משנה: זָקֵן מַמְרֵא עַל פִּי בֵית דִּין שֶׁנֶאֱמַר כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֙ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּין־דָּ֨ם ׀ לְדָ֜ם בֵּין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין. שְׁלשָׁה בָתֵּי דִינִין הָיוּ שָׁם. אֶחָד עַל פֶּתַח הַר הַבַּיִת. וְאֶחָד עַל פֶּתַח הָעֲזָרָה. וְאֶחָד בְּלִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית. בָּאִין לָזֶה שֶׁעַל פֶּתַח הַר הַבַּיִת וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ דָּרַשְׁתִּי וְכָךְ דָּֽרְשׁוּ חֲבֵרַי כָּךְ לִמַּדְתִּי וְכָךְ לִמְּדוּ חֲבֵרָי. אִם שָֽׁמְעוּ אָֽמְרוּ לָהֶם. וְאִם לָאו בָּאִין לָזֶה שֶׁעַל פֶּתַח הָעֲזָרָה וְאוֹמֵר כָּךְ דָּרַשְׁתִּי וְכָךְ דָֽרְשׁוּ חֲבֵרַי כָּךְ לִמַדְתִּי וְכָךְ לִמְדוּ חֲבֵרָי. אִם שָֽׁמְעוּ אָֽמְרוּ לָהֶם. וְאִם לָאו אֵילּוּ וָאֵילּוּ בָּאִין לְבֵית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבְּלִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית שֶׁמִּשָּׁם תּוֹרָה יוֹצְאָה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה׳. חָזַר לְעִירוֹ וְשָׁנָה וְלִימֵּד כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לָמוּד פָּטוּר. הוֹרָה לַעֲשׂוֹת חַייָב שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה בְזָדוֹן וגו׳. אֵינוֹ חַייָב עַד שֶׁיּוֹרֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת. תַּלְמִיד שֶׁהוֹרָה לַעֲשׂוֹת פָּטוּר נִמְצָא חוּמְרוֹ קוּלּוֹ׃ MISHNAH: The Elder who rebels against the Court, as it is said: If a law case is too difficult for you, whether blood and blood, or case and case, etc. Three courts were there, one at the entrance of the Temple Mount, one at the entrance of the Temple courtyard, and one in the ashlar hall. They come to the one at the entrance to the Temple Mount and he says, so I argued and so my colleagues argued, so I taught and so my colleague taught. If they had heard it, they tell them; otherwise they come to the one at the entrance of the Temple courtyard and he says, so I argued and so my colleagues argued, so I taught and so my colleagues taught. If they had heard it, they tell them; otherwise these and those come to the Supreme Court in the ashlar hall, for from there instruction goes out to all of Israel as it is said, from that place which the Eternal will choose.
If he returned to his town25The representative of the lower court who had been told by the Supreme Court that his opinion was wrong., repeated and taught as was his custom, he cannot be prosecuted. If he instructed to act, he is punishable, as it is said4The Supreme Court sitting in the Temple court. Deuteronomy.17.12">Deut. 17:12., but the man who would act criminally etc. He is not punishable unless he instruct to act. A student who instructed to act cannot be prosecuted; it turns out that his severity is his leniency26A person unqualified to judge who nevertheless judges commits a grievous sin, worse than the qualified judge who does not obey the rulings of the Supreme Court. But his punishment is reserved for Heaven, not the human court..
