משנה: וְיָֽסְפוּ הַשּׁוֹטְרִים לְדַבֵּר אֶל הָעָם וְאָֽמְרוּ מִי הָאִישׁ הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב יֵלֵךְ וְיָשׁוֹב לְבֵיתוֹ. רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב כִּשְׁמוּעוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמוֹד בְּקִישְׁרֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה וְלִרְאוֹת חֶרֶב שְׁלוּפָה. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגָּלִילִי אוֹמֵר הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב זֶה שֶׁהוּא מִתְייָרֵא מִן הָעֲבֵירוֹת שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ לְפִיכָךְ תָּלַת לוֹ הַתּוֹרָה אֶת כָּל־אֵילּוּ שֶׁיַּחֲזוֹר בִּגְלָלָן. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר אַלְמָנָה לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל גְּרוּשָׁה וַחֲלוּצָה לְכֹהֵן הֶדְיוֹט מַמְזֶרֶת וּנְתִינָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַמְזֵר וּלְנָתִין הֲרֵי הוּא הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב. MISHNAH: “The policemen shall add and say to the people: ‘Who is the man fearful and faint-hearted, let him go and return to his house. Rebbi Aqiba says, “fearful and faint-hearted” in its simple meaning, that he cannot stand in military engagements and see a drawn sword. Rebbi Yose the Galilean says, “fearful and faint-hearted” is one who is fearful because of his sins; therefore the Torah appended him to all of these207The person betrothed or who had built, etc. that he should return because of them208That only his officer but not the public would know that he returns as a coward but not as one of the legitimate cases.
In Sifry Deut. 197, R. Yose is quoted to exclude anyone over 40 years old. But in Tosephta 7:22, and Deuteronomy.20.8">Midrash Tannaïm Deut. 20:8, the reading is similar to the Mishnah.. Rebbi Yose said, a widow for the High Priest, a divorcee or one having received ḥalîṣah for an ordinary Cohen, a bastard or Gibeonite girl for an Israel, a Jewish girl for a bastard or a Gibeonite193These unions are all forbidden, cf. Yevamot 2:4" href="/Mishnah_Yevamot.2.4">Yebamot, Mishnah 2:4, Notes 68–73., that is the “fearful and faint-hearted”209The Babli considers the cases quoted by R. Yose the Tanna as examples of biblical prohibitions and, therefore, holds that R. Yose the Galilean also recognizes the right of return for one who has overstepped rabbinic decrees. There is no hint in the Yerushalmi that R. Yose includes anything except forbidden but valid marriages..
הלכה: כְּתִיב וְיָֽסְפוּ הַשּׁוֹטְרִים. אֵין לָשׁוֹן זֶה וְיָֽסְפוּ אֶלָּא לָשׁוֹן תּוֹסֶפֶת. כְּאִינַשׁ דְּאָמַר. מוֹסִיף אֲנִי עַל דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי. תַּנֵּי. הָאַחֲרוֹנִים מִן הַתּוֹסֶפֶת. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. תְּרֵין תַּנָּיִין אִינּוּן. מָאן דְּאָמַר. מוֹסִיף אֲנִי עַל דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי. אֶחָד הָרִאשׁוֹנִים וְאֶחָד הָאַחֲרוֹנִים אָֽמְרָן הוּא אָֽמְרָן רַבּוֹ. מָאן דְּאָמַר. הָאַחֲרוֹנִים מִן הַתּוֹסֶפֶת. הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אָֽמְרוֹ הוּא אָֽמְרוֹ רַבּוֹ. וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים אָֽמְרוֹ הוּא וְלֹא אָֽמְרוֹ רַבּוֹ. אָמַר רִבִּי מָנָא. חַד תַּנַּיי הוּא. רִאשׁוֹנִים אָֽמְרָן הוּא אָֽמְרָן רַבּוֹ. הָאַחֲרוֹנִים אָֽמְרָן הוּא לֹא אָֽמְרָן רַבּוֹ. מַתְנִיתָא פְלִיגָא עַל רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. שׁוֹמֵעַ פָּרָשָׁה מִפִּי כֹהֶן וְאוֹמְרָהּ לָעָם בְּכָל־לָשׁוֹן. וְסוֹפָא פְלִיגָא עַל רִבִּי מָנָא. עוֹד דָּבָר אֶחָד הָיָה מוֹסִיף. מִשֶּׁלּוֹ. אִין תֵּימַר כֵּן. אֲפִילוּ עַל דְּרִבִּי יוֹסֵי לֵית הוּא פְלִיגָא. דְּתַנֵּי. הָרִאשׁוֹנִים אָֽמְרָן הוּא אָֽמְרָן רַבּוֹ. הָאַחֲרוֹנִים אָֽמְרָן הוּא לֹא אָֽמְרָן רַבּוֹ. HALAKHAH: It is written: “The policemen shall add.” This expression “shall add” only means an addition210The last declarations are not said on the authority of the Cohen.. Like a man who