Commentary for Shevuot 4:10
עָמַד בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וְאָמַר, מַשְׁבִּיעַ אֲנִי עֲלֵיכֶם שֶׁאִם אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִים לִי עֵדוּת שֶׁתָּבֹאוּ וּתְעִידוּנִי, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ פְטוּרִין, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מִתְכַּוֵּן לָהֶם:
If he stood up in the house of prayer and said (to the congregation): "I beswear you that if you know testimony for me, you come and testify for me," they are not liable, until he designates them, [it being written (Leviticus 5:1): "…and he be a witness" — he must designate his witnesses.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
/אם יודעים לי עדות וכו' פטורין – as it is written (Leviticus 5:1): “although able to testify” util he specifies his witnesses.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
[If] he stood in the synagogue and said, “I adjure you that if you know any testimony for me you should come and bear testimony for me”, they are exempt unless he directs himself to them. If the litigant stood in a public place and adjured a large, unspecified crowd of people that they should testify for him, and they all swore that they knew no testimony, the ones who did in fact know testimony are nevertheless exempt. The mishnah teaches that the litigant must specify exactly who he is adjuring. When learning this mishnah we must remember that people who witness an event have a religious duty to testify, regardless of whether the litigant adjures them or not. Our mishnah merely teaches that they have not sworn a false oath unless specifically adjured.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy