Une tribu et un faux prophète et un grand prêtre ne sont jugés que par un Beth-Din de soixante et onze ans. [("une tribu" :) la majorité d'une tribu qui servait des idoles, il est écrit (Deutéronome 17: 5): "Alors tu prendras cet homme ou cette femme ... à tes portes": Un homme ou une femme que tu prendras à vos portes (du jugement), mais vous n'emmenez pas une tribu à vos portes, mais au Grand Beth-din (de soixante et onze juges.) ("un faux prophète" :) Ceci est dérivé par l'identité: «chose-chose» d'un ancien rebelle, il est écrit ici (à l'égard d'un faux prophète (Deutéronome 18:20): «... qui présumera parler une chose», et à l'égard d'un ancien rebelle (Ibid. 17) : 8): "Si quelque chose vous est caché." Tout comme un ancien rebelle est jugé par le Grand Beth-din, à savoir (Ibid.): "Alors vous vous lèverez et monterez à l'endroit, etc. ", ainsi un faux prophète est jugé par le Grand Beth-din. (" un souverain sacrificateur ":) étant écrit (Exode 18:22):" Ils vous apporteront la grande chose ": Les choses du" grand "(c'est-à-dire, le souverain sacrificateur) vous apporteront (Moïse)", et Moïse était à la place de soixante-dix-o ne.] Et les gens ne sont pas emmenés dans une guerre «autorisée». [(Toute guerre sauf la guerre avec les sept nations et la guerre avec Amalek est appelée une guerre "autorisée")] sauf par un beth-din de soixante et onze, [cela étant écrit à l'égard de David (I Chroniques 27:34 ): "et après Achitofel est venu Benayahu ben Yehoyada": Achitofel—le conseiller; Benayahu ben Yehoyada—le Sanhédrin, dont il (Benayahu) était le mufla (les «élus»), que tous suivirent.] Ajouts à la ville, [Jérusalem, dont la sainteté est plus grande que celle du reste d'Eretz Yisrael] et à l'azaroth ( les cours du Temple), [dont la sainteté est plus grande que celle de Jérusalem] ne sont faites que par un beth-din de soixante et onze. [Il n'est pas permis de créer la sainteté sauf à travers un beth-din de soixante et onze, il est écrit (Exode 25: 9): "Selon tout ce que je vous montre… et ainsi vous ferez", pour les générations (suivantes) , à savoir: Tout comme le tabernacle a été sanctifié par Moïse, qui était à la place du Grand Sanhédrin, de même, pour les générations (suivantes), les ajouts à la ville et à l'azaroth sont faits par le Grand Sanhédrin.] Sanhedraoth (de vingt -Trois juges) ne sont pas faits pour les tribus sauf par un beth-din de soixante et onze, [comme nous le trouvons avec Moïse, qui a établi sanhedraoth, Moïse étant à la place de soixante et onze.] Une "ville condamnée" est déclarée seulement par un beth-din de soixante et onze, [il est écrit (Deutéronome 17: 5): "Alors tu emmèneras cet homme ou cette femme ... à tes portes": Tu emmènes l'homme ou la femme à tes "portes, "c'est-à-dire au beth-din (de vingt-trois) dans vos portes; mais vous n'emmenez pas la ville entière à vos portes, mais à la «porte distinctive» (c'est-à-dire le Grand Sanhédrin)]. Et une "ville condamnée" n'est pas faite dans une ville frontalière, [une entre Eretz Yisrael et le pays des nations, il est écrit (Deutéronome 13:14): "du milieu de vous", et non d'une ville frontalière. La raison: de peur que les nations n'entendent et ne viennent ravager Eretz Yisrael. Par conséquent, la ville n'est pas «un tas pour toujours», comme indiqué pour une ville condamnée, mais ses habitants sont tués seuls.] Et non pas trois, mais ils en font un ou deux. [c'est-à-dire qu'un beth-din ne fait pas de trois villes des «villes condamnées» en un seul endroit, proches l'une de l'autre. Mais ils les fabriquent à deux ou trois endroits.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
את השבט – the majority of a tribe that intentionally worshiped idolatry, they are not judged other than with a Jewish court of seventy one, as it is written (Deuteronomy 17:5): “You shall take the man or the woman [who did that wicked thing] out to the public place….”, You can take a man or a woman out to the public place, but you cannot take out a tribe to the public place (i.e., literally, “your gates”) other than with the large Jewish court [of seventy-one members].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Introduction
Mishnah five deals with cases which are only adjudicated in front of a full court of seventy one, which was the number of the full Sanhedrin.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ולא את נביא השקר – The Rabbis learn/derive [by analogy from the double usage of the word] דבר דבר [from the case of] the rebellious elder [disregarding the decision of the Supreme Court]. It is written here (Deuteronomy 18:20): “[But any prophet] who presumes to speak [in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter…],” and it is written regarding the rebellious elder (Deuteronomy 17:8): “If a case is too baffling for you to decide…” Just as the rebellious elder [is judged] in the Great Jewish court, as it is written, (Deuteronomy 17:8): “you shall promptly repair [to the place the LORD your God will have chosen], so also the false prophet [is to be tried] in the Great Jewish court.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
A tribe, a false prophet, or the high priest may not be tried save by the court of seventy-one; The trial of a “tribe” refers to a case in which an entire tribe is suspected of having committed idolatry. According to the mishnah in such a case the tribe is tried in front of seventy-one judges and not the twenty three who would adjudicate a normal case of idol worship (which is punishable by death). A false prophet is referred to in Deut. 18:20 which states that such a prophet should be executed. The High Priest also may only be judged by a court of seventy one. The common denominator between the High Priest and the prophet is the high regard that society would have for both of them. In order to reflect this high regard and the public nature of such trials they would have been held in front of the Great Sanhedrin of 71. Note that according to the Christian Bible, Mark 14:53ff and John 18:13 Jesus was tried in front of the Sanhedrin. In other passages some of the disciples and Paul are also questioned by the Sanhedrin.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ולא את כהן גדול – For the Biblical verse states (Exodus 18:22): “…Have them bring every major dispute to you, [but let them decide every minor dispute themselves].” The matters for a great person, they should bring to you, and Moses was in place of [the court] of seventy-one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
