«Je vous en supplie si vous ne venez pas me témoigner que cet homme a dit qu'il me donnerait deux cents zuz, et qu'il ne l'a pas fait,» ils ne sont pas responsables. Car ils ne sont responsables que pour une réclamation d'argent comme un gage, [cela étant écrit en relation avec le serment de témoignage (Lévitique 5: 1): "péché" et, en ce qui concerne le serment sur un gage, "péché. " Tout comme le serment sur un gage est pour une réclamation d'argent qui lui est dû, de même le serment de témoignage doit être pour une réclamation d'argent qui lui est dû. Et ce qui précède n'est pas une telle affirmation. Car même si l’autre avait dit qu’il lui donnerait deux cents zuz, cela ne l’engage pas à le faire.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
שאמר איש פלוני ליתן לי וכו' פטורים – as it is written regarding an oath of testimony (Leviticus 5:1): “[If a person] incurs guilt,” and it is written regarding the oath of a deposit (Leviticus 5:21): “When a person sins [and commits a trespass against the LORD by dealing deceiptfully with his fellow in the matter of a deposit or a pledge],” just as the oath of a deposit is on the claim of money that he has against his neighbor, also the oath of testimony – there must be on the claim of money that he has has of his, and the individual who claims that a certain person said to give me two-hundred zuz is not a monetary claim that he has against his fellow, for even if it is according to his words that his fellow said to him to give him two hundred zuz, his fellow is not liable to him athing on account of this statement.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
Introduction
This mishnah discusses one who gives falsely swears about money that one person promised to give to another.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
[If a man said,] “I adjure you that you come and bear testimony for me that so-and-so promised to give me two hundred zuz, and did not give me”, they are exempt, for they are liable only for a money claim as [in the case of] deposit. The oath of testimony is discussed in Leviticus 5:1. Leviticus 5:21 discusses an oath a person makes to deny having received a deposit, a loan, found a lost object or a stolen an object. The similarity in the language between these two verses led the Rabbis to conclude that although not mentioned specifically in verse 5:1 it is similar to 5:21 as it also concerns things similar to deposit. Therefore, in order for the witnesses to be liable for a false oath of testimony they must deny knowledge of a case that is similar to the case of a deposit, where one person claims he deposited money with another. If the case is one of a monetary promise, such as our mishnah, the false oath does not make the witnesses liable.
