Mesorat%20hashas for Sanhedrin 4:5

כֵּיצַד מְאַיְּמִין אֶת הָעֵדִים עַל עֵדֵי נְפָשׁוֹת, הָיוּ מַכְנִיסִין אוֹתָן וּמְאַיְּמִין עֲלֵיהֶן. שֶׁמָּא תֹאמְרוּ מֵאֹמֶד, וּמִשְּׁמוּעָה, עֵד מִפִּי עֵד וּמִפִּי אָדָם נֶאֱמָן שָׁמַעְנוּ, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא אִי אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִין שֶׁסּוֹפֵנוּ לִבְדֹּק אֶתְכֶם בִּדְרִישָׁה וּבַחֲקִירָה. הֱווּ יוֹדְעִין שֶׁלֹּא כְדִינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. דִּינֵי מָמוֹנוֹת, אָדָם נוֹתֵן מָמוֹן וּמִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ. דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת, דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו תְּלוּיִין בּוֹ עַד סוֹף הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בְקַיִן שֶׁהָרַג אֶת אָחִיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ד) דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ צֹעֲקִים, אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר דַּם אָחִיךָ אֶלָּא דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, דָּמוֹ וְדַם זַרְעִיּוֹתָיו. דָּבָר אַחֵר, דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ, שֶׁהָיָה דָמוֹ מֻשְׁלָךְ עַל הָעֵצִים וְעַל הָאֲבָנִים. לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁכָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וּמִפְּנֵי שְׁלוֹם הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ אַבָּא גָדוֹל מֵאָבִיךָ. וְשֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ מִינִין אוֹמְרִים, הַרְבֵּה רָשֻׁיּוֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם. וּלְהַגִּיד גְּדֻלָּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁאָדָם טוֹבֵעַ כַּמָּה מַטְבְּעוֹת בְּחוֹתָם אֶחָד וְכֻלָּן דּוֹמִין זֶה לָזֶה, וּמֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא טָבַע כָּל אָדָם בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְאֵין אֶחָד מֵהֶן דּוֹמֶה לַחֲבֵרוֹ. לְפִיכָךְ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד חַיָּב לוֹמַר, בִּשְׁבִילִי נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם. וְשֶׁמָּא תֹאמְרוּ מַה לָּנוּ וְלַצָּרָה הַזֹּאת, וַהֲלֹא כְבָר נֶאֱמַר (ויקרא ה) וְהוּא עֵד אוֹ רָאָה אוֹ יָדָע אִם לוֹא יַגִּיד וְגוֹ'. וְשֶׁמָּא תֹאמְרוּ מַה לָּנוּ לָחוּב בְּדָמוֹ שֶׁל זֶה, וַהֲלֹא כְבָר נֶאֱמַר (משלי יא) וּבַאֲבֹד רְשָׁעִים רִנָּה:

How are the witnesses intimidated [not to testify falsely] in capital cases? They would bring them in and intimidate them, viz.: Can it be that you are testifying (illegally) by conjecture or through hearsay, "witness from witness" (and not from direct observation), or (even) from a reliable person? Can it be that you do not know that we are going to cross-examine you thoroughly? Know that capital cases are not like monetary litigations. In monetary litigations, [where one testifies falsely to make another financially liable], he makes financial restitution and he is forgiven; but in capital cases, his (victim's) blood and the blood of his (unborn) descendants are on his head until the end of time. For thus do we find with Cain, who killed his brother, viz. (Genesis 4:10): "The voice of your brother's bloods cries out to Me": It is not written "your brother's blood," but "your brother's bloods" — his blood and the blood of his children. (Another interpretation: "your brother's bloods" — his blood was bespattered on trees and stones). It is for this reason that man was created singly [to show that the entire world proceeded from one man] — in order to teach that if one causes a single Jewish soul to go lost, Scripture accounts it to him as if had caused an entire world to go lost; and if one sustains a single Jewish soul, Scripture accounts it to him as if he had sustained an entire world. And (man was created singly) for the fostering of peace, that one not say to his neighbor: "My father (i.e., my original ancestor) was greater than yours," and that the heretics not say: "There are many deities in heaven," [each creating man in its own image], and to declare the greatness of the Holy One Blessed be He; for man mints many coins from one die, and they are all the same, but the King of kings, the Holy One Blessed be He, mints every man from the die of the first man, and none of them is the same as his neighbor — for which reason every man must say: "For my sake was the world created!" And lest you (the witnesses) say: "What need have we of this trouble!" [to enter into this worry (by testifying) even truthfully] — Is it not already written (Leviticus 5:1): "And he is a witness, or saw, or knew — if he does not tell, then he shall bear his sin!" [so that you must testify to what you have seen.] And lest you say: "Why have this one's (the defendant's) blood on our head?" [i.e., It is better to stand in (violation of) "if he does not tell"] — it is already written (Proverbs 11:10): "In the destruction of the wicked is joy," [so that if he is wicked, there is no sin (in testifying against him) at all.]

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