Kommentar zu Sanhedrin 4:3

סַנְהֶדְרִין הָיְתָה כַּחֲצִי גֹרֶן עֲגֻלָּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּהוּ רוֹאִין זֶה אֶת זֶה. וּשְׁנֵי סוֹפְרֵי הַדַּיָּנִין עוֹמְדִין לִפְנֵיהֶם, אֶחָד מִיָּמִין וְאֶחָד מִשְּׂמֹאל, וְכוֹתְבִין דִּבְרֵי הַמְזַכִּין וְדִבְרֵי הַמְחַיְּבִין. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, שְׁלֹשָׁה, אֶחָד כּוֹתֵב דִּבְרֵי הַמְזַכִּין, וְאֶחָד כּוֹתֵב דִּבְרֵי הַמְחַיְּבִין, וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי כוֹתֵב דִּבְרֵי הַמְזַכִּין וְדִבְרֵי הַמְחַיְּבִין:

Sanhedrin saß in einem Halbkreis, damit sie sich sehen konnten [es wird geschrieben (Songs of Songs 7: 3): "Dein Nabel ist wie das Becken des Mondes (Sahar)": "Dein Nabel ist wie der Becken (agan) " —Dies ist Sanhedrin, der im Zentrum der Welt (der Tempelanlage) sitzt und die ganze Welt verteidigt (maginah - ähnlich wie "agan"). Und es ist wie der Mond, dass er wie ein Halbmond in einem Kreis sitzt. (Das Targum des Mondes ist "Sihara".) Und sie sitzen nicht im Kreis, weil die Prozessparteien und die Zeugen hereinkommen und vor allen sprechen müssen.] Und zwei Gerichtsschreiber standen vor ihnen, einer rechts; die andere auf der linken Seite, und sie schrieben die Worte der Freisetzer und die Worte der Indikatoren auf. R. Yehudah sagt: (Es gab) drei. Man schrieb die Worte der Freisprecher; ein anderer die Worte der Indikatoren; und ein dritter die Worte der Freisetzer und die Worte der Indikatoren, [so dass es zwei Zeugen für die Freisetzer und zwei für die Indikatoren gibt. Die Halacha stimmt nicht mit R. Yehudah überein.]

Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin

כחצי גורן עגולה כדי שיהו רואים זה את זה – As Scripture states (Song of Songs 7:3): “Your navel is like a round goblet…” [The words] "שררך אגן"/”your navel is like” – refers to the Sanhedrin which sits in the navel of the world and defends the entire world, and it is similar to a goblet, as they sit in a circle like a half-moon. The Aramaic translation of ירח/moon is סיהרא /moonlight. But in a complete circle they do not sit because the litigants and the witnesses need to enter and to speak in the presence of everyone.

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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin

Introductio Mishnah three begins to discuss the physical arrangement of the sanhedrin, the scribes who would record the decisions and the disciples of the Sages who observed the proceedings and learned.
The Sanhedrin was arranged like the half of a round threshing-floor so that they all might see one another.
Before them stood the two scribes of the judges, one to the right and one to the left, and they wrote down the words of them that favored acquittal and the words of them that favored conviction. Rabbi Judah says: “There were three: one wrote down the words of them that favored acquittal, and one wrote down the words of them that favored conviction, and the third wrote down the words of both them that favored acquittal and them that favored conviction.
The sanhedrin of twenty three that would try capital cases and the sanhedrin of seventy one would sit in a half circle. This was the seating arrangement that would best allow all of the judges to see each other. A full circle would mean that the one testifying before the court would have his back to some of the judges.
The second half of the mishnah describes the court stenographers. According to the first opinion, there were two scribes who recorded the court procedure, one which recorded the opinion of those that favored acquittal and one those that favored conviction. Rabbi Judah claims that there was a third scribe who recorded all of the opinions. In this way there would be two copies of all of the decisions made.

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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin

רבי יהודה אומר: שלשה היו – in order that there would be two witnesses for those who acquit and two witnesses for those who declare guilty.

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