Study Sotah folio 45A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
ויו לא משמע ליה. (מאי קאמר רחמנא — המיוחדין שבשופטיך.) אלא מעתה: ״ויצאו״ — שנים, ״ומדדו״ — שנים, לרבי יהודה הרי כאן תשעה, לרבי שמעון הרי כאן שבעה!
because he does not learn anything from the letter vav. Rather, what is God saying in the Torah with the phrase “and your judges”? He is referring to the distinguished that are among your judges. The Talmud raises an objection: However, if that is so, if every plural form in the verse adds another two judges, then when it later states: “And they should go out,” this should indicate another two. And: “And they should measure” (Deuteronomy 21:2), should indicate yet another two. This means that according to the reasoning of R' Yehuda there are 9 judges enumerated here, while according to the reasoning of R' Shimon there are 7 judges enumerated here.
ההוא, מיבעי ליה לכדתניא: ״ויצאו״ — הן ולא שלוחיהן, ״ומדדו״ — שאפילו נמצא בעליל לעיר היו מודדין, שמצוה לעסוק במדידה.
The Talmud responds: He requires that verse: “And they should go out…and they should measure,” for that which is taught in a baraita: “And they should go out,” serves to emphasize that they themselves go out, and not their agents, i.e., they may not appoint an agent to measure the distance but must do it themselves. “And they should measure,” teaches that even if the corpse was found clearly near to a particular city they would nevertheless measure the distance, as it is a mitzva to engage in this act of measurement.
מתניתין דלא כרבי אליעזר בן יעקב. דתניא, רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר: ״זקניך״ — זו סנהדרין, ״שפטיך״ — זה מלך וכהן גדול. מלך — דכתיב: ״מלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ״, כהן גדול — דכתיב: ״ובאת אל הכהנים הלוים ואל השפט אשר יהיה וגו׳״.
§ The Talmud comments: The Mishnah is not in accordance with the opinion of R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov, as it is taught in a baraita: R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: “Your Elders,” this is the Sanhedrin; “your judges,” this is the king and the High Priest. According to R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov, the king and the High Priest need to participate in the ritual of breaking the neck of the heifer. From where is it learned that they are called judges? A king is called a judge, as it is written: “A king by justice establishes the land” (Proverbs 29:4). A High Priest is called a judge, as it is written: “If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment…And you should come to the priests the Levites, and to the judge who should be in those days” (Deuteronomy 17:8–9).