סנהדרין דף ז

מצוה למימרא להו: אי דינא בעיתו, אי פשרה בעיתו? היינו תנא קמא! איכא בינייהו מצוה: רבי יהושע בן קרחה סבר מצוה, תנא קמא סבר רשות.

He means that it is a mitzva to say to them: Do you want a strict judgment, or do you want a compromise? The Gemara objects: Since this opinion is the same as that of the first tanna, who also allows compromise, it is redundant to teach it. The Gemara answers: There is a difference between them with regard to the question of whether it is a mitzva to arrange a compromise. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa holds that it is a mitzva to offer them the option of compromise, and the first tanna holds that it is merely permitted.

היינו דרבי שמעון בן מנסיא? איכא בינייהו: משתשמע דבריהן ואתה יודע להיכן הדין נוטה, אי אתה רשאי לומר להן ״צאו ובצעו״.

The Gemara objects: If so, the opinion of the first tanna is the same as that of Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya. The Gemara answers that there is a difference between them with regard to the principle: After you hear their statements and you know where the judgment is leaning, it is not permitted for you to say to them: Go out and mediate. In that instance, the first tanna holds that it is still not too late to suggest mediation.

ופליגא דרבי תנחום בר חנילאי, דאמר רבי תנחום בר חנילאי: לא נאמר מקרא זה אלא כנגד מעשה העגל, שנאמר: ״וירא אהרן ויבן מזבח לפניו״. מה ראה?

§ And the various Sages who offered interpretations of the verse: “And the covetous blesses himself, though he despises the Lord” (Psalms 10:3), disagree with the explanation of Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai. As Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai says: This verse was stated only with regard to the incident of the Golden Calf, as it is stated: “And Aaron saw this, and he built [vayyiven] an altar [mizbe’aḥ] before it…and said: Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord” (Exodus 32:5). What did Aaron see? Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet says that Rabbi Elazar says: He saw Hur, who had been appointed together with Aaron by Moses to lead the people during Moses’ absence (see Exodus 24:14), slaughtered before him, as he had protested the plan to fashion a calf and had been murdered by the people as a result. The verse is therefore interpreted not as: Aaron built an altar before the calf, but rather: He understood [vayyaven] from the slaughter [mizavuaḥ] before his own eyes; and he then called for a feast.

אמר רבי בנימין בר יפת אמר רבי אלעזר: ראה חור שזבוח לפניו.

אמר: אי לא שמענא להו השתא, עבדו לי כדעבדו בחור, ומיקיים בי ״אם יהרג במקדש ה׳ כהן ונביא״, ולא הויא להו תקנתא לעולם. מוטב דליעבדו לעגל,

Aaron said to himself: If I do not listen to them now, they will do to me as they did to Hur, and the verse: “Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” (Lamentations 2:20), will be fulfilled through me, and they will never have a remedy for such a sin. It is better for them to worship the calf, as it is possible they will have a remedy through repentance. Nevertheless, according to Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai, whoever praises Aaron for this compromise is provoking God.

אפשר הויא להו תקנתא בתשובה.

והני תנאי ״פוטר מים ראשית מדון״, מאי דרשי ביה? כדרב המנונא, דאמר רב המנונא: אין תחילת דינו של אדם נידון אלא על דברי תורה, שנאמר:

And with regard to those tanna’im who did not interpret the verse: “The beginning of strife is as when one releases water” (Proverbs 17:14), with regard to compromise, what do they derive from this verse? They understand the verse in accordance with the opinion of Rav Hamnuna, as Rav Hamnuna says: The beginning of a person’s judgment after he dies is that he is judged only concerning matters of Torah, as it is stated: “The beginning of strife is as when one releases water.” Based on this verse, Rav Huna says: This quarrel between people is comparable to a split in a hose caused by a burst of water, emptying into a field; once the split in the hose widens, it widens even more and can no longer be repaired. To save the field, the hose must be repaired as soon as it splits. The same is true with regard to a quarrel; it must be stopped as soon as it begins.

