Sanhedrin 27 - January 13, 13 Tevet

Presentation of Relatives Today's daf is sponsored by Ronit and Shlomi Eini in honor of their son Avichai Avraham's marriage to Shilat. If someone is convicted as a false witness (ed zomem), when does their disqualification begin - from the time they testified falsely or only from the time of conviction? Abaye rules it begins from the time of the false testimony (retroactively), while Rava holds it begins only from the time of conviction. Two explanations are offered for Rava's position. The first suggests that we only believe the second group of witnesses who contradict the first because of a unique ruling derived from the Torah, and therefore the original witnesses are only considered liars upon conviction. The second explanation proposes that while Rava theoretically agrees with Abaye, he only disqualifies them from the time of conviction to prevent losses to those who relied on their testimony before knowing they had lied in court. What is the practical difference between these two explanations? This debate is one of only six cases (ya'al k'gam) where we rule like Abaye against Rava. If someone eats non-kosher meat specifically to express contempt for God, rather than for financial reasons or personal desire, are they disqualified from being a witness? This case is also debated between Rava and Abaye, and is another instance where we rule like Abaye. Does the debate between Rava and Abaye parallel a debate between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yosi regarding whether an ed zomem who lied in a monetary case is also disqualified from testifying in capital cases? Initially, the debates are compared, with Abaye's position aligned with Rabbi Meir and Rava's with Rabbi Yosi, but this comparison is ultimately rejected. We follow Rabbi Meir's ruling that a witness who lied in a monetary case is disqualified from testifying in capital cases because there is an unattributed Mishna that holds his position. A story is brought where witnesses were disqualified as per Rabbi Meir's position and the ensuing discussion in the court was to find the Mishna which holds like Rabbi Meir to support the court's ruling. Which relatives are disqualified from serving as witnesses? What is the Torah source for the prohibition against relatives testifying for each other?