משנה: דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת הַטְּהָרוֹת וְהַטֻּמְאוֹת מַתְחִילִין מִן הַגָּדוֹל דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת מַתְחִילִין מִן הַצַּד. הַכֹּל כְּשֵׁירִין לָדוּן דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת וְאֵין הַכֹּל כְּשֵׁירִין לָדוּן דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת אֶלָּא כֹהֲנִים לְוִיִים וְיִשְׂרְאֵלִים הַמַּשִּׂיאִין לַכְּהוּנָּה׃ MISHNAH: In cases of money matters, purity, and impurity, one starts with the greatest61The most respected among the judges is requested to give his opinion first.. In criminal cases, one starts from the side62In criminal cases, the most respected judge has to give his opinion last, lest the junior members of the court be influenced by the authoritative voice.. Everybody is qualified to judge money matters but not everybody is qualified to judge criminal matters, but only Cohanim, Levites and Israel whose daughters may marry into the priesthood63None of whose known ancestors are bastards or desecrated priests..
הלכה: דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת הַטְּהָרוֹת וְהַטֻּמְאוֹת כול׳. רִבִּי אוֹמֵר. לֹא־תַֽעֲנֶה עַל־רִיב. רִב כָּתוּב. שֶׁלֹּא תַעֲנֶה אַחַר הָרַב אֶלָּא קוֹדֶם לָרַב. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן חֲנִינָה אָמַר. לֹא־תַֽעֲנֶה עַל־רִיב. רִב כָּתוּב. שֶׁלֹּא תַעֲנֶה קוֹדֶם לָרַב אֶלָּא אַחַר הָרַב. רַב אָמַר. לֹא־תַֽעֲנֶה. אֲפִילוּ אַחַר מֵאָה. דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי פִינְחָס. HALAKHAH: “In cases of money matters, purity, and impurity,” etc. Rebbi says, do not argue about a quarrel64Exodus.23.2">Ex. 23:2.. It is written against the greatest65The word is written defective. The masoretic text follows the Talmudim in this (Sanhedrin.36a">Babli 36a). It is difficult to decide whether the pronunciation of “the greatest” was רִבּ or רָב., that one does not argue after the greatest, only prior to the greatest. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said, do not argue about a quarrel. It is written before the greatest, that one does not argue prior to the greatest, only after the greatest66Depending on how one understands the word עַל, one comes to opposite conclusions. R. Yose ben Hanina denies that there be a difference in procedures between civil and criminal cases.. Rav said, do not argue, even after a hundred67He denies that the verse has any relevance for judicial procedures; he reads it as an injunction not to change one’s mind even in the face of a hundred opposing opinions unless one is convinced that his earlier opinion was incorrect., the words of Rebbi Phineas68No Tanna “R. Phineas” is known, nor any such Amora in the first generation. Either the name has to be deleted or the reference is to R. Phineas ben Yaïr..
רִבִּי חִלְקִיָּה בְשֵׁם רִבִּי סִימוֹן. אִיתְפַּלְּגוֹן רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן וְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ. חַד אָמַר. דִּינֵינוּ כְדִינֵיהֶן. וְחַד אָמַר. אֵין דִּינֵינוּ כְדִינֵיהֶן. מָאן דָּמַר דִּינֵינוּ כְדִינֵיהֶן. נִיחָא. מָאן דָּמַר אֵין דִּינֵינוּ כְדִינֵיהֶן. מַה מְקַייֵם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָה֭. וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מְמוּכָ֗ן. רָאוּ דִבְרֵי יְהוּדָה. רָאוּ דִבְרֵי מְמוּכָן. Rebbi Ḥilqiah in the name of Rebbi Simon: Rebbi Joḥanan and Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish disagreed69A more complete list of names is in the parallel, Esther.1.13">Midrash Esther ad 1:13.. One said, our procedures are like their procedures, and one said, our procedures are not like their procedures70Whether in Gentile courts the presiding judge also votes last in criminal proceedings.. He who said, our procedures are like their procedures, is understandable. He wo said, our procedures are not like their procedures, how does he understand Jehudah said71When the brothers discussed what to do with Joseph, Jehudah volunteered his plan not to kill Joseph (Genesis.37.26">Gen. 37:26) even though he was the fourth of the brothers (but the oldest, Reuben, was absent.) Since this happened before the revelation of Sinai, one has to assume that the brothers followed general Noahide rules., Memukhan said72Esther.1.13">Esth. 1:13 In the trial of Washti, the last named of the Persian grandees gave his opinion first.? They agreed with what Jehudah said, they agreed with what Memukhan said73Since in both cases no other opinions are recorded, we do not know in which order they spoke. Only the opinion which was agreed to in the end is mentioned..
