(Si les témoins disent :) Nous témoignons au sujet de cet homme qu'il est passible de quarante coups, et qu'ils se sont avérés être zomemin, ils reçoivent quatre-vingts coups, à cause de (Exode 20:13): "Vous ne témoignerez pas contre votre prochain faux témoignage "et à cause de (Deutéronome 19:19)" Alors tu lui feras comme il a planifié de faire à son frère. " Ce sont les paroles de R. Meir. [Car puisque quand il n'est pas possible de convaincre les témoins "Alors tu lui feras comme il a comploté" (comme quand ils témoignent que l'on est le fils d'une divorcée) ils reçoivent des galons en raison de "Tu ne témoigneras pas"—ici, où il y a une exhortation de «tu ne témoigneras pas», et aussi une de «comme il a comploté», il reçoit quatre-vingts coups. La halakha n'est pas conforme à R. Meir.] Les sages disent: Il ne reçoit que quarante coups. Ils "tiers" en argent [Les témoins intrigants qui sont redevables du paiement paient l'argent en fonction du nombre de témoins. S'ils étaient trois et qu'ils étaient rendus zomemin, chacun paie un tiers de la somme qu'ils voulaient imposer], et ils ne le «troisième» pas en rayures. [Chacun des témoins ne reçoit pas un tiers des coups, mais chacun en reçoit quarante pour satisfaire "Alors tu lui feras ce qu'il a comploté". Pour chacun des témoins a souhaité imposer une (quarante) rayures complètes à l'arbitre. L'argent «s'additionne», de sorte que lorsque chacun donne un tiers, il reçoit ce à quoi ils ont voulu le rendre responsable parmi tous; mais les rayures ne "s'additionnent pas."] Comment cela? S'ils ont témoigné à son sujet qu'il devait à son voisin deux cents zuz et qu'il s'agissait de zomemin, ils étaient «troisièmes» d'entre eux. Mais s'ils ont témoigné contre lui qu'il est passible de quarante coups, et qu'ils se sont avérés être des zomemin, chacun d'eux reçoit quarante coups.
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?