says, I am adding to the words of my teacher. It was stated: The latter [words] are additions. Rebbi Yose said, there are two Tannaïm211The statement explained in Sotah 8:9:2" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.8.9.2">Note 210 also a baraita, different from the one quoted last.. He who said, “I am adding to the words of my teacher,” both the first212The first declarations are those attributed to the Cohen, the later ones those put in the mouth of the policemen. and the later declarations both he and his teacher said213The addition is the policemen’s explanation in the vernacular.. He who said, the later ones are additions, the first [declarations] both he and his teacher said, but the later ones he said but not his teacher. Rebbi Mana said, there is only one Tanna. The first [declarations] both he and his teacher said, but the later ones he said but not his teacher. A baraita disagrees with Rebbi Yose: He hears a sentence from the Cohen and tells it to the people in all languages214This follows only the first Tanna recognized by R. Yose (the Amora, colleague of R. Mana II).. But its end disagrees with Rebbi Mana: He adds a final word of his own215But any text reported in the verses was first spoken by the Cohen.. If you say so, it does not disagree at all with Rebbi Yose, as it was stated: The first [declarations] both he and his teacher said, but the later ones he said but not his teacher216One is free to interpret “the later ones” either as the declaration of the policemen spelled out in the verse or as the additions after the official text..
וְתַנֵּי. כּוּלְּהֹן צְרִיכִין לְהָבִיא רְאָייָה לְדִבְרֵיהֶן חוּץ מִזֶּה שֶׁעֵדָיו עִמּוֹ. וְאַתְייָא כְּמָאן דְּאָמַר. שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמוֹד בְּקִישְׁרֵי הַמִּלְחָמוֹת [וְלִרְאוֹת] (וְ)חֶרֶב שְׁלוּפָה. בְּרַם כְּמָאן דָּמַר. שֶׁהוּא מִתְייָרֵא מֵעֲבֵירוֹת שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ עוֹד הוּא צָרִיךְ לְהָבִיא רְאָייָה. לְפִיכָךְ תָּלַת לוֹ הַתּוֹרָה אֶת כָּל־אֵילּוּ שֶׁיַּחֲזוֹר בִּגְלָלָן. שֶׁלֹּא לְפַרְסֵם אֶת הַחַטָּאִים. וְאַתְייָא כַּיי דָמַר רִבִּי לֵוִי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ. בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר תִּשָּׁחֵט הָעוֹלָה תִּשָּׁחֵט הַחַטָּאת לִפְנֵי יי֨. שֶׁלֹּא לְפַרְסֵם אֶת הַחַטָּאִים. Also, it was stated218Sifry Deut. 192.: They all have to bring proof except from this one whose witnesses are with him219The military instructors realize that they are better off without the coward. But all others have to prove their case.. This follows him who said that he cannot stand in military engagements and see a drawn sword. But following him who says that he is one who is fearful because of his sins, he has to bring proof. Therefore the Torah appended him to all of these207The person betrothed or who had built, etc. that he should return because of them208That only his officer but not the public would know that he returns as a coward but not as one of the legitimate cases.
In Sifry Deut. 197, R. Yose is quoted to exclude anyone over 40 years old. But in Tosephta 7:22, and Deuteronomy.20.8">Midrash Tannaïm Deut. 20:8, the reading is similar to the Mishnah., not to publicize the sinners. This comes as Rebbi Levi said in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish220In the Sotah.32b">Babli, 32b, a similar statement by R. Joḥanan in the name of R. Simeon ben Ioḥai. Cf. Yevamot 8:3:9" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Yevamot.8.3.9">Yebamot 8:3, Note 198.: 221Leviticus.6.18">Lev. 6:18.“At the place where the elevation offering is being slaughtered, the purification offering is being slaughtered before the Eternal,” not to publicize the sinners222Even though elevation offerings are male and purification offerings female, the difference can be seen only by close inspection, so also the sinner could be detected only by inquiry..