הלכה: זָקֵן מַמְרֵא כול׳. חָזַר לְעִירוֹ וְשָׁנָה וְלִימֵּד כול׳. כְּתִיב כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֙ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט. מַגִּיד שֶׁבְּמוּפְלֵא שֶׁבְּבֵית דִּין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר. מִמְּךָ זֶה עֵצָה. דָּבָר זוֹ אֲגָדָה. בֵּין־דָּ֨ם ׀ לְדָ֜ם בֵּין דַּם נִידָּה לְדַם בְּתוּלִים. בֵּין דַּם נִידָּה לְדַם זִיבָה לְדַם צָרַעַת. בֵּין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין. בֵּין דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת לְדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. בֵּין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין. בֵּין הַנִּסְקָלִין לַנִּשְׂרָפִין לַנֶּהֱרָגִין וְלַנֶּחֱנָקִין. בֵּין נֶ֨גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע. בֵּין מְצוֹרָע מוּסְגָּר לִמְצוֹרָע מוּחְלָט. בֵּין נֶ֨גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע. בֵּין נִיגְעֵי אָדָם לְנִיגְעֵי בְגָדִים וּלְנִגְעֵי בָתִּים. דִּבְרֵי זוֹ הַשְׁקָייַת סוֹטָה וַעֲרִיפַת הָעֶגְלָה וְטָהֳרַת הַמְצוּרָע. רִיבוֹת אֵילּוּ הָעֲרָכִים וְהַחֲרָמְים וְהַתְּמוּרוֹת וְהַהֶקְדֵּישׁוֹת. וְקַמְתָּ. וְקַמְתָּ מִבֵּית דִּין. וְעָלִיתָ זֹו הַעֲלִייָה. HALAKHAH: “The Elder who rebels,” etc. Halakhah 4: “If he returned to his town, repeated and taught as was his custom,” etc. 27This baraita exists in two other versions, Sanhedrin.87a">Babli 87a and Sifry Deut. 152. It is the subject of a study by E. A. Finkelstein, HUCA XXXII (1961) א-כה. It is written20Deuteronomy.24.7">Deut. 24:7 reads: If a man be found kidnapping one of his brothers, of the Children of Israel, and enslaves him or sells him, the kidnapper shall die; you shall eliminate evil from Israel. This paragraph speaks of the son, the next (cf. Sanhedrin 11:2:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.11.2.1">Note 17) of the half-emancipated slave. Sifry Deut. 273 parallels the first paragraph but in the case of the semi-emancipated slave treats the rabbis’ as unanimous opinion. The Sanhedrin.86a">Babli 86a finds a reason to exclude the semi-emancipated slave from the partitive mem in the verse of the Children of Israel, which implies “not all of the Children of Israel.”: If something is being distinguished for you in law, this shows that the verse speaks about the distinguished member of the court28The person representing the lower court before the Supreme Court has to be its most distinguished member.. For you, this is counsel. Something is sermonizing29In the parallel sources: This is practice. Since the verse defines the areas of competence of the Supreme Court, it is difficult to see what the legal relevance of aggadah could be unless one subscribes to Maimonides’s opinion that all interpretations of biblical verses by the hermeneutical rules are rabbinic in character, i. e., aggadic.. Whether blood and blood, whether menstrual blood or blood of virginity; whether menstrual blood, blood of flux, or blood of skin disease30As Finkelstein points out, the plain text of the verse seems to restrict the objects of appeal to purely legal cases; the interpretation given here extends it to all areas of life.. Whether case or case, between those who are stoned, or burned, or decapitated, or strangled31This sentence is missing in the parallel sources; it already is contained in the other explanations of the same clause.. Whether defect or defect, between a quarantined sufferer from skin disease or an absolute one31,This sentence is missing in the parallel sources; it already is contained in the other explanations of the same clause.32Cf. Sanhedrin 10:2:26" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.10.2.26">Chapter 10, Note 284.; whether defect or defect, between defects of humans or of garments or of houses33Leviticus.13">Lev. 13,Leviticus.14">14.. Words, that is the drinking of the suspected adulteress, breaking the neck of the calf, and the purification of the sufferer from skin disease34While the suspected adulteress drinks water with which written words were obliterated (Numbers.5.23">Num. 5:23) and the expiation of an unsolved murder case requires the priests to recite words (Deuteronomy.21.7-8">Deut. 21:7–8), the purification of the the sufferer from skin disease is a wordless ceremony. Rashi in the Babli explains that skin disease is punishment for calumniating. One could explain that the first step in the purification is a declaration by a priest that the skin disease was healed and his command to assemble the items necessary for purification (Leviticus.14.3-4">Lev. 14:3–4).. Quarrels, these are estimations, bans, and dedications35Leviticus.27">Lev. 27; all of these need dedications by explicit declaration.. You shall get up, from the court, and rise, this is the ascent36Climbing up all the way to Jerusalem..
