Comentario sobre Makot 1:5
בָּאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְהִזִּימוּם, בָּאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְהִזִּימוּם, אֲפִלּוּ מֵאָה, כֻּלָּם יֵהָרֵגוּ. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אִסְטָסִית הִיא זוֹ, וְאֵינָהּ נֶהֱרֶגֶת אֶלָּא כַת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה בִלְבָד:
Si vinieron otros y ellos (los refutadores) les dieron zomemina; si vinieron otros y les dieron zomemina—incluso si fueran cien [conjuntos de testigos, dando el mismo testimonio uno tras otro, y todos refutados por el mismo conjunto], todos son asesinados. R. Yehudah dice: "Este conjunto (refutar) es istasith" [perverso y tortuoso, habiendo tomado un consejo entre ellos para refutar a quien venga a dar este testimonio. Otra interpretación: "¿Es esto (refutando establecer una tina de) isatis" (un tinte), (que tiñe a todos los que lo tocan)]! Y solo se mata al primer grupo de testigos. [R. Yehudah sostiene que después de que se refuta el primer conjunto, no se acepta el conjunto siguiente; y si testifican y son refutados, no son asesinados, no satisfacen: "Entonces le harás a él, etc.", porque él (el juzgado) no es asesinado por su testimonio. La halajá no está de acuerdo con R. Yehudah.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Rabbi Judah says: “This is a conspiracy and the first set alone is [to be] executed.”
Mishnah five deals with multiple sets of perjuring witnesses.
According to the opinion in the first section of the mishnah every set of witnesses that perjures themselves with regards to a certain crime can be executed for perjury (if the case was a capital case). If, for instance, Reuven and Shimon testify that Jacob committed a crime which entails the death penalty and then Levi and Judah come and state that at the time of the alleged crime Reuven and Shimon were with them and not at the scene of the crime, Reuven and Shimon are executed. If afterwards Zevulun and Issachar come and testify to the same crime and again Levi and Judah claim that they were with them at the time of the crime, then Zevulun and Issachar are to be executed as well. Levi and Judah can testify against as many witnesses as they want, and even one hundred witnesses, all saying the same thing, could be executed for perjury.
Rabbi Judah claims that in this scenario there is a conspiracy between the accused and those who contradict everyone else’s testimony, namely, Levi and Judah. While we do accept their testimony, only the first set of witnesses are executed.