״פוטר מים ראשית מדון״. אמר רב הונא: האי תיגרא דמיא לצינורא דבידקא (דמיא), כיון דרווח – רווח.

אביי קשישא אמר: דמי לגודא דגמלא, כיון דקם – קם.

Abaye the Elder makes a similar point with a different metaphor, and says: A quarrel is comparable to a board in a wooden bridge. Once it has stood in its place and been stabilized, it continues to stand and becomes ever more rigid and stable. Consequently, the best time to address and end the dispute is at the very beginning.

שמעי ושתי שבע זמירות הוא, סימן.

§ Apropos the previous discussion, the Gemara recounts several incidents in which passersby recited popular proverbs. Shimi ushti, sheva zemirot hu is a mnemonic device for these incidents.

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: טוביה דשמע ואדיש, חלפוה בישתיה מאה. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב: ״פוטר מים ראשית מדון״ – ריש מאה דיני.

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked: It is good for a person who hears statements said against him and yet remains silent, as a hundred misfortunes pass him by as a result. Upon hearing this, Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written that conveys the message of this aphorism: “The beginning of strife is as when one releases water” (Proverbs 17:14). The words “beginning [poter] of strife [reishit madon]” allude to: The beginning of one hundred litigations [reish me’a dinei]. Troubles are avoided if one overlooks and excuses [poter] an offense.

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: אתרתי תלת גנבא לא מיקטל. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב: ״כה אמר ה׳ על שלשה פשעי ישראל ועל ארבעה לא אשיבנו״.

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked by: For only two or three thefts, the thief is not executed by the heavenly court. Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written that conveys the message of this aphorism: “So says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, or for four, I will not repay it” (Amos 2:6). Shmuel interprets the verse rhetorically, as if saying: Will I not repay the fourth offense? Accordingly, before the fourth offense, it is still possible to rectify the sins.

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: שב בירי לשלמנא, וחדא לעביד ביש. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב: ״כי שבע יפול צדיק וקם ורשע יפול באחת״.

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked: Seven pits are dug for the man of peace, and he escapes all of them, and one pit is dug for the evildoer, and he cannot escape it. Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written that conveys the message of this aphorism: “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again, but the wicked shall fall at once” (see Proverbs 24:16, 28:18).

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: דאזיל מבי דינא שקל גלימא – ליזמר זמר וליזיל באורחא. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב:

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked: With regard to one who goes from the court, and his cloak has been taken from him in the course of the proceedings, i.e., he lost all his money due to a ruling against him, let him sing a song and go happily on the way. Although he lost the case, he has benefited from justice being served. Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written with regard to Yitro’s advice for judiciary reforms that conveys the message of this aphorism: “And all these people shall also go to their place in peace” (Exodus 18:23). If justice is served, all the litigants, not only those who emerge victorious, can leave in peace.

״וגם כל העם הזה על מקמו יבא בשלום״.

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: היא ניימא, ודיקולא שפיל. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב: ״בעצלתים ימך המקרה וגו׳״.

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked: If a woman is carrying a basket on her head, when she is dozing the reed basket falls. Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written that conveys the message of this aphorism: “By laziness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks” (Ecclesiastes 10:18).

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: גברא דרחיצנא עליה, אדייה לגזיזיה וקם. אמר ליה שמואל לרב יהודה, קרא כתיב: ״גם איש שלומי אשר בטחתי בו וגו׳״.

There was a certain man who was saying as he walked: The man upon whom I relied has lifted his fist [ligzizeih] and stood against me. Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: A verse is written that conveys the message of this aphorism: “Indeed, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalms 41:10).

ההוא דהוה קאמר ואזיל: כי רחימתין הוה עזיזא, אפותיא דספסירא שכיבן. השתא דלא עזיזא רחימתין, פוריא בר שיתין גרמידי לא סגי לן.

There was a certain man who was saying about his marriage as he walked: When our love was strong, we could have slept on a bed that was the width of a sword. Now that our love is not strong, a bed of sixty cubits is not sufficient for us. Rav Huna said: Verses are written that convey these sentiments. Initially, it was written: “I will meet with you there and I will speak with you from above the Ark Cover” (Exodus 25:22), and it is taught in a baraita: The Ark of the Covenant was itself nine handbreadths high, and the Ark Cover was one handbreadth thick. There is a total height of ten handbreadths here. At first, when God had great affection for Israel, the Divine Presence was revealed within the confines of this limited space.

אמר רב הונא, קראי כתיבי. מעיקרא כתיב: ״ונועדתי לך שם ודברתי אתך מעל הכפרת״, ותניא: ארון תשעה וכפורת טפח, הרי כאן עשרה.

וכתיב: ״והבית אשר בנה המלך שלמה לה׳ ששים אמה ארכו ועשרים רחבו ושלשים אמה קומתו״. ולבסוף כתיב: ״כה אמר ה׳ השמים כסאי והארץ הדם

And it is written: “And the house that King Solomon built for the Lord, its length was sixty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits, and its height thirty cubits” (I Kings 6:2). And at the end, when Israel sinned, the whole of the space of the Temple was not expansive enough for the Divine Presence to rest within it, as it is written: “Thus says the Lord: The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that you may build for Me? And where is the place that may be My resting place?” (Isaiah 66:1). In times of discord, the Temple is an insufficient resting place for the Divine Presence.

רגלי איזה בית אשר תבנו לי וגו׳״.

מאי משמע דהאי ״לא תגורו״ לישנא דכנושי הוא? אמר רב נחמן, אמר קרא: ״ויין לא תשתה ולא תאגר״. רב אחא בר יעקב אמר מהכא:

The Gemara returns to analyzing the Tosefta. From where may it be inferred that this expression: “You shall not be afraid [taguru]” (Deuteronomy 1:17), is a term for gathering in, so that the term may be interpreted to mean that a judge may not keep his ruling to himself? Rav Naḥman said: The verse states: “You shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather [te’egor]” (Deuteronomy 28:39). Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov says it is derived from here: “She provides her bread in the summer, and gathers [agra] her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Ika, says it is derived from here: “A wise son gathers [oger] in the summer” (Proverbs 10:5).

״תכין בקיץ לחמה אגרה בקציר מאכלה״. רב אחא בריה דרב איקא אמר מהכא: ״אגר בקיץ בן משכיל״.

אמת ממון יראה סימן. אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן: כל דיין שדן דין אמת לאמיתו, משרה שכינה בישראל, שנאמר:

§ The Gemara provides a mnemonic device indicating the following series of statements about judges and their functions: Emet mamon yireh. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: Any judge who judges a judgment according to absolute truth [emet] causes the Divine Presence to rest among Israel, as it is stated: “God stands in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judges” (Psalms 82:1), indicating that the Divine Presence is in the midst of the court. And every judge who does not judge a judgment according to absolute truth causes the Divine Presence to withdraw from Israel, as it is stated: “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, says the Lord” (Psalms 12:6). God will arise and leave the people as a result of oppression.

״אלהים נצב בעדת אל בקרב אלהים ישפט״. וכל דיין שאינו דן דין אמת לאמיתו, גורם לשכינה שתסתלק מישראל, שנאמר: ״משד עניים מאנקת אביונים עתה אקום יאמר ה׳ וגו׳״.

ואמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן: כל דיין שנוטל מזה ונותן לזה שלא כדין, הקדוש ברוך הוא נוטל ממנו נפשו, שנאמר:

And Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: With regard to any judge who takes disputed property or money [mamon] from this litigant and gives it to that other litigant unlawfully, the Holy One, Blessed be He, takes his soul from him as punishment for his corruption, as it is stated: “Rob not the weak, because he is weak, neither crush the poor in the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause and despoil of life those who despoil them” (Proverbs 22:22–23). God cautions that He will take the life of one who steals from the poor at the gate, meaning in the courtroom, as the city gate was the traditional site of the community’s court.

״אל תגזל דל כי דל הוא ואל תדכא עני בשער כי ה׳ יריב ריבם וקבע את קבעיהם נפש״.

ואמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יונתן: לעולם יראה דיין עצמו כאילו חרב מונחת לו בין ירכותיו, וגיהנם פתוחה לו מתחתיו.

And Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: A judge should always view [yireh] himself as if a sword is placed between his thighs, so that if he leans to the right or to the left he will be injured, and as if Gehenna is opened up beneath him,

שנאמר: ״הנה מטתו שלשלמה ששים גברים סביב לה מגברי ישראל כלם אחזי חרב מלמדי מלחמה איש חרבו על ירכו מפחד בלילות״. מפחדה של גיהנם, שדומה ללילה.

as it is stated: “Behold, it is the bed of Solomon; sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel. They all handle the sword, and are expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh due to dread in the night” (Song of Songs 3:7–8). The words “due to dread in the night” mean due to the dread of Gehenna, which is similar to the night. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani interprets this verse as referring to judges, who are called: Mighty men of Israel, as they preside in the Temple, which is termed: The bed of God. In this verse, God is referred to as: Solomon [Shlomo], the King to Whom peace [shalom] belongs.

דרש רבי יאשיה, ואיתימא רב נחמן בר יצחק, מאי דכתיב: ״בית דוד כה אמר ה׳ דינו לבקר משפט והצילו גזול מיד עושק״ – וכי

Rabbi Yoshiya, and some say Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, interpreted a verse homiletically. What is the meaning of that which is written: “House of David, so says the Lord: Execute justice in the morning, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor” (Jeremiah 21:12)? And is it so that a court may judge in the morning, and all the rest of the day a court may not judge? Why does the verse specifically relate to judging in the morning? Rather, the meaning is: If the matter is as clear to you as the morning, state the verdict; and if not, do not state it. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says that Rabbi Yonatan says this principle may be derived from here: “Say to wisdom: You are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4). If the matter is as clear to you as the fact that your sister is forbidden to you, state it, and if not, do not state it.

בבקר דנין וכל היום אין דנין? אלא אם ברור לך הדבר כבקר – אמרהו, ואם לאו – אל תאמרהו. רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יונתן, מהכא:

״אמר לחכמה אחתי את״ – אם ברור לך הדבר כאחותך שהיא אסורה לך – אומרהו, ואם לאו – אל תאמרהו.

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: עשרה שיושבין בדין, קולר תלוי בצואר כולן. פשיטא! לא צריכא אלא לתלמיד היושב לפני רבו.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: If ten judges are sitting in judgment, a prisoner’s collar [kolar], referring to responsibility for the consequences of an incorrect verdict, hangs around all of their necks. The Gemara asks: Isn’t it obvious that all of the judges bear joint responsibility for the verdict? The Gemara answers: It is necessary only in order to include a student who is sitting in front of his teacher in the court, and notices that his teacher erred. Although he is not formally part of the court, he nevertheless bears responsibility if he remains silent.

רב הונא, כי הוה אתי דינא לקמיה, מיכניף ומייתי עשרה רבנן מבי רב. אמר: כי היכי דלימטיין שיבא מכשורא. רב אשי, כי הוה אתי טריפתא לקמיה,

The Gemara relates concerning Rav Huna that when a case would come before him for judgment, he would gather and bring ten rabbis from Rav’s study hall. He would say: I do this so that only a small part of the responsibility, comparable to a splinter from a beam, will reach each of us. The greater the number of judges, the less responsibility each one assumes for the verdict. Similarly, with Rav Ashi, when a person would come before him with meat suspected to be from an animal with a wound that will cause it to die within twelve months [tereifta], he would gather and bring together all the butchers of Mata Meḥasya and consult with them before ruling on the status of the meat. He would say to them: I do this so that only a small part of the responsibility, comparable to a splinter from a beam, will reach each of us.

מכניף ומייתי להו לכולהו טבחי דמתא מחסיא. אמר: כי היכי דלימטיין שיבא מכשורא.

כי אתא רב דימי אמר: דרש רב נחמן בר כהן, מאי דכתיב: ״מלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ ואיש תרומות יהרסנה״? אם דיין דומה למלך שאינו צריך לכלום

When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael, he said: Rav Naḥman bar Kohen interpreted a verse homiletically: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The king by justice establishes the land; but he who exacts gifts [terumot] overthrows it” (Proverbs 29:4)? This teaches that if the judge is like a king in that he does not need anything and is not dependent on anyone, he establishes the land, i.e., he can serve as a judge. But if he is like a priest who seeks out his terumot from various granaries, as he is dependent on others, he overthrows the land.

– יעמיד ארץ, ואם דומה לכהן שמחזר בבית הגרנות – יהרסנה.

דבי נשיאה אוקמו דיינא דלא הוה גמיר. אמר ליה ליהודה בר נחמני, מתורגמניה דריש לקיש: ״קום עליה באמורא״. קם, גחין עליה, ולא אמר ליה ולא מידי.

In the house of the Nasi, they appointed a judge who was not learned. This judge said to Yehuda bar Naḥmani, who was the interpreter of Reish Lakish and whose role was to repeat and explain the Sage’s lectures: Stand over me as an interpreter, and I will lecture. Yehuda bar Naḥmani arose and bent over him in the conventional manner, to hear the judge’s words. And, being ignorant, the judge did not say anything to him.

פתח ואמר: ״הוי אומר לעץ הקיצה עורי לאבן דומם הוא יורה הנה הוא תפוש זהב וכסף וכל רוח אין בקרבו״. ועתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא ליפרע ממעמידן, שנאמר:

The interpreter began and said: The verse states: “Woe to him who says to the wood: Awake, to the dumb stone: Arise. Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it” (Habakkuk 2:19). So is this judge, appointed to teach the public for gold, i.e., for payment, but no more qualified than wood and stone. And in the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will punish those who appoint such judges, as it is stated in the next verse: “But the Lord is in His holy Sanctuary; let all the earth be silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). God, Who is above everything, will judge those responsible for such appointments.

״וה׳ בהיכל קדשו הס מפניו כל הארץ״.

אמר ריש לקיש: כל המעמיד דיין על הציבור שאינו הגון, כאילו נוטע אשירה בישראל, שנאמר: ״שפטים ושטרים תתן לך״, וסמיך ליה: ״לא תטע לך אשרה כל עץ״.

Reish Lakish says: With regard to anyone who appoints over the community a judge who is not fit, it is as though he plants a tree used as part of idolatrous rites [ashera] among the Jewish people, as it is stated: “You shall make judges and officers for yourself” (Deuteronomy 16:18), and juxtaposed to it, it is written: “You shall not plant yourself an ashera of any kind of tree” (Deuteronomy 16:21). By implication, appointing unfit judges is akin to planting a tree for idolatry. Rav Ashi says: And in a place where there are Torah scholars, it is as though he planted the tree next to the altar, as it is stated: “You shall not plant yourself an ashera…beside the altar of the Lord your God.”

אמר רב אשי: ובמקום שיש תלמידי חכמים, כאילו נטעו אצל מזבח, שנאמר: ״אצל מזבח ה׳ אלהיך״.

