה שיושבים תמיד בבית המדרש. ושני סופרים לכתוב דברי המזכין ודברי המחייבין. ושני חזנים, שמשי בית דין להלקות החייב ולהזמין בעלי הדין. ושני בעלי דינין. ושני עדים. ושני זוממין. ושני זוממי זוממין. ושני גבאים, ושלישי לחלק הצדקה, שצדקה נגבית בשנים ומתחלקת בשלשה. ורופא אומן להקיז דם. ולבלר. ומלמד תינוקות. הרי מאה ועשרים:

מאתים ושלשים כנגד שרי עשרות. דהיינו עשרים ושלשה עשיריות, שיהא כל דיין שר של עשרה. דבציר משרי עשרה לא אשכחן שררה. ואין הלכה כרבי נחמיה: