Der Eid des Zeugnisses. Wie? Wenn er zu zwei sagte: "Komm und bezeuge für mich" (und sie antworteten :) "Wir schwören, dass wir kein Zeugnis für dich kennen"; oder wenn sie antworteten: "Wir kennen kein Zeugnis für dich" (und er sagte :) "Ich trage dich" und sie sagten: "Amen", sie haften. Wenn er sie fünfmal außerhalb von Beth-Din verehrte und sie zu Beth-Din kamen und zugaben (dass sie Zeugnis kannten), haften sie nicht [selbst wenn sie es für jeden Eid außerhalb von Beth-Din bestritten haben. Denn Verleugnung außerhalb von Beth-Din gilt nicht als Verleugnung.] Wenn sie es leugnen (in Beth-Din), haften sie für jeden [geschrieben (3. Mose 5: 5): "Und es soll sein, wenn er für einen von diesen schuldig sein "—um ihn für jeden haftbar zu machen.] Wenn er sie fünfmal vor Beth-Din verehrte und sie es leugneten, haften sie nur für einen. R. Shimon sagte: Warum haften sie nur für einen, auch wenn sie geschwiegen und es am Ende geleugnet haben? Warum sagen wir nicht, dass die Ablehnung für alle Eide gilt, um sie für jeden haftbar zu machen?] (Die Antwort :) Da [wenn sie es beim ersten Mal in Beth-Din bestritten haben], können sie nicht zurückgehen und zugeben es. [dh, da sie bereits gesagt haben, dass sie kein Zeugnis für ihn kennen, können sie nicht zurückgehen und (sonst) aussagen, daher waren alle Eide außer dem ersten überflüssig, obwohl sie es erst am Ende bestritten haben. Denn wenn ihr Schweigen auf den ersten Blick als Verleugnung angesehen wird, ist es nicht mehr angebracht, sie zu beschmutzen; und wenn es nicht als Verleugnung angesehen wird, sind sie bereits vereidigt, und die nachfolgenden Eide sind "Eide auf einen Eid". Perforce spricht also "für einen", um ihn für jeden haftbar zu machen "von Eiden außerhalb von Beth-Din und Verleugnung in Beth-Din. Denn Eide, durch die er sie beschwört, in Beth-Din auszusagen, sind nicht überflüssig und eignen sich zur Spaltung. Denn wenn sie es dort zuerst leugneten, könnten sie wieder vereidigt werden.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
ובאו לבית דין והודו פטורים – and even if they denied [that they had testimony about so-and-so] outside of the Jewish court on each oath for no denial outside the Jewish court is considered denial.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
Introduction
The first half of mishnah three explains how an oath of testimony is done. The second half of the mishnah discusses a witness who falsely swears five times that he had no knowledge of testimony.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
כפרו בב"ד חייבין על כל אחת ואחת – as the Biblical verse states (Leviticus 5:5): “When he realizes his guilt in any of these matters,[he shall confess that wherein he has sinned],” to be liable for each and every one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
The oath of testimony: How is it done? If he said to two [persons]: “Come and bear testimony for me”; [and they replied:] “We swear we know no testimony for you”; Or they said to him: “We know no testimony for you”, [and he said:] “I adjure you” and they said, “Amen! “, they are liable. An oath of testimony can be done in one of two ways. The first way is for the litigant to ask the witnesses to come and testify on his behalf and for them to swear that they have no knowledge of testimony. Alternatively the witnesses can state that they know no testimony and the litigant can adjure them that they know no testimony. If they answer amen, they have sworn an oath of testimony. If they have sworn falsely they are liable.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
מה טעם – that they are not liable other than for one [sacrifice] even if they were silent and denied [their knowing anything] at the end, and we don’t say that a denial exists for all of them to make them liable for each and every one (i.e., testimony).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
If he adjured them five times outside the court, and the they came to the court and admitted [knowledge of testimony], they are exempt. If they denied, they are liable for each [oath]. If he adjured them five times before the court, and they denied [knowledge of testimony], they are liable only once. Said Rabbi Shimon: “What is the reason? Because they cannot afterwards admit [knowledge]. This section discusses a case where a litigant adjured the witnesses five times. The mishnah asks the question, in what case will they be liable for having sworn falsely five times, in what case they will be liable for having sworn falsely once and in what case will they be exempt. If, he adjured them outside of the court, and then when they came to court they admitted that they knew testimony, they are not liable. As we learned in mishnah one, the denial of knowledge must occur in front of the court. If, after having adjured them five times they come to court and continue to deny knowledge, then they are liable for having sworn five false oaths of testimony. The denial at court makes each oath outside of court a potentially effective oath, and therefore if it was false, it causes them to be liable. If he adjured them five times in front of the court and they denied knowledge each time, they will be liable for having sworn only one false oath. Rabbi Shimon explains that since after the first denial in front of the court they will not be able to change their minds, the subsequent oaths were meaningless. Once a person has in court denied knowing testimony he cannot change his mind and testify. Since, except for the first oath, the other oaths were meaningless, he can only be liable for one false oath.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
הואיל – but whereas if they denied in the Jewish court the first time, they would not be able to retract and confess, for they already stated that they don’t know any testimony about him, and furthermore, they do not retract and state [testimony]; therefore, even though that they didn’t deny [knowing anything about so-and-so] until the end, all of the oaths were abrogated, except for the first one. For he fact that they were silent initially is denial, they are not worthy to be made to take an oath and if it is not denial, they are sworn in as standing witnesses. And what is an oath upon an oath? By force, when it is written (in Leviticus 5:5): “in any of these matters” – to be liable for each and every one, referring to an oath taken outside the Jewish court and they denied it in the Jewish court as it is written [in Scripture] that he would administer an oath to them when they would come to the Jewish court and they would testify and they would not leave in idleness, and it is appropriate for them to divide if they denied there at first, it would be appropriate to retract and to administer to them an oath.
