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Ramban on Deuteronomy 17:6/רמב"ן על דברים י״ז:ו׳

אעַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים אוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים, אִם מִתְקַיֶּמֶת עֵדוּת בִּשְׁנַיִם, לָמָּה פֵּרַט לְךָ בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה, לְהַקִּישׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה לִשְׁנַיִם: מָה שְׁנַיִם עֵדוּת אַחַת, אַף שְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדוּת אַחַת, וְאֵין נַעֲשִׂין זוֹמְמִין עַד שֶׁיִּזּוֹמּוּ כֻּלָּן, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים י"ז:ו'). וְכֵן אִם נִמְצָא אֶחָד מֵהֶם קָרוֹב אוֹ פָּסוּל, הָעֵדוּת כֻּלָּהּ בְּטֵלָה, וְהֵם כֻּלָּם נֶהֱרָגִים וּמְשַׁלְּמִים מָמוֹן בַּהֲזַמָּתָן, שֶׁעִקַּר הַכָּתוּב לְהַקִּישׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה לִשְׁנַיִם בְּכָל דִּבְרֵיהֶם כְּדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מכות ה ב). וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשָׁט אָמַר הַגָּאוֹן רַב סְעַדְיָה: שְׁנַיִם - עֵדִים, אוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה - מְקַבְּלֵי עֵדוּת הַשְּׁנַיִם. וְאֵין בַּכָּתוּב קַבָּלַת עֵדוּת, רַק עֵדִים. אֲבָל כִּמְדֻמֶּה לִי שֶׁטָּעָה הַגָּאוֹן בְּדִינוֹ, כִּי עֵדוּת דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת לֹא תְּקֻבַּל רַק בִּפְנֵי סַנְהֶדְרִין שֶׁל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה. אֲבָל פְּשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא לֵאמֹר שֶׁיּוּמַת הַמֵּת עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים כְּשֶׁאֵין שָׁם יוֹתֵר, אוֹ עַל פִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה אִם יִמָּצְאוּן שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה; יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב, כַּאֲשֶׁר הֻגַּד לְךָ וְשָׁמָעְתָּ, תִּדְרֹשׁ הַדָּבָר הֵיטֵב עַל פִּי כָּל הָעֵדִים הַנִּמְצָאִים שָׁם. וְהִנֵּה אִם שָׁמַעְנוּ שֶׁעָבַר בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה, נִשְׁלַח בַּעֲבוּרָם וְיָבוֹאוּ לְבֵית דִּין וְיָעִידוּ כֻּלָּם, וְהוּא הַדִּין לְמֵאָה; כִּי בְּשָׁמְעֵנוּ דִּבְרֵי כֻּלָּם יִתְבָּרֵר הָאֱמֶת. וְאִם לֹא הָיוּ שָׁם יוֹתֵר, אוֹ שֶׁהָלְכוּ לָהֶם וְאֵינָם נִמְצָאִים שָׁם, בִּשְׁנַיִם דַּי.

1AT THE MOUTH OF TWO WITNESSES, OR THREE WITNESSES, SHALL HE THAT IS TO DIE BE PUT TO DEATH. “If the evidence can be sustained by two witnesses, why did Scripture specify ‘three?’ It is to liken three to two: just as the evidence of two witnesses forms a single unit of testimony, so does the evidence of three, constitute a single unit of testimony and they are not subject to the law of plotting witnesses [which declares that whatever they plotted to do to their brother should be done to them]⁷⁶ unless all three are proven to be plotters.”⁷⁷ This is Rashi’s language. So also the principle [of a single unit of testimony] applies if one of the witnesses is found to be a kinsman [and hence ineligible to testify] or to have some other disqualification — the testimony of all is void. If they are proven to have been plotting witnesses, [in which case] all of them are subject to the death-penalty or payment of money [as the case may be, and the third witness cannot claim immunity because of his argument that even had he not testified the evidence of the first two witnesses was sufficient to sustain the charge], since the main intent of Scripture was to liken the evidence of three witnesses to that of two in every respect, according to the opinion of our Rabbis.⁷⁸And the Gaon Rav Saadia⁷⁹, p. 521, Note 74. Rav Saadia’s comment is quoted here by Ibn Ezra. said, by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, that the interpretation of the verse is as follows: “two witnesses, or three judges who [officially] accept the testimony of the two witnesses.”⁸⁰ thus means: “upon the testimony of two witnesses who appear before the entire court of twenty-three judges, or by the word of the three judges who officially accepted the testimony of the witnesses and later relayed it to the entire court — shall the one that is to die be put to death. Ramban will refute this interpretation of the Gaon, for there is in the verse etc. But there is in the verse no mention of acceptance of the testimony; instead, it refers explicitly to witnesses. But it seems to me that the Gaon erred in his [statement of this] law, for testimony in capital cases cannot be accepted except in the presence of a Sanhedrin of twenty-three judges [and not, as Rav Saadia holds, before only three judges]! Rather, the plain meaning of the verse is that the condemned man shall be put to death at the mouth of two witnesses if no more are there, or at the mouth of three witnesses if three witnesses are to be found there. Scripture thus states: when it will be told thee, and thou hear it⁵⁸ you are to inquire diligently into the matter by means of the testimony of all the witnesses found there. Thus if we heard that he transgressed in the presence of three people, we should send for them and have them all come to court and testify. The same law applies to a hundred, for by hearing the words of them all, the truth will become clear. But if not more [than two] were present, or they [the others] left and are not to be found, then two are sufficient.