Rosh Hashanah 26A

מקצתן נעשו עדים ומקצתן נעשו דיינין, דברי רבי טרפון. רבי עקיבא אומר: כולן נעשין עדים, ואין עד נעשה דיין.

some of them are rendered witnesses and testify before the others and some of them become judges in the case; this is the statement of R' Tarfon. R' Akiva says: They are all rendered witnesses, and a witness cannot become a judge. It seems therefore that the Mishnah contradicts R' Akiva’s opinion.

אפילו תימא רבי עקיבא, עד כאן לא קאמר רבי עקיבא התם אלא בדיני נפשות, דרחמנא אמר: ״ושפטו העדה״ ״והצילו העדה״, וכיון דחזיוהו דקטל נפשא לא מצו חזו ליה זכותא. אבל הכא ⁠— אפילו רבי עקיבא מודה.

The Talmud rejects this argument: You can even say that the Mishnah was taught in accordance with the opinion of R' Akiva, but we must distinguish between the cases. R' Akiva states his position there only with regard to cases of capital law, for God says: “And the congregation should judge…and the congregation should save” (Numbers 35:24–25), which requires a court to search for grounds to exonerate the defendant, but once they themselves have seen him kill a person, they will be unable to find grounds to exonerate him. But here, with regard to the sighting of Rosh Chodesh, even R' Akiva concedes that a witness can be rendered a judge.

מתני׳ כל השופרות כשרים, חוץ משל פרה ⁠— מפני שהוא קרן. אמר רבי יוסי: והלא כל השופרות נקראו קרן, שנאמר: ״במשוך בקרן היובל״.

Mishnah: The Mishnah begins to discuss the primary mitzva of Rosh HaShana, sounding the shofar. All shofarot are fit for blowing except for the horn of a cow, because it is a horn [keren] and not a shofar. R' Yosei said: But aren’t all shofarot called horn, as it is stated: “And it should come to pass, that when they sound a long blast with the horn [keren] of a ram [yovel]” (Joshua 6:5), and a ram’s horn is a shofar fit for sounding on Rosh HaShana?