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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Sotah 9:8 - 9:9

The Mishnah Yomi for Tuesday, June 4, 2024 is Sotah 9:8 - 9:9

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Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 9 Mishnah 8

סוטה פרק ט׳ משנה ח׳

8
If one witness says: I saw the killer, and one other witness says: You did not see him; or if a woman says: I saw, and another woman says: You did not see, they would break the neck of the heifer, as without clear testimony about the identity of the killer the ritual is performed. Similarly, if one witness says: I saw the killer, and two witnesses say: You did not see, they would break the neck of the heifer, as the pair is relied upon. If two witnesses say: We saw the killer, and one witness says to them: You did not see, they would not break the neck of the heifer, as there are two witnesses to the identity of the killer.
עֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר רָאִיתִי אֶת הַהוֹרֵג, וְעֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר לֹא רָאִיתָ, אִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת רָאִיתִי וְאִשָּׁה אוֹמֶרֶת לֹא רָאִית, הָיוּ עוֹרְפִין. עֵד אֶחָד אוֹמֵר רָאִיתִי, וּשְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים לֹא רָאִיתָ, הָיוּ עוֹרְפִין. שְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים רָאִינוּ וְאֶחָד אוֹמֵר לָהֶן לֹא רְאִיתֶם, לֹא הָיוּ עוֹרְפִין:
ח׳

עד אחד אומר ראיתי ועד אחד אומר לא ראית – as for example when both came at the same time [then] they would break the neck. But if one came first and said “I saw the killer”, and they believed him like two [witnesses]. For the Torah believed him, as it is written (Deuteronomy 21:1): “the identity of the slayer not being known,” but if they did know, even through one witness, they don’t break the neck, even though one witness had come and afterwards his testimony is contradicted, the second is not believed, because the words of the one is not in the of two [witnesses].

עד אחד אומר ראיתי ושנים אומרים לא ראית היו עורפים – as, for example, the two [witnesses] and the one are invalid witnesses, for in the case of invalid witnesses, one goes according to the majority of opinions.

עד אחד אומר ראיתי ועד אחד אומר לא ראית. וכגון שבאו שניהם בבת אחת [אז] היו עורפים. אבל אם בא אחד תחלה ואמר ראיתי את ההורג, והימנוהו כבי תרי, שהתורה האמינתהו דכתיב (שם) לא נודע מי הכהו, הא נודע אפילו על פי עד אחד אין עורפין, אע״פ שבא עד אחד אח״כ והכחישו, אינו נאמן השני, שאין דבריו של אחד במקום שנים:

עד אחד אומר ראיתי ושנים אומרים לא ראית היו עורפים. וכגון שהשנים והאחד פסולי עדות הן, דבפסולי עדות הלך אחר רוב דעות:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 9 Mishnah 9

סוטה פרק ט׳ משנה ט׳

9
The mishna further states: From the time when murderers proliferated, the ritual of the heifer whose neck is broken was nullified. The ritual was performed only when the identity of the murderer was completely unknown. Once there were many known murderers, the conditions for the performance of the ritual were no longer present, as the probable identity of the murderer was known. From the time when Eliezer ben Dinai, who was also called Teḥina ben Perisha, came, they renamed him: Son of a murderer. This is an example of a publicly known murderer. The mishna teaches a similar occurrence: From the time when adulterers proliferated, the performance of the ritual of the bitter waters was nullified; they would not administer the bitter waters to the sota. And it was Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai who nullified it, as it is stated: “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for they consort with lewd women” (Hosea 4:14), meaning that when the husbands are adulterers, the wives are not punished for their own adultery. From the time when Yosei ben Yo’ezer of Tzereida and Yosei ben Yehuda of Jerusalem died, the clusters ceased, i.e., they were the last of the clusters, as explained in the Gemara, as it is stated: “There is no cluster to eat; nor first-ripe fig that my soul desires” (Micah 7:1).
מִשֶּׁרַבּוּ הָרַצְחָנִים, בָּטְלָה עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה, מִשֶּׁבָּא אֶלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן דִּינַאי, וּתְחִינָה בֶּן פְּרִישָׁה הָיָה נִקְרָא, חָזְרוּ לִקְרוֹתוֹ בֶּן הָרַצְחָן. מִשֶּׁרַבּוּ הַמְנָאֲפִים, פָּסְקוּ הַמַּיִם הַמָּרִים, וְרַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי הִפְסִיקָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע ד) לֹא אֶפְקוֹד עַל בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי תִזְנֶינָה וְעַל כַּלּוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי תְנָאַפְנָה כִּי הֵם וְגוֹ'. מִשֶּׁמֵּת יוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵדָה וְיוֹסֵי בֶן יוֹחָנָן אִישׁ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, בָּטְלוּ הָאֶשְׁכּוֹלוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מיכה ז) אֵין אֶשְׁכּוֹל לֶאֱכֹל בִּכּוּרָה אִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי:
ט׳

בטלה עגלה ערופה – because they knew of them who was accustomed to kill.

בטלו האשכולות – a person who has everything (this is a Notarikon – describing the word אשכולות – see the commentary of Tosafot Yom Tov who also quotes Maimonides on this matter), meaning to say, their Torah is true without reproach.

בטלה עגלה ערופה. לפי שמכירין היו בהם מי רגיל להרוג:

בטלו האשכולות. איש שהכל בו. כלומר תורתם אמת מבלי דופי:

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