(Si los testigos dicen :) Testificamos acerca de ese hombre que él es responsable de cuarenta franjas, y se encontró que eran zomemin, reciben ochenta franjas, debido a (Éxodo 20:13): "No testificarás contra tu prójimo falso testimonio "y debido a (Deuteronomio 19:19)" Entonces le harás lo que él planeó hacerle a su hermano ". Estas son las palabras de R. Meir. [Porque desde que no es posible satisfacer a los testigos "Entonces le harás lo que él planeó" (como cuando testifican que uno es el hijo de un divorciado) reciben rayas por razón de "No testificarás"—aquí, donde hay una exhortación de "No testificarás", y también una de "como él planeó", recibe ochenta franjas. La halajá no está de acuerdo con R. Meir.] Los sabios dicen: Él recibe solo cuarenta rayas. Ellos son "terceros" en dinero [Los testigos de intrigas que son responsables del pago pagan el dinero de acuerdo con el número de testigos. Si eran tres y se les dio zomemina, cada uno paga un tercio de la suma que desea imponer], y no "tercero" en franjas. [Cada uno de los testigos no recibe un tercio de las rayas, pero cada uno recibe cuarenta para satisfacer "Entonces le harás lo que él planeó". Para cada uno de los testigos que deseen imponer un total (cuarenta) franjas en el juzgado. El dinero "se suma", de modo que cuando cada uno da un tercio, recibe lo que deseaban para hacerlo responsable entre todos ellos; pero las rayas no "suman".] ¿Cómo es eso? Si testificaron acerca de él que le debe a su vecino doscientos zuz y se descubrió que eran zomemin, ellos "eran terceros" entre ellos. Pero si testificaron contra él que él es responsable de cuarenta franjas, y se descubrió que eran zomemin, cada uno de ellos recibe cuarenta franjas.
Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
Because you shall not bear false witness. Since behold when it is impossible to [punish] the witnesses with "do to them as they planned", for example [they say] "We testify about a certain person [kohen] that he is the son of a divorced woman, the witnesses are lashed due to "you shall not bear false witness". Here [in this case], where there is warning against "you shall not bear false witness" and also "as they planned", they are lashed 80 [times]. The halacha is not like Rabbi Meir.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Introduction
Mishnayoth three continues to discuss the laws of perjuring witnesses.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
They pay with money. The zommemin that are obligated in with [their attempt] to cause payment, pay the money according to the number of the witnesses. If it was three witnesses and they were made zommemin, each one pay a third of the [total] money that they wanted to cause him [the person they are testifying about] to lose.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
[If they say:] “We testify that so and so is liable to a flogging of forty lashes, and they are found to be perjurers, they receive eighty lashes, because of, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:13) and “You shall do to him as he schemed to do to his fellow” (Deuternomy 19:19), these are the words of Rabbi Meir. But the sages say, “They receive only forty lashes.” This section is actually a continuation of the dispute between Rabbi Meir and the Sages begun in mishnah two. According to Rabbi Meir one can receive eighty lashes for one false testimony, forty for violating the commandment in Exodus and forty for trying to impose forty lashes upon the accused, the violation mentioned in Deuteronomy. According to the Sages, since this was only one act he can receive only one punishment, namely forty lashes, as he tried to impose upon the accused.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
Lashes are not divided. It's not that each of the witnesses are lashed a portion of the [total number of] lashes, rather each one is lashed 40 [times]. This is because we need "do to them as they planned", and each one sought to have the accused lashed a full amount. [However] money is combined [after being divided], when each of the witnesses gives their portion, behold he [the accused] receives what they sought to make him lose, however lashes are not combined.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Monetary impositions are shared among the offenders, but the lashes are not shared among the offenders. How so? If they testified that he owed his friend one hundred zuz, and they were found to be perjurers, they divide the corresponding damages proportionately between them. But if they testified that he was liable to a flogging of forty lashes and were found to be perjurers, each one receives forty lashes. Witnesses who perjure themselves in a monetary case are punished by a fine equal to the financial loss they tried to impose upon the accused. In this type of case the witnesses may share the burden of the financial penalty. For instance if they lied with regards to two hundred zuz, each witness will compensate the accused one hundred zuz. If, however, they lied in a case involving lashes, the witnesses do not share the lashes. Rather each witness receives the number of lashes that they attempted to impose upon the accused.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Questions for Further Thought: • Section one: What is the connection between the dispute in mishnah three and the dispute that we learned yesterday in mishnah two? • Section two: Why do you think that the witnesses may share the financial penalty but not share the lashes?