דָּבָר אַחֵר. וְעָלִיתָ מִיכָּן לְבֵית הַבְּחִירָה שֶׁלֹּא יִבָּנֶה אֶלָּא בְגוּבְהוֹ שֶׁלְּעוֹלָם. מַה טַעַם. כִּי בְּהַר קָדְשִׁי בְּהַר מְ֤רוֹם יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶשְׁתְָּלֶ֔נּוּ וְנָשָׂ֤א עָנָף֙ וְעָ֣שָׂה פֶ֔רִי וגו׳. וּבָאתָ לְרַבּוֹת בֵּית דִּין שֶׁבְּיַבְנֶה. רִבִּי זְעִירָא אוֹמֵר. לִשְׁאֵילָה. Another explanation: You shall get up, from here that the Temple should be built only on the height of the world37When in fact the Temple Mount is conspicuously lower than the surrounding hills, to indicate that it is not a Canaanite High Place.. What is the reason? For on My Holy Mountain, on the mountain of the height of Israel shall I plant it, that it may sprout branch and carry fruit38Ezekiel.17.23">Ez. 17:23. For different approaches to the same statement, cf. Sanhedrin 11:3:2" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.11.3.2">Note 27, Kiddushin.69a">Babli Qiddušin 69a, Zevachim.54b">Zevahim 54b, Sifry Deut. 37, end.. And you shall come39Deuteronomy.17.9">Deut. 17:9., to include the court at Jabneh. Rebbi Zeˋira says, to ask40As Sanhedrin 11:4:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.11.4.1">Mishnah 6 shows, disobedience to a court not sitting in the ashlar hall is not a crime punishable by a human court; but nevertheless the obligation to ask the opinion of the Supreme Court in cases of doubt remains as long as such a court exists.
Since Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai asked for “Jabneh and its Sages” from Vespasian, it follows that even during the times of the Temple an important academy existed at Jabneh (and since Miriam the Hasmonean in her will had given Jabneh to Empress Livia, this was the only place in all of Judea which Vespasian could not give away without declaring himself as emperor.).
זֵָקֵן מַמְרֵא שֶׁהוֹרָה לַעֲשׂוֹת וְעָשָׂה חַייָב. הוּרָה וְלֹא עָשָׂה פָטוּר. הוֹרָה עַל מְנָת שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת פָּטוּר. הוֹרָה עַל מְנָת לַעֲשׂוֹת אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה חַייָב. אָמַר רִבִּי הִילָא. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל כֵּן. אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַֽעֲשֶׂ֧ה. לֹא הוּא שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה. רַב הוּנָא אָמַר. הָיָה מְלַמֵּד הֲלָכָה וּבָא וְאַחַר כָּךְ אִירַע לוֹ בוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה. עוֹשִׂין לֹו מַעֲשֶׂה. אִם עַד שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה לִימֵּד. עוֹשִׂין לַאֲחֵרִים וְאֵין עוֹשִׂין לְעַצְמוֹ. A rebellious Elder who instructed to act and acted is punishable. If he instructed but did not act, he is not prosecutable. If he instructed not for application, he is not prosecutable. If he instructed for application, even if he himself did not act, he is punishable41Sanhedrin.88b">Babli 88b. Sifry Deut. 155 infers from Deuteronomy.17.12">Deut. 17:12 which decrees the death penalty for the person who acts against the judgement which he heard from the Supreme Court that any person acting on instructions from a person who heard from the Supreme Court cannot be prosecuted. Therefore, the actions of persons acting on the instructions of a judge are considered actions of the judge, not those of his officers.. Rebbi Hila said, Rebbi Ismael stated thus: Who would act4The Supreme Court sitting in the Temple court. Deuteronomy.17.12">Deut. 17:12., even in he did not act himself. Rav Huna said, if he was instructing for practice and later a case came up, one acts on his instruction. If he taught it on the occasion of a case, one acts on it for others but not for himself42This is a general legal principle, applicable to civil as well as to criminal law. A legal doctrine formulated before a case arose can be applied to any case. But a doctrine formulated in the discussion of a case cannot be applied if the party formulating it is party to the case; that would be a conflict of interest (Yevamot.77a">Babli Yebamot77a in the name of Rav, Rav Huna’s teacher.).
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן מְנַסְיָא אוֹמֵר. הַנּוֹי וְהַכֹּחַ וְהָעוֹשֶׁר וְהַחָכְמָה וְהַשֵּׂיבָה וְהַכָּבוֹד וְהַבָּנִים לַצַּדִּיקִים נָאֶה לָהֶם וְנָאֶה לָעוֹלָם. מַה טַעַם. עֲטֶ֣רֶת תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת שֵׂיבָ֑ה בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ צְ֝דָקָ֗ה תִּימָּצֵא. עֲטֶ֣רֶת זְקֵינִים בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְתִפְאֶ֖רֶת בָּנִ֣ים אֲבוֹתָֽם׃ תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת בַּחוּרִ֣ים כּוֹחָם וַֽהֲדַ֖ר זְקֵינִים שֵׂיבָֽה׃ וְאוֹמֵר וְנֶ֥גֶד זְקֵינָיו כָּבֽוֹד׃ תַּנֵּי. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר. אֵילּוּ שֶׁבַע מִידּוֹת שֶׁמָּנוּ חֲכָמִים בַּצַּדִּיקִים כּוּלָּן נִתְקַייְמוּ בְּרִבִּי וּבָנָיו. רִבִּי יוּחָנָן אוֹמֵר. כָּל־שֶׁבַע מִידּוֹת שֶׁאָֽמְרוּ חֲכָמִים בַּצַּדִּיקִים הָיוּ בְרִבִּי. מָאן רִבִּי. הוּא רִבִּי הוּא רִבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנָּשִׂיא. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ. הוּא רִבִּי הוּא רִבִּי יוּדָן הַנָּשִׂיא הוּא רַבֵּינוּ. 43Avot 6:8" href="/Pirkei_Avot.6.8">Mishnah Avot 6:8, Sanhedrin 11:4" href="/Tosefta_Sanhedrin.11.4">Tosephta Sanhedrin11:8. In these sources, the original author is R. Simeon ben Iohai. Rebbi Simeon ben Menasia says: Beauty, and vigor, and riches, and wisdom, and white hair, and honor, and children, are an adornment for the just. What is the reason? A crown of glory is white hair; on the way of piety it is found44Proverbs.16.31">Prov. 16:31.. A crown of the elderly are grandchildren; the glory of children are their parents45Proverbs.17.6">Prov. 17:6.. The glory of the young is their force; the splendor of the elderly is white hair46Proverbs.20.29">Prov. 20.29.. And it says, before his Elders in honor47Is 24:23.. 48This sentence has to be deleted since Rebbi’s father cannot speak about his son and grandsons. Since Rebbi was the last of the Tannaïm, only amoraic statements about him are legitimate. It was stated: Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, these seven qualities which the Sages enumerated for the just were all realized by Rebbi and his sons. Rebbi Joḥanan said, all seven qualities which the Sages enunciated about the just were in Rebbi. Who was Rebbi? Rebbi is Rebbi Jehudah the Prince. Rebbi Abbahu said, Rebbi is Rebbi Yudan the Prince, is Our Teacher49It is not clear whether he refers to R. Jehudah I ben Simeon, mentioned by R. Johanan, or to R. Jehudah II ben Gamliel..