Comentario sobre Sanedrín 5:2
כָּל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִבְדִיקוֹת, הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח. מַעֲשֶׂה וּבָדַק בֶּן זַכַּאי בְּעֻקְצֵי תְאֵנִים. וּמַה בֵּין חֲקִירוֹת לִבְדִיקוֹת. חֲקִירוֹת, אֶחָד אוֹמֵר אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ, עֵדוּתָן בְּטֵלָה. בְּדִיקוֹת, אֶחָד אוֹמֵר אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ, וַאֲפִלּוּ שְׁנַיִם אוֹמְרִים אֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִין, עֵדוּתָן קַיָּמֶת. אֶחָד חֲקִירוֹת וְאֶחָד בְּדִיקוֹת, בִּזְמַן שֶׁמַּכְחִישִׁין זֶה אֶת זֶה, עֵדוּתָן בְּטֵלָה:
El que multiplica los exámenes (de los testigos) debe ser alabado. Una vez, Ben Zakkai examinó (a alguien) en los pedúnculos de los higos. [("Ben Zakkai" :) R. Yochanan ben Zakkai. Era un discípulo que juzgaba ante su maestro en ese momento, por lo que se le llamó "Ben Zakkai". ("en los pedúnculos de las frutas" :) Ellos (los testigos) declararon que lo mataron debajo de una higuera, y Ben Zakkai "examinó": "¿Los pedúnculos de los higos eran delgados o gruesos?"] ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre ¿"consultas" (chakiroth) y "exámenes" (bedikoth)? Con chakiroth, si uno (de los testigos) dice: "No sé", se invalida su testimonio. [Porque ya no están sujetos a hazamah a través de esa chakirah. Y mientras sea imposible satisfacer a Hazamah con uno de los testigos, todo el testimonio se invalida, incluso si hay cien testigos; porque los testigos no pueden ser procesados en zomemina hasta que todos sean procesados.] Con bedikoth, si uno dice: "No sé", e incluso si dos de ellos dicen: "No sabemos", el testimonio se mantiene. [Incluso si todos dicen: "No sabemos", obtiene la mitzvá de hazamah. Porque hazamah solo depende de la chakirah, (dejando a los testigos abiertos) a la afirmación: "Estuvieron con nosotros en ese momento en un lugar diferente".] Tanto con chakiroth como con bedikoth, si ellos (los testigos) se contradicen entre sí, su testimonio es invalidado. [En todos los casos de "su testimonio es invalidado" en la Gemara, él (el que testificó en contra) y ellos (los testigos) están exentos (de responsabilidad)].
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
What is the difference between inquiries and examinations? With regards to inquiries, if one [of the two witnesses] says “I do not know”, their evidence becomes invalid. But if to one of the examinations one answered, “I do not know”, or even if they both answered, “We do not know”, their evidence remains valid. Yet if they contradict each other, whether during the inquiries or examinations, their evidence becomes invalid.
Mishnah two continues to discuss the inquiries and examinations performed on the witnesses by the judge.
This mishnah discusses the questions regarding the circumstances of the crime itself. Although the mishnah lists seven official “inquiries” that must be asked, with regards to “examinations” the more the judge asks the better able he is to ascertain the truth. Ben Zakkai (who is usually called Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai) once even checked to see if the witnesses who testified that a murder was committed under a fig tree knew what the stalks of the figs looked like.
The second half of the mishnah discusses cases where one of the witnesses does not know the answer to one of the questions. If the witness could not say where the crime took place or when it took place, both of the witnesses testimony becomes invalid. These are called “inquiries”. However, if one cannot answer with certainty one of the substantive questions regarding the crime, the rest of his testimony is not invalidated. These are called “examinations”. Even if both cannot answer the question, the other parts of their testimony are not necessarily invalidate. In other words, not knowing a detail does not necessarily disqualify all of their testimony. Rather the judges will have to decide when making their decision if there exists enough testimony to convict the accused.
If, however, the two witnesses disagree with regards to a detail, then all of their testimony is invalid.