3. “The appointment of elders, and striking off the heifer’s neck(369)
(require) three.” The words of Rabbi Simon. But Rabbi Judah said, “five.”
The loosing off the shoe,(370) and dissatisfaction in marriage (require)
three. The produce(371) of the fourth year,(372) the second tithes, of
which the value is unknown (require) three. The valuation of holy things
(requires) three. The estimation of movable things requires three. R.
Judah said, “one of them must be a priest.” Immovable things require nine
judges and a priest; and the valuation of a man (slave) is similar.
4. Judgments of souls (require) twenty-three judges. Bestiality (requires)
twenty-three, as is said, “and thou shalt slay the woman and the beast,”
and it is also said, “the beast thou shalt slay.” An ox to be stoned
(requires) twenty-three judges; as is said, “The ox shall be stoned, and
his owner also shall be put to death,”(373) as is the death of the owner,
so is the death of the ox. The wolf, and the lion, and the bear, and the
leopard, and the panther, and the serpent, are to be put to death with
twenty-three judges. R. Eliezer said, “everyone who first killed them has
gained honor.” R. Akiba said, “they are to be put to death after a
judgment with twenty-three (judges).”
5. A tribe must not be judged, nor a false prophet, nor a high priest,
save before the tribunal of seventy-one. And soldiers must not go forth to
lawful warfare, save by a decree of the tribunal of seventy-one. Men must
not add to the city or to the temple courts, save by a decision of the
tribunal of seventy-one. They must not appoint judges to the tribes, save
by a decision of the tribunal of seventy-one. A city must not be excluded,
save by the tribunal of seventy-one. And the tribunal must not exclude a
city on the border, nor exclude three cities, but only one or two.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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