Une sorcière qui accomplit [un acte réel] est passible [de lapidation], mais pas celle qui «trompe les yeux» [c.-à-d., Celle qui donne l'impression qu'un acte est en train d'être accompli, alors que rien n'est fait.] R. Akiva dit au nom de R. Yehoshua: Deux concombres cueillis [par la sorcellerie avant nous]. L'un choisit et n'est pas passible [de mort (par lapidation)], et l'autre choisit et est responsable. [Comment?] Celui qui accomplit un acte [c'est-à-dire, celui qui les choisit par sorcellerie] est responsable. Celui qui «trompe les yeux» [c'est-à-dire qui donne l'impression qu'ils sont rassemblés au même endroit, lorsqu'ils ne sont pas du tout déplacés] n'est pas responsable.
Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
העושה מעשה – an actual [deed], [is punished] by stoning.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
Introduction
Mishnah eleven deals with different forms of sorcery.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
ולא האוחז את העינים – shows to other creatures as if he is doing, but is not actually doing anything.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Sanhedrin
A sorcerer, if he actually performs magic, is liable [to death], but not if he merely creates illusions. Rabbi Akiva says in Rabbi Joshua's name: “If two are gathering cucumbers [by magic] one may be punished and the other exempt: he who really gathers them is punished: while he who produces an illusion is exempt.” When the mishnah stated that a sorcerer is liable to be stoned, it meant one who actually performs magic, but not one who creates illusions. [Therefore, modern magicians who use illusions are not obligated for the death penalty]. Rabbi Akiva in the name of Rabbi Joshua illustrates this principle by mentioning a form of magic that must have been at least somewhat known in the time of the mishnah, something like pulling a rabbit out of a hat in our days.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Sanhedrin
שנים לוקטים קשואים – through witchcraft in our presence. One of them harvested and is liable for the death penalty, and his fellow harvested and is exempt from death. How so? He wo performed the deed of harvesting actually through witchcraft, is liable. האוחז את העינים – he showed us as if they were all gathered together in one place and the cucumbers did not move from their places. פטור – [exempt] from the death penalty.