כתיב: ״לא תעשון אתי אלהי כסף ואלהי זהב״. אלהי כסף ואלהי זהב הוא דלא עבדי, הא דעץ שרי? אמר רב אשי: אלוה הבא בשביל כסף,

It is written: “You shall not make with Me gods of [elohei] silver and gods of gold” (Exodus 20:20). The Gemara asks: It is gods of silver and gods of gold that you may not make, but are gods of wood permitted? Rather, Rav Ashi says: This verse discusses a judge, called elohim, who comes, i.e., is appointed, due to payment of silver, and a judge who comes due to payment of gold.

ואלוה הבא בשביל זהב.

רב, כי הוה אתי לבי דינא, אמר הכי: ברעות נפשיה לקטלא נפיק, וצבו ביתיה לית הוא עביד, וריקן לביתיה עייל. ולואי שתהא ביאה כיציאה.

The Gemara relates that Rav, when he would come to court to judge a case, would say this about himself: By his own will he goes out to danger of death, as a judge who misjudges a case is liable to receive the punishment of death at the hand of Heaven; and he does not do what is necessary to provide for the needs of his house, and he enters his home empty-handed, because a judge does not receive a salary. He said: If only it should be so that his entry into his home will be the same as his departure, without sin or transgression.

כי הוי חזי אמבוהא דספרי אבתריה, אמר: ״אם יעלה לשמים שיאו [וגו׳] כגללו לנצח יאבד וגו׳״. מר זוטרא חסידא, כי הוו מכתפי ליה בשבתא דריגלא, אמר הכי:

In a similar demonstration of humility, when Rav would see a convoy [ambuha] of scribes following after him to honor him, he would say: “Though his excellency mount up to the heavens and his head reach the clouds, yet he shall perish forever like his own dung; they who have seen him shall say: Where is he?” (Job 20:6–7). It is said of Mar Zutra the Pious that when the people would carry him to his lectures on their shoulders during Shabbat of the Festival, he would say this to avoid becoming arrogant: “For power is not forever, and does the crown endure for all generations?” (Proverbs 27:24).

״כי לא לעולם חסן ואם נזר לדור ודור״.

דרש בר קפרא: מנא הא מילתא דאמרו רבנן, ״הוו מתונין בדין״? דכתיב: ״לא תעלה במעלת״, וסמיך ליה ״ואלה המשפטים״. אמר רבי אליעזר:

Bar Kappara taught, based on a homiletical interpretation of a verse: From where is this matter that the Sages stated derived: Be temperate in judgment (Avot 1:1)? As it is written: “Neither shall you go up by steps onto My altar” (Exodus 20:23), i.e., do not ascend hurriedly, and juxtaposed to it, it is written: “Now these are the ordinances that you shall set before them” (Exodus 21:1). Rabbi Eliezer says: From where is it derived that a judge may not step over the heads of the sacred nation, walking among those assembled for the lecture, who would sit upon the floor, in such a manner that he has the appearance of stepping on them? It is derived from that which is stated: “Neither shall you go up by steps,” and juxtaposed to it is an introduction to civil laws and courtroom regulations: “Now these are the ordinances.” This indicates that the prohibition against ascending upon steps applies to judges.

מניין לדיין שלא יפסע על ראשי עם קודש? שנאמר: ״לא תעלה במעלת״, וסמיך ליה ״ואלה המשפטים״.

״אשר תשים״? ״אשר תלמדם״ מיבעי ליה! אמר רבי ירמיה, ואיתימא רבי חייא בר אבא: אלו כלי הדיינין. רב הונא, כי הוה נפק לדינא, אמר הכי:

The Gemara interprets the second part of the verse cited above: “Now these are the ordinances that you shall set before them.” The verse should have stated: That you shall teach them. What is indicated by the phrase: “Set before them”? Rabbi Yirmeya, and some say Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, says: These are the judges’ tools. To illustrate this, the Gemara relates that Rav Huna, when he would go out to a judgment, would say this: Take out for me tools from my shop: A rod and strap, with which to flog transgressors; and a shofar, necessary in the event that someone must be excommunicated; and a sandal, necessary in the event of ḥalitza, the procedure by which a levirate marriage is rejected.

