Translation:Mishnah/Seder Nezikin/Tractate Sanhedrin/Chapter 5/2

Introduction

Sanhedrin deals primarily with the court and with court cases. The fifth chapter of Sanhedrin is focused mostly on testimony and its treatment.

The second mishnah of this chapter continues with checking testimony of witnesses.

Hebrew Text

כל המרבה בבדיקות, הרי זה משבח.

מעשה ובדק בן זכאי בעקצי תאנים.

ומה בין חקירות לבדיקות.

חקירות, אחד אומר איני יודע, עדותן בטלה.

בדיקות, אחד אומר איני יודע ואפלו שנים אומרים אין אנו יודעין, עדותן קימת.

אחד חקירות ואחד בדיקות, בזמן שמכחישין זה את זה, עדותן בטלה.

English Translation

The more (the judge) checks (the witnesses), behold, this is more praiseworthy. Once, Ben Zakkai checked even the stalks of figs. What's the difference between investigating and checking? In investigation, one says "I don't know", his testimony is invalid. In checking, one says "I don't know" even if two say "We don't know," their testimony still stands. But one during investigation and one during checking, in this time, they contradict each other, their testimonies are invalid.

Explanation

This mishnah is a continuation of the first mishnah, examining the testimony of witnesses. Two different types of examination are explained, one more stringent than the other. There is also a story of Ben Zakkai checking as far as a description of the stalks of figs in a case (in which a murder supposedly occurred under a fig tree).