Talmud for Bekhorot 4:4

מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מֻמְחֶה וְרָאָה אֶת הַבְּכוֹר וְנִשְׁחַט עַל פִּיו, הֲרֵי זֶה יִקָּבֵר, וִישַׁלֵּם מִבֵּיתוֹ. דָּן אֶת הַדִּין, זִכָּה אֶת הַחַיָּב וְחִיֵּב אֶת הַזַּכַּאי, טִמֵּא אֶת הַטָהוֹר וְטִהֵר אֶת הַטָּמֵא, מַה שֶּׁעָשָׂה עָשׂוּי וִישַׁלֵּם מִבֵּיתוֹ. וְאִם הָיָה מֻמְחֶה לְבֵית דִּין, פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּם. מַעֲשֶׂה בְפָרָה שֶׁנִּטְּלָה הָאֵם שֶׁלָּהּ, וְהֶאֱכִילָהּ רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן לַכְּלָבִים, וּבָא מַעֲשֶׂה לִפְנֵי חֲכָמִים וְהִתִּירוּהָ. אָמַר תוֹדוֹס הָרוֹפֵא, אֵין פָּרָה וַחֲזִירָה יוֹצְאָה מֵאֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּא עַד שֶׁהֵם חוֹתְכִין אֶת הָאֵם שֶׁלָּהּ, בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁלֹּא תֵלֵד. אָמַר רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, הָלְכָה חֲמוֹרְךָ טַרְפוֹן. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן, פָּטוּר אַתָּה, שֶׁאַתָּה מֻמְחֶה לְבֵית דִּין, וְכָל הַמֻּמְחֶה לְבֵית דִּין פָּטוּר מִלְּשַׁלֵּם:

If one is not an expert and sees a firstborn, and it is slaughtered by his word, it is buried and one pays from one's own funds. If one judges a case and declared a liable [animal] innocent, an innocent [animal] liable, a pure [animal] impure, or an impure [animal] pure, what is done is done, and one pays from one's own funds. If one is an expert of the court one is exempt from paying. It once happened that Rabbi Tarfon fed a cow whose womb was taken out to the dogs. The case came before the Sages and they permitted it. Todos the doctor said: No cow or pig leaves Alexandria until they cut out its womb so it cannot give birth. Rabbi Tarfon [then] said: Your donkey has left you, Tarfon! Rabbi 'Akiva said to him: Rabbi Tarfon, you are exempt because you are an expert of the court, and experts of the court are exempt from payment.

Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin

Samuel said, if two men acted as judges, their judgment stands, but they are called an insolent court³⁶Babli 3a,5b,30a,87b; Ketubot 22a. Cf. Berakhot 7:1, Note 18.. Rebbi Joḥanan and Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish both are instructing: Even³⁷Even if the parties accepted them as judges. if two men acted as judges, their judgment is no judgment³⁸In the Babli, this opinion is represented by Rava (5b) and R. Abbahu (87b), the student of R. Johanan and R. Simeon ben Laqish.. There, we have stated³⁹Mishnah Bekhorot 4:4. The Mishnah refers to a person who did not pass the required examinations and was not formally qualified as a judge.: “If he rendered judgment, acquitted the guilty and condemned the innocent, declared the pure impure or the impure pure, what he did is done but he has to pay from his own pocket.” Rebbi Abba in the name of Rebbi Abbahu: if they told him, we accept you as if you were two⁴⁰Since R. Abbahu follows his teachers and holds that any judgment passed by a court of two judges is void, as well as from the following quote, it is clear that one has to read “three” in place of “two”.. What are we dealing with? If his error was that he judged them on his discretion⁴¹If there exists no clear precedent for the case; different schools promulgate different rules and he followed a minority opinion because it seemed to him to be the correct one, his judgment is valid but there is no reason why he should have to pay. The Babli, 33a, declares a judgment against a clear majority of opinions as an error in law., then what he did is done. If his error was that he judged them by Torah law⁴²If his judgment contradicted a Mishnah or a clear precedent, in Israel a judgment of the Patriarch’s court or in Babylonia a concurrent judgment of both Yeshivot, his judgment is void (cf. Ketubot 9:2, Note 100). If any money changed hands as a consequence of the erroneous judgment, it has to be returned., why should he pay from his own pocket? Rebbi Abba in the name of Rebbi Abbahu: if they told him, we accept you as if you were three on condition that you judge us by Torah law. He erred and judged them on his discretion. What he did is done, but since he erred and judged them on his discretion, he has to pay from his own pocket⁴³As a fine. because he was presumptuous to judge alone by Torah law, as we have stated⁴⁴Mishnah Avot 4:8.: “Do not judge sitting alone, for only One judges sitting alone.”

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