וּמְנַיִין שֶׁמַּתְחִילִין בְּדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת מִן הַצַּד. תַּנָּא שְׁמוּאֵל הַזָּקֵן קוֹמֵי רִבִּי אָחָא. וַיֹּאמֶר֩ דָּוִ֨ד לַאֲֽנָשָׁ֜יו חִגְר֣וּ ׀ אִ֣ישׁ חַרְבּוֹ. וְאַחַר כָּךְ יָֽשְׁבוּ בַדִּין עַל נָבָל. רִבִּי תֵימָא בַּר פַּפַּייָס בְשֵׁם רַב הוֹשַׁעְיָה. אַף בִּפְסוּל מִשְׁפָּחָה מַתְחִילִין מִן הַצַּד. 74This is quoted in Sanhedrin 2:3:8" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.2.3.8">Halakhah 2:3 (Note 98). From where that in criminal trials the voting starts from the side? Samuel the Elder stated before Rebbi Aḥa: David told his men, each gird his sword751S. 25:13., and after this76When everybody had given his opinion that Nabal should be killed, David girded his sword in assent., they were sitting in judgment about Nabal. Rebbi Thema bar Pappaias in the name of Rav Hoshaia: Also when disqualifying families77A determination that daughters of a certain family cannot be married either by born Jews since they are descended from a bastard, or by priests since they are descended from a desecrated priest or a woman desecrated by a priest. All restrictions of criminal cases apply here, in the only cases heard by Amoraic courts in Palestine under the rules of criminal trials. one starts from the side.
הַכֹּל כְּשֵׁירִין לָדוּן דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר. אֲפִילוּ מַמְזֵירִין. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר. אֵין מְדַקְדְּקִין בְּיַיִן נֶסֶךְ. “Anybody is qualified to judge money matters.” Rebbi Jehudah says, even bastards78In the Sanhedrin.36b">Babli, 36b, this is a statement of Rav Jehudah.. Rebbi Jehudah says, one does not investigate about libation wine79Wine used in a pagan libation ceremony. The statement is out of place here; it is included as one of R. Jehudah’s lenient rulings.
The rules of Gentile wine are the main topic of Tractate ˋAvodah zarah. Wine used in a pagan ceremony, even only an invocation at a pagan dinner, is forbidden biblically for all usufruct. All other Gentile wine is only forbidden rabbinically. Since the wine is forbidden anyhow, R. Jehudah states that one does not have to investigate whether the rigid biblical rules apply to a given wine; one follows the rabbinic rules unless it be known that the wine is biblically forbidden..
סַנְהֶדְרִין הָֽיְתָה כַּחֲצִי גוֹרֶן עֲגוּלָּה כול׳. כְּתִיב לֹ֥א תַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט אֶבְיוֹנְךָ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ בְּרִיבוֹ אֵי אַתָּה מַטֶּה. אֲבָל אַתָּה מַטֶּה בְדִינוֹ שֶׁלְּשׁוֹר. רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. וּבִלְבַד בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁבֵּין דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת לְדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. כַּמָּה אִינּוּן. אֲנָן תַּנִּינָן. תֵּשַׁע. תַּנֵּי רִבִּי חִייָה. חַד־עָשָׂר. הֵי דִינִין תַּרְתֵּי אוֹחֲרָנְייָתָא. הַסָּרִיס וְכָל־מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה לוֹ בָנִים כָּשֵׁר לָדוּן דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת וְלֹא דִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. רִבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן. אַף פָּחוּת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים וְשֶׁלֹּא הֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת כָּשֵׁר בְּדִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת וְלֹא בְדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. וְיוֹשֵׁב בְּדִינוֹ שֶׁלְּשׁוֹר. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן חֲנִינָה אָמַר. תְּלַת עֶשְׂרֵה. וְהֵי דִינוּן תַּרְתֵּין אוֹחֲרָנְייָתָא. דָּנִין שְׁנֵי דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת בְּיוֹם אֶחָד וְאֵין דָּנִין שְׁנֵי דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת בְּיוֹם אֶחָד. אָמַר רִבִּי אָבִין. וַאֲפִילּוּ נוֹאֵף וְנוֹאֶפֶת. “The Synhedrion was like a semicircular threshing floor,” etc. It is written: Do not bend your destitute’s proceeding in his trial81Exodus.23.6">Ex. 23:6. The protection accorded defendants in criminal trials cannot be made dependent on the defendant’s status.. In his trial you do not bend; you may bend in the ox’s trial82While the ox who killed a human is on trial for its life, the rules are those of civil suits since the ox represents its owner’s money.. Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: But only in those rules which are different for civil and criminal suits. How many are these? We have stated nine83In Sanhedrin 4:6:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.4.6.1">Mishnaiot 1–7. The Sanhedrin.36b">Babli, 36b, points out that there is another difference stated in Sanhedrin 4:7:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.4.7.1">Mishnah 8, but the exclusion of bastards is implicit already in the choice of 23 judges since these judges must in theory be qualified to serve in Moses’s council.; Rebbi Ḥiyya stated eleven. Which rules are the last two? The castrate and one who never had children84The Sanhedrin.36b">Babli, 36b, also excludes men too old to remember the trouble they had in raising their children, who also would be inclined to cruelty. is qualified to judge civil suits but not criminal suits. Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Also one who is less than twenty years of age or who does not have two pubic hairs85Although he is past age 20 he still is infantile; cf. Yevamot 10:8:4" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Yevamot.10.8.4">Yebamot 10:17 Notes 221–227. is qualified to judge civil suits but not criminal suits. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said thirteen. Which rules are the last two? One judges two civil suits on one day but one does not try two criminal suits on one day. Rebbi Abin said, even adulterer and adulteress86Where the proof of guilt of one person equally applies to the other. In the Sanhedrin.46a">Babli, 46a, Rav Ḥisda restricts this to the case where the statutory punishments are different, such as adultery with a Cohen’s daughter, where the adulterer is strangled but the adulteress burned. There is no reason to transfer this statement to the Yerushalmi. Cf. Sanhedrin 4:3:3" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.4.3.3">Note 35..