[29a - 52 lines; 29b - 57 lines]
1)[line 3]אנן מייתינן איגרתא ממערבאANAN MAISINAN IGARTA MI'MARAVA- we will bring you a letter from Eretz Yisrael (lit. the west)
2)[line 5]אטו בקבא דקירא אידבקנא בכוATU B'KAVA D'KIRA IDBAKNA BECHU?!- am I attached to you with a Kav of wax?!
3)[line 6]לא צייתיתו דינאLO TZAISISU DINA- you do not pay attention to the rulings of the court
4a)[line 8]כל שבעת ימי המשתהKOL SHIV'AS YEMEI HA'MISHTEH- [the Shushvin is disqualified from testifying for his friend] all seven days of the wedding feast (since he may continue to bring gifts to the Chasan during that time; see Background to Sanhedrin 27:34.)
b)[line 9]אפילו מיום ראשון ואילךAFILU MI'YOM RISHON V'EILACH- [the Shushvin is permitted to testify for his friend] even from the first day and onward
5)[line 10]"וְהוּא לֹא אוֹיֵב לוֹ וְלֹא מְבַקֵּשׁ רָעָתוֹ""V'HU LO OYEV LO, V'LO MEVAKESH RA'ASO"- "... and he was not an enemy to him, and he did not seek his harm." (Bamidbar 35:23)
6a)[line 10]יעידנוYE'IDENU- he may testify for him
b)[line 10]ידיננוYEDINENU- he may judge him
7a)[line 21]אם נמצאו דבריהן מכווניןIM NIMTZE'U DIVREIHEN MECHUVANIN- if their words are found to be consistent [with the testimony of each other]
b)[line 21]נושאין ונותנין בדברNOS'IN V'NOSNIN BA'DAVAR- they (the judges of the Beis Din) then discuss the matter
8)[line 24]יוסיפו הדייניןYOSIFU HA'DAYININ- they shall add more judges [to the Beis Din, in order to have at least three judges declaring a definite decision]
9)[line 24]גמרו את הדברGAMRU ES HA'DAVAR- when they have completed [deciding about] the matter
10)[line 27]"לֹא תֵלֵךְ רָכִיל בְּעַמֶּיךָ""LO SELECH RACHIL B'AMECHA"- "Do not go around talebearing among your people." (Vayikra 19:16)
11)[line 27]"הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל מְגַלֶּה סּוֹד""HOLECH RACHIL MEGALEH SOD"- "One who goes around talebearing is he who reveals a secret." (Mishlei 11:13)
12)[line 28]"נְשִׂיאִים וְרוּחַ וְגֶשֶׁם אָיִן אִישׁ מִתְהַלֵּל בְּמַתַּת שָׁקֶר""NESI'IM V'RU'ACH V'GESHEM AYIN, ISH MIS'HALEL B'MATAS SHAKER."- "Whoever boasts of a false gift [that he did not give] is like clouds and wind without rain." (Mishlei 25:14) - The Gemara suggests that this verse is told to witnesses as a way of warning them about the severity of lying. It means that those who give false testimony cause the clouds and wind to fail to give rain.
13)[line 29]שב שני הוה כפנא ואבבא אומנא לא חליףSHEV SHENEI HAVAH CHAFNA, V'A'BAVA UMANA LO CHALIF- for seven years there might be a famine, but it does not pass through the door of a person with a profession. That is, the witnesses will not be frightened by the verse that says that rain will stop due to those who give false testimony, because they will rationalize to themselves that any famine that might come does not affect a person who is trained with a skill and can thus still earn money and buy food during a famine.
14)[line 30]"מֵפִיץ וְחֶרֶב וְחֵץ שָׁנוּן אִישׁ עֹנֶה בְרֵעֵהוּ עֵד שָׁקֶר""MEFITZ V'CHEREV V'CHETZ SHANUN ISH ONEH V'RE'EHU ED SHAKER."- "A maul, and a sword, and a sharpened arrow is the person who gives false testimony about his fellow man." (Mishlei 25:18) - The Gemara suggests that this verse is told to witnesses as a way of warning them about the severity of lying. It means that those who give false testimony cause plague and death to come to the world.
15)[line 31]שב שני הוה מותנא ואיניש בלא שניה לא שכיבSHEV SHENEI HAVAH MOSANA, V'INISH B'LO SHENEI LO SHACHIV- for seven years there might be a deadly plague, but a person does not die before his time (lit. years)
16)[line 33]סהדי שקרי אאוגרייהו זיליSAHADEI SHEKAREI A'OGRAIHU ZILEI- lying witnesses become belittled in the eyes of those who hire them
17)[line 33]"וְהוֹשִׁיבוּ שְׁנַיִם אֲנָשִׁים בְּנֵי בְלִיַּעַל נֶגְדּוֹ וִיעִדֻהוּ לֵאמֹר בֵּרַכְתָּ אֱלֹהִים וָמֶלֶךְ""V'HOSHIVU SHENAYIM ANASHIM BENEI VELI'YA'AL NEGDO VI'IDUHU LEMOR, BERACHTA ELO-KIM VA'MELECH"- "And you shall seat two corrupt people near him, and they will testify against him and say, 'You blessed G-d and the king!' [Then you shall take him out and stone him, and he will die.]" (Melachim I 21:10) - When the wicked king Achav desired to take the vineyard of Navos ha'Yizre'eli, his wife, queen Izevel, devised a plan whereby Navos would be framed for committing a sin punishable with death. She commanded that two unscrupulous, dishonest men be found who would testify falsely against Navos and say that he cursed HaSh-m and the king, and he would thereby be liable to the death penalty. The Gemara proves from here that witnesses who testify falsely lose their reputation even in the eyes of the one who hires them, as Izevel called the false witnesses, "Anashim Benei Veli'ya'al."
18)[line 36]צריך שיאמר אתם עדייTZARICH SHE'YOMAR ATEM EDAI- [in order for a person's admission to be valid and binding, he must admit in front of witnesses and] he must say, "You are my witnesses!"
19)[line 37]מנה לי בידךMANEH LI B'YADCHA- [one person claims from another,] "You have in your possession a Maneh that belongs to me"
20)[line 38]משטה אני בךMESHATEH ANI VACH- "I was only misleading (fooling) you"
21)[line 39]הכמין לו עדים אחורי גדרHICHMIN LO EDIM ACHOREI GEDER- he hid witnesses [to testify] against him behind a fence
22)[line 41]תכפיני לדיןTECHAPEINI L'DIN- [perhaps] you will force me to come to court
23)[line 42]ואין טוענין למסיתEIN TO'ANIN L'MESIS - we do not make any claims in court to defend a Mesis (MESIS)
(a)A man or woman who leads a fellow Jew astray by trying to influence him or her to commit idolatry, is put to death by stoning (Devarim 13:7-12). It makes no difference if anyone actually committed idolatry or not.
(b)Certain Halachos of Mesis are more stringent than any other capital offence of the Torah. A Mesis does not need a warning to be found guilty; however, he must perform the Hasatah in front of two witnesses in order to be put to death. Even if the witnesses stood in a concealed place, it is possible for the Mesis to be guilty of Hasatah, whereas in all other capital punishment cases this testimony would be invalid (RAMBAM Hilchos Avodah Zarah 5:1-5).
(c)In addition, as our Gemara teaches, Beis Din is not enjoined to find reason to acquit the Mesis, as Beis Din is enjoined to do in the case of every other capital offender.
24)[line 45]מפירקיה ד... שמיע ליMI'PIRKEI D'... SHEMI'A LI- from the classes of... I learned
25)[line 45]"וְלֹא תַחְמֹל וְלֹא תְכַסֶּה עָלָיו""LO SACHMOL V'LO SECHASEH ALAV."- "Do not have compassion on him and do not cover for him." (Devarim 13:9)
26)[line 47]מנחש הקדמוניMI'NACHASH HA'KADMONI- [it is learned] from the original snake [in the Garden of Eden]
27)[line 49]דברי הרב ודברי תלמיד דברי מי שומעיןDIVREI HA'RAV, V'DIVREI TALMID, DIVREI MI SHOM'IN? DIVREI HA'RAV SHOM'IN!- [When one is commanded by] the words of the master, and the words of the disciple, to whose words does one listen? Certainly, one listens to the words of the master! (Thus, this could have been a defense for the Nachash, as Chavah should not have listened to it, but should have listened to her Master, HaSh-m.)
28)[line 50]שכל המוסיף גורעKOL HA'MOSIF GORE'A- whoever attempts to add, actually subtracts (see Insights)
29)[last line]"עַשְׁתֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה יְרִיעֹת""ASHTEI ESREI YERI'OS"- "[You shall make curtains of goat hair as a covering for the Mishkan,] eleven curtains you shall make them." (Shemos 26:7) - The word for twelve, when the letter "Ayin" is added in front of it, results in the word for eleven.
29b----------------------------------------29b
30)[line 3]כל מילי דכדי לא דכירי אינשיKOL MILEI DI'CHEDI, LO DECHIREI INSHEI- any words that are meaningless, people do not remember
31)[line 5]בכילתיהKILASEI- his bed curtains (that surround and enclose the bed)
32)[line 6]עירי ושכבי ליהוו עלך סהדיIREI V'SHICHVEI LIHAVU ALACH SAHADEI?- Shall all those who are awake and sleeping be witnesses to your words? (The lender knew that the borrower did not want anyone to witness his admission. The lender reasoned, though, that the borrower might say "yes" to his question under the assumption that if any other people were present, they would be sleeping and would not hear his words.)
33)[line 8]בקיבראKIVRA- a grave
34)[line 16]ההוא דהוה קרו ליה קב רשוHA'HU D'HAVAH KARU LEI "KAV RASHU"- there was a certain person whom they called "a Kav (a large measure) of obligations" (since he owed so many loans)
35)[line 17]מאן מסיק בי אלא פלוני ופלוניMAN MASIK BI ELA PELONI U'PELONI- to whom do I owe other than so-and-so and so-and-so
36)[line 18]אדם עשוי שלא להשביע את עצמוADAM ASUY SHE'LO L'HASBI'A ES ATZMO- a person is accustomed to [do an act or make a statement in order to] make himself not look satiated and rich
37)[line 20]עכברא דשכיב אדינריACHBERA D'SHACHIV A'DINAREI- the mouse that lies on money (i.e. the man was wealthy but never used his money, like a mouse that rests on money and gets no benefit from it)
38)[line 20]כי קא שכיבKI KA SHACHIV- when he was dying
39)[line 25]פרעו פלגאPAR'U PELAGA- they paid back half [of their father's loan]
40)[line 30]כבר הורה זקןKEVAR HORAH ZAKEN- it was already taught by the Elder (referring to Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi, who ruled that their father's admission was genuine)
41)[line 31]וקנו מידוKANU MI'YADO - they made a Kinyan Sudar from his hands, confirming his admission (KINYAN SUDAR)
(a)When a person acquires an object, he must make a Ma'aseh Kinyan, a formal Halachically-binding act denoting his acquisition of the object, in order for the acquisition to be irrevocably binding. Similarly, when a person accepts upon himself a certain commitment or obligation, or wants to bind himself to keep his word, he can make a formal Halachically-binding act denoting his obligation. One form of Kinyan that may be used for this purpose is Kinyan Chalipin (exchange or barter), i.e. taking another object to demonstrate one's consent for the Kinyan (or for an agreement).
(b)In the context of making a Kinyan to demonstrate one's commitment to an agreement, the Kinyan is a symbolic act in which an object of little value is given over, such as a scarf or piece of cloth (Sudar). For this reason, Chalipin is also known as "Kinyan Sudar."
42)[line 35]הא אודיתאHA ODISA- this [document attesting to a person's statement of] admission
43a)[line 36]כניפי ויתביKENIFEI V'YASVEI- if they (the three people who witness the admission) were already gathered and sitting there
b)[line 37]כנפינהו איהוKANFINHU IHU- if he gathered them together
44)[line 40]עד דקבעי דוכתא ושלחי ומזמני ליה לבי דינאAD D'KAV'EI DUCHTA V'SHALCHEI U'MEZAMNEI LEI L'VEI DINA- [they may not sign a formal document attesting to his admission] until they establish a set place and they send to him and summon him to court
45)[line 45]איקלע לדמהריאIKLA L'DIMHARYA- he traveled to Dimharya (the name of a town)
46)[line 48]כיון דמחסרי גוביינאKEIVAN D'MECHASREI GUVAINA- since it has not yet been collected (lit. lacking collection)
47)[line 49]ההיא אודיתא דלא הוה כתוב בה אמר לנא כתבו וחתמו והבו ליהHA'HI ODISA D'LO HAVAH KASUV BAH "AMAR LANA KISVU V'CHISMU V'HAVU LEI"- there was a certain [document, signed by two witnesses, attesting to a person's statement of] admission in which it was not written, "He said to us, 'Write it and sign it and give it to him'"
48)[line 55]ספרי דבי דינאSAFREI D'VEI DINA- the scribes of the courts
49)[last line]דוכרן פיתגמיDUCHRAN PISGAMEI- a record of statements [made in Beis Din] (this is the text of a document written by judges in Beis Din, and not the text that witnesses to an admission write)