They may not send forth the people to wage a battle of free choice save by the decision of the court of one and seventy; In Jewish law there are two types of war: a mandatory war and a war of free choice. A mandatory war would be either a defensive war or a war whose purpose was to capture the Land of Israel as was in the days of Joshua. A war of free choice would be one which expands the borders beyond the Biblical borders. [Note: the Biblical borders are very difficult to delineate, and there are indeed several versions of them]. Since there will inevitably be heavy casualties in war, the decision to go to a war of free choice requires a full Sanhedrin of 71. A mandatory war would not require the decision of any court.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ואין מוציאין למלחמת הרשות – Every war except for the wars [against] the seven {Canaanite] natiosn and the war [against] Amalek, is called the optional (secular/political) war.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
They may not add to the City [of Jerusalem], or the Courts of the Temple save by the decision of the court of seventy-one; They would not add to the borders of Jerusalem or to the size of the Courts in the Temple except by a court of 71. Adding to either the border of Jerusalem or the Temple causes a greater level of sanctity in these places and therefore requires a full court. Note that as the population grew it was occasionally necessary to expand both the Temple and Jerusalem itself, a fact that can be seen in any archaeological dig in Jerusalem.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
אלא בבית דין של שבעים ואחד – as it is written (I Chronicles 27:34): “After Ahitophel were Jehoiada son of Benaiah [and Abiathar. The commander of the king’s army was Joab.” (In verse 33 is written:) “Ahitophel was a counselor to the king.” Jehoiada son of Benaiah is the Sanhedrin, for he was the greatest of them all and all of them were dragged after him. (The Bartenura or the Gemara – Sanhedrin 16b and see the Tosafot misquoted the verse).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
They may not set up sanhedrins for the several tribes save by the decision of the court of one and seventy. Setting up smaller, local sanhedrins, which would have included 23 judges can only be done by the Great Sanhedrin of 71.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
על העיר – Jerusalem, whose holiness is greater than the rest of the Land of Israel (see Mishnah Kelim, Chapter 1, Mishnah 6 and following).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
And they may not proclaim [any city to be] an Apostate City (ir ha- (Deut. 13:13–19] save by the decision of one and seventy. According to Deut. 13:12ff. if a town has been subverted into idol worship all of the residents of the town are to be executed and the entire town and all of its contents are to be burned. This harsh law (that was never in actuality carried out) could only be decided upon by the Great Sanhedrin.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
והעזרות – their holiness is greater than the holiness of Jerusalem and it is impossible to renew sanctity other than in the Jewish court of seventy-one, as it states in the Biblical verse (Exodus 25:9): “Exactly as I show you, etc. – so you shall make it,” for all generations. Just as the Tabernacle is holy through the mouth of Moses who is in place of the Great Sanhedrin, even for all generations, the addition of the city [of Jerusalem] and the courtyards – by the mouth of the Great Sanhedrin.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
No city on the frontier may be proclaimed an Apostate City, nor three together, but only one or two. This section contains several other laws pertaining to the Apostate City. According to Deuteronomy only cities within the borders of Israel can become an Apostate City which is to be executed. The fear is that if this law is performed on one of the border towns it will encourage raids from neighboring tribes, which would endanger all of Israel. For a similar reason even the Great Sanhedrin was not allowed to declare more than two cities to be Apostate Cities. For obvious reasons declaring a city to be an Apostate City and thereby killing all of its inhabitants might encourage other countries to engage Israel in war.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ואין עושין סנהדראות לשבטים כו' – as we find with Moses who established Sanhedrins, for Moses stands in place of [the Great Sanhedrin] of seventy-one.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Questions for Further Thought: • Section six is quite apparently a law brought by the mishnaic editor to our mishnah from another source. Why do you think he taught this law here? What light might it shed upon the previous law?
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ואין עושין עיר הנדחת – As it is written (Deuteronomy 17:5): “You shall take the man or the woman.” A man or a woman you take out to your gates (i.e., “the public place”), to the Jewish court that is in your city, but you do not take the entire city to your gates (i.e., “the public place”) other than to a special gate.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
בספר – [on the border] a city that separates between the Land of Israel and the heathen countries, as it is written, “among you” (Deuteronomy 17:2), but not from the border. And the reason of the verse is, lest the heathens hear and come and lay waste/destroy the Land of Israel; therefore, we do not leave eternal mound of ruins according to the statute of the apostate city, but we only kill all of its inhabitants.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ולא שלשה – [but not three] towns, the apostate city with one Jewish court and in one place. That is to say, each is near to the other, but with two or three places we do it.
