משנה: אֵין הָעֵדִים נַעֲשִׂים זוֹמְמִים עַד שֶׁיָּזוֹמּוּ אֶת עַצְמָן. כֵּיצַד אָֽמְרוּ מְעִידִין אָנוּ בְאִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי שֶׁהָרַג אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אָֽמְרוּ לָהֶן הֵיאַךְ אַתֶּם מְעִידִים שֶׁהֲרֵי הַנֶּהֱרָג הַזֶּה אוֹ הַהוֹרֵג הַזֶּה עִמָּנוּ אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בְּמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי אֵין אֵילּוּ זוֹמְמִין. אֲבָל אָֽמְרוּ לָהֶן הֵיאַךְ אַתֶּם מְעִידִין שֶׁהֲרֵי אַתֶּם הֲיִיתֶם עִמָּנוּ אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בְּמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ זוֹמְמִין וְנֶהֱרָגִין עַל פִּיהֶן׃ בָּאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְהִזִּימוּם בָּאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְהִזִּימוּם אֲפִילּוּ מֵאָה כּוּלָּם יֵיהָרֵגוּ. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, איסטיסית הִיא זוֹ אֵינָהּ נֶהֱרֶגֶת אֶלָּא כַת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה בִלְבַד׃ MISHNAH: Witnesses become plotters only by their own testimony. How is this? If they said, we testify against this man that he killed a person; [others] told them, how can you testify, for this murder victim or this murderer was with us at such place on that day; they are not plotters30The testimony may be implausible but it is not impossible. The court may reject the testimony but it cannot be sanctioned.. But if they told them, how can you testify, for you were with us at such place on that day; they are plotters and are executed on their testimony31If the witnesses were shown to have been far from the place of the crime at the date of the crime, the testimony is impossible; they are plotters and must be punished according to the law of plotters. But this must be based on the testimony of the witnesses in the required investigations (Mishnah Sanhedrin 5:1), not by circumstantial evidence..
If others came and they showed them to be plotters, if others came and they showed them to be plotters, even a hundred, all should be executed32The first group of witnesses accuses A to have murdered B at a certain place at a certain time. A second group testifies that the first witnesses were with them at another place, more than a day’s trip away, at that time. Groups 3–99 support group 1, and group 2 shows all of them to be plotters. (Explanation of Alfasi and Maimonides.). Rebbi Jehudah says, this is 33Alfasi and Maimonides read the word as isatis “indigo”, that the second group which taints the others’ testimony “tints” them. This is rejected by Arukh, based on a Gaonic responsum which identifies איסטיסית with קוביוסטית “gambling”. R. Hananel and Maimonides read the word as אסטסיס, the Syriac form of Greek στάσις “conspiracy”, or possibly ἀστασία “uncertainty” (Levy, who also considers the forms ἀσταθής, ἄστατος). Rashi considers the word as Semitic, עדות סטיא “incredible testimony” that the second group should be able to testify against all others. In Tosephta 1:10, Zuckermandel notes the readings איצטניסית ,איסטיטית. Brüll proposes astutia.איסטיסית; only the first group is executed.
הלכה: אֵין הָעֵדִים נַעֲשִׂין זוֹמְמִין כול׳. רִבִּי בָּא בַּר מָמָל. וְהוּא שֶׁנֶּהֱרָג. אֲבָל אִם לֹא נֶהֱרָג לֹא. הָדָא הִיא דְתַנִּינָן. אֵינָהּ נֶהֱרֶגֶת אֶלָּא כַת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה בִלְבַד׃ רִבִּי בּוּן בַּר חִייָה בְעָא קוֹמֵי רִבִּי זְעִירָא. הָיוּ עוֹמְדִין וּמְעִידִין עָלָיו שֶׁהָרַג אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּלוֹד. בָּאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְאָֽמְרוּ לָהֶן. הֵיאַךְ אַתֶּם מְעִידִין שֶׁהֲרֵי אַתֶּם הָיִיתֶם עִמָּנוּ בַּחֲמִשָׁה בַחוֹדֶשׁ בְּקַיְסָרִי. וּבָאוּ אֲחֵרִים וְאָֽמְרוּ לָהֶן. הֵיאַךְ אַתֶּם מְעִידִין שֶׁהֲרֵי אַתֶּם הָיִיתֶם עִמָּנוּ בָעֲשָׂרָה בַחוֹדֶשׁ בְּצִיפּוֹרִי. הַהוֹרֵג אֵינוֹ נֶהֱרָג שֶׁמָּא עֵדִים זוּמְמִין הֵן. וְהָעֵדִים אֵינָן נֶהֱרָגִין שֶׁמָּא אֱמֶת אָֽמְרוּ. HALAKHAH: “Witnesses become plotters,” etc. Rebbi Abba bar Mamal: Only if he was killed. But not if he was not killed. That is what we have stated: “Only the first group is executed.34This refers to Mishnah 7. Since R. Jehudah holds that wholesale disqualifications are not believable, why should the first group of witnesses be condemned when all others, testifying to the same facts, are not? The answer is that if the third group comes before the first is condemned and executed, nobody is condemned. Babli 5b in the name of R. Abbahu.” Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya asked before Rebbi Zeˋira: If they were standing, testifying that he killed a person in Lydda35Presumably on the first of the month.. Others came and told them, how can you testify since you were with us in Caesarea36In G: קיסרין, Caesarea Philippi, more than a five days’ walk from Lydda. Caesarea Maritima is less than two days from Lydda. on the fifth of the month? Then others came and told them, how can you testify since you were with us in Sepphoris on the tenth of the month37This is difficult to understand since Sepphoris is reachable from both Caesareas in two to three days. One has to assume that round numbers were chosen to make memorization easy.
The third group of witnesses testifies to undercut the credibility of the second.? The murderer cannot be executed since possibly they are plotting witnesses. The witnesses cannot be executed since possibly they are telling the truth.