אפיקו לי מאני חנותאי: מקל ורצועה, ושופרא, וסנדלא.

״ואצוה את שפטיכם בעת ההיא״. אמר רבי יוחנן: כנגד מקל ורצועה תהא זריז. ״שמע בין אחיכם ושפטתם״ – אמר רבי חנינא: אזהרה לדיין שלא ישמע דברי בעל דין

The Gemara interprets other verses related to the topic of adjudicating cases. “And I charged your judges at that time, saying: Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger who is with him” (Deuteronomy 1:16). Understanding that the word “charged” indicates alacrity, Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Moses urged the judges: With regard to the rod and the strap, be vigilant. With regard to the clause “Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge,” Rabbi Ḥanina says: This is a warning to a court that it may not hear the statement of one litigant before the other litigant comes, and it is a warning to a litigant that he may not explain his statement to the judge before the other litigant comes. Read into the phrase in the verse: “Hear the causes between your brethren,” that it is also concerning the litigant. Although he is not the judge, he is also required to assure that the case is conducted in the presence of both parties.

קודם שיבא בעל דין חבירו, ואזהרה לבעל דין שלא יטעים דבריו לדיין קודם שיבא בעל דין חבירו. קרי ביה נמי: ״שמע בין אחיכם״.

רב כהנא אמר: מהכא, מ״לא תשא״ – לא תשיא.

Rav Kahana says the litigant’s responsibility may be derived from here: From “you shall not bear [tissa] a false report” (Exodus 23:1). Although conjugated in this manner the verb would seem to be addressed to the judges, commanding them not to lend credence to a false report, the term may also be read as: You shall not deliver [tassi] a false report, conjugated so that it addresses the litigants and the witnesses.

״ושפטתם צדק״. אמר ריש לקיש: צדק את הדין, ואחר כך חתכהו. ״בין איש ובין אחיו ובין גרו״. אמר רב יהודה: אפילו בין בית לעלייה.

The Gemara returns to the verse in Deuteronomy cited above: “And I charged your judges at that time, saying: Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously.” Reish Lakish says: Verify the judgment by meticulously examining the particulars of the case, and only afterward, implement it. The verse continues: “Between a man and his brother, and the stranger who is with him.” Rav Yehuda says: The judge must distinguish even between the merits of a house and the upper story when dividing a two-floor property among inheriting brothers.

״ובין גרו״. אמר רב יהודה: אפילו בין תנור לכירים.

With regard to the clause in the verse: “And the stranger who is with him [gero],” the word gero resembles the word: Dwell [gur], and Rav Yehuda says: This word teaches that the judge must distinguish even between the merits of an oven and a stove. The judge must carefully weigh how to divide even these domestic items in a case of inheritance, to ensure that the distribution of property is absolutely equitable.

״לא תכירו פנים במשפט״. רבי יהודה אומר: לא תכירהו. רבי אלעזר אומר: לא תנכרהו.

The next verse states: “You shall not respect [takiru] people in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid before any man, for the judgment is God’s; and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it” (Deuteronomy 1:17). Rabbi Yehuda says: Do not recognize him [takirehu], i.e., do not acknowledge the litigant as a friend in your role as a judge. Rabbi Elazar says: Even if he is your opponent, do not estrange him [tenakerehu] in such a way as to prejudge him as liable, but treat him as though you do not know him at all.

אושפיזכניה דרב אתא לקמיה לדינא. אמר לו: לאו אושפיזכני את? אמר לו: אין. אמר ליה: דינא אית לי. אמר ליה:

Rav’s host [ushpizekhaneih], with whom he would stay occasionally, came before him for a judgment. Rav said to the host: Are you not my host? He said to him: Yes, I am. The host then said to him: I have a dispute with another that needs a judgment. Rav said to him: