Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 4:6

משנה: דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת גוֹמְרִין בּוֹ בַיּוֹם בֵּין לִזְכוּת בֵּין לְחוֹבָה. וְדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת גּוֹמְרִין בּוֹ בַיּוֹם לִזְכוּת וּבְיוֹם שֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו לְחוֹבָה. לְפִיכָךְ אֵין דָּנִין לֹא בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְלֹא בְעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב׃ MISHNAH: Civil suits are decided on the same day, whether for credit or debit. But criminal suits are decided the same day for acquittal, the next day⁴⁵If there be a majority for conviction, one puts off the final vote for reasons for acquittal might be found in the meantime. for conviction. Therefore one does not judge on Sabbath eve or holiday eve⁴⁶Neither judgment can be rendered nor the judgment executed on a Sabbath or holiday. The possibility of a trial taking longer than one day is not contemplated..

הלכה: דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת גוֹמְרִין בּוֹ בַיּוֹם כול׳. תַּנֵּי. הָעֵד אֵין מְלַמֵּד לֹא זְכוּת וְלֹא חוֹבָה. מְנָלָן. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְעֵ֣ד לֹא־יַעֲֽנֶ֥ה בְנֶפֶ֭שׁ לָמֽוּת׃ וּמְנַיִין שֶׁאַף הוּא אֵין מְלַמֵּד לֹא זְכוּת וְלֹא חוֹבָה. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְהוּא לֹא־יַעֲֽנֶ֥ה בְנֶפֶ֭שׁ לָמֽוּת׃ רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר. פְּעָמִים שֶׁאָדָם רוֹאֶה אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִזְדַּמֵּם וּמַפְלִיג דְּבָרָיו שֶׁלֹּא יָמוּת. HALAKHAH: “Civil suits are decided on the same day,” etc. It was stated⁴⁷A similar baraita is quoted in the Sanhedrin.33b">Babli, 33b, where, however, a dissent is noted.: A witness may not argue either for acquittal or conviction⁴⁸In the formulation of the Babli: A witness cannot turn judge.. From where this? A witness shall not argue about anybody on trial for his life⁴⁹Numbers.35.30">Num. 35:30. In the Babli, R. Yose ben Jehudah reads the verse only as prohibiting a witness from arguing for conviction.. And from where that he himself may not argue either for acquittal or conviction? The verse says, one shall not argue about anybody on trial for his life⁵⁰This is not a verse. Numbers.35.30">Num. 35:30 reads: A single witness may not argue … This is split into two sentences: A witness may not, a single person may not.. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, sometimes a person sees himself set up by perjured witnesses and he speaks much lest he be put to death⁵¹While in the Sanhedrin.34a">Babli, 34a, R. Simeon ben Laqish is quoted as sustaining the opinion that the accused may not testify for himself since he is party to the proceedings, here it seems clear that he gives the accused the right to point out to the judges the fact that he is accused because of perjured (or otherwise tainted) testimony..

וּמְנַיִין שֶׁצְּרִיכִין שְׁנֵי יָמִים סְמוּכִין זֶה לָזֶה. From where that one needs two consecutive days⁵²Since the Mishnah requires sentence to be passed on the day immediately following, there should be some biblical justification. The continuation of the argument shows that a reference is missing which would imply that justice delayed is justice denied.?

רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה רִבִּי אַחַי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ. אָסוּר לָדוּן דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. וְהָדָא מַתְנִיתָא פְלִיגָא. לְפִיכָךְ אֵין דָּנִין לֹא בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְלֹא בְעֶרֶב יוֹם טוֹב. דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. הָא דִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת דָּנִין. וְתַנֵּי רִבִּי חִייָה כֵן. דָּנִין דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְאֵין דָּנִין דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת. אָמַר. כָּאן לַהֲלָכָה כָאן לְמַעֲשֶׂה. ⁵³The same text is found in Ketubot 1:1:8" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Ketubot.1.1.8">Ketubot 1:1 (Notes 43–46,כ) and Beitzah 5:2:2-16" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Beitzah.5.2.2-16">Besah 5:2 (64 l. 59,ב ). Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Aḥa, said in the name of Rebbi Abbahu: It is forbidden to judge money matters on Friday. Does not a Mishnah object: “Therefore one does not judge [criminal matters] on Sabbath eve or holiday eve”? Hence, one judges money matters! Also, Rebbi Ḥiyya stated thus: One judges money matters on Friday but not criminal matters. One is for practice, the other for action^53a“Practice” means “code of practice”, “action” means actual procedure. The parallel sources read: “one is for practice, the other for words of Torah”, meaning that in theory one may judge but in practice one does not..

וְיִדּוֹנוּ אוֹתוֹ בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְיִגָּמֵר דִּינוֹ בְשַׁבָּת וְיֵיהָרֵג לְמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת. אִם אוֹמֵר אַתְּ כֵּן נִמְצָא דִינוֹ מִשְׁתַּקֵּעַ. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ בָּעֵי. וְיִדּוֹנוּ אוֹתוֹ בַשַּׁבָּת וְיִגָּמֵר דִּינוֹ בַשַּׁבָּת וְיֵיהָרֵג בַּשַּׁבָּת. מָה אִם עֲבוֹדָה שֶׁדּוֹחָה שַׁבָּת רְצִיחַת מִצְוָה דוֹחָה אוֹתָהּ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר מֵעִ֣ם מִזְבְּחִ֔י תִּקָּחֶ֖נּוּ לָמֽוּת. שַׁבָּת שֶׁהָעֲבוֹדָה דוֹחָה אוֹתָהּ אֵין דִּין שֶׁתְּהֵא רְצִיחַת מִצְוָה דוֹחָה אוֹתָהּ. רִבִּי לָא בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יַנַּאי. מִיכָּן לְבָתֵּי דִינִין שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ דָנִין בַּשַּׁבָּת. מַאי טַעֲמָא. נֶאֱמַר כָּאן בְּכָל־מֽוֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן וְהָי֨וּ אֵ֧לֶּה לָכֶ֛ם לְחוּקַּת מִשְׁפָּ֖ט לְדוֹרוֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹ֖ל מוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם׃ מַה לְהַלָּן בְּבֵית דִּין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר. אַף כָּאן בְּבֵית דִּין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר. Could one not judge him on Fridays, pass sentence on the Sabbath, and execute him after the Sabbath? If you say so, it turns out that his judgment is delayed⁵⁴This argument really implies that capital crimes be tried only by the Supreme Court whose decrees are final.. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish asked, could he not be judged on the Sabbath, have his sentence passed on the Sabbath, and be executed on the Sabbath? Temple service, which supersedes Sabbath prohibitions⁵⁵The Sabbath Temple service, as prescribed in Numbers.28.10">Num. 28:10, requires slaughtering and burning. For any other purpose, these are deadly sins and capital crimes if done on the Sabbath., is pushed aside by obligatory executions, since it is said, from My altar take him to be executed⁵⁶Exodus.21.14">Ex. 21:14. The verse is read, not as a denial of asylum for any murderer, but as a commandment to immediately execute a Cohen even if he was officiating when convicted of murder. (The non-Cohen would commit a deadly sin by touching the altar.). Therefore the Sabbath, which is pushed aside by Temple service, logically should be pushed aside by obligatory executions⁵⁷The argument deserves no refutation since the relation “stronger than” underlying an argument de minore ad majus is not transitive (a stronger than b, b stronger than c does not imply a stronger than c. Shabbat.132b">Babli Šabbat 132b; cf. H. Guggenheimer, Logical Problems in Jewish Tradition, in: Confrontations with Judaism, London 1967, pp. 182–183.) The Sanhedrin.35b">Babli, 35b, disproves the argument at length.. Rebbi La in the name of Rebbi Yannai: This⁵⁸Sanhedrin 4:5:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.4.5.1">Mishnah 6. implies that courts may not sit on the Sabbath; what is the reason? It is said here, in all your dwellings⁵⁹Exodus.35.3">Ex. 35:3, the prohibition to start a fire on the Sabbath., and it is said there, these shall be for you legal procedures for your generations in all your dwellings⁶⁰Numbers.35.29">Num. 35:29, the law of homicide and murder. The argument (Sanhedrin.35b">Babli 35b) goes as follows. Some capital crimes are punished by burning. Exodus.35.3">Ex. 35:3, which has been shown to be applicable to court proceedings, forbids executing a convicted criminal who has to be burned. Therefore no capital punishment can be executed on the Sabbath.. Since there the verse refers to courts, so also here the verse refers to courts.