Mishnah and Tosefta Eduyyot—the role of minorities

Mishnah Eduyyot 1:3-6

m1:3 Hillel says: a hin -full of drawn water renders the ִ‫ ְמלֹא ִהיל ַמי‬,‫אמר‬ ֵ ‫)ג( ִה ֵל‬
mikveh unfit. –however, one must speak in the language (‫ ) ֶא ָא‬,‫ס ִלי ֶאת ַה ִ ְקוֶה‬ ְ ‫אבי‬ ִ ְ
of his teacher--and Shammai says: nine kabs. But the . ‫למר ִ ְל ַר‬ ַ ‫ד ַח!ָב‬$ ָ ֶ
‫ַח ָכ ִמי‬ֲ ‫ ו‬.‫ ִ' ְ ָעה ַק ִ י‬,‫אמר‬ ֵ ‫וְ ַ ַאי‬
Sages say: Neither according to the opinion of the one ‫ לֹא ְכ ִד ְב ֵרי זֶה וְ לֹא ְכ ִד ְב ֵרי‬,‫אמ ִרי‬
ְ
nor according to the opinion of the other, until two ‫!ִי‬+ִ ‫ַר‬ ְ ‫ ֶא ָא ַעד ֶ ָ א ְנֵי ג‬,‫זֶה‬
weavers from the dung-gate which is in Jerusalem came ִ‫יר ַלי‬
ָ ִ ֶ ‫ת‬- ְ ‫ ַער ָה‬.ַ ‫ִמ‬
and testified in the name of Shemaiah and Abtalion ,‫ב ַט ְלי‬- ְ ְ‫ ְ ַמ ְעיָה ו‬.‫וְ ֵה ִעיד ִמ‬
`three logs of drawn water render the mikveh unfit,` the ‫ס ִלי‬ְ ‫אבי‬ ִ ְ ִ‫י ַמי‬01 ִ ‫לת ל‬
ֶ ְ
Sages confirmed their statement. ‫ וְ ִק!ְמ ֲח ָכ ִמי ֶאת‬,‫ֶאת ַה ִ ְקוֶה‬
:‫יה‬
ֶ ‫ ְב ֵר‬+ִ
m1:4 And why do they record the opinions of Shammai ‫ ְב ֵרי ַ ַאי‬+ִ ‫ירי ֶאת‬
ִ 3ִ ְ‫)ד( וְ ָל ָה ַמז‬
and Hillel for no purpose? To teach the following ‫רת ַה ָ ִאי‬+‫ ְל ַל ֵד ַל‬,‫ ָלה‬4ָ ‫וְ ִה ֵל ְל ַב‬
generations that a man should not [always] persist in his ,‫ ָב ָריו‬+ְ ‫עמד ַעל‬
ֵ ‫ד‬$ ָ ‫ֶֹא יְ ֵהא‬
‫על לֹא ָע ְמד ַעל‬ ָ ‫ֶ ֲה ֵרי ֲאבת ָה‬
opinion, for behold, the fathers of the world did not :‫יה‬ ֶ ‫ ְב ֵר‬+ִ
persist in their opinion.

m1:5 And why do they record the opinion of an
individual with the majority, when the Halachah must be
according to the opinion of the majority? So that if a
court prefers the opinion of the individual, it may
depend on him [as a precedent]. For no court may set
aside the decision of another court unless it is greater
than it in wisdom and in number. If it was greater than it
in wisdom but not in number, in number but not in
wisdom, it may not set aside its decision, unless it is
greater than it in wisdom and in number.
‫ָחיד ֵ י‬ ִ !‫ ְב ֵרי ַה‬+ִ ‫ירי‬
ִ 3ִ ְ‫)ה( וְ ָל ָה ַמז‬
‫האיל וְ ֵאי ֲה ָל ָכה ֶא ָא‬ ִ ‫ר ִ י‬1 ‫ַה ְמ‬
‫י‬+ִ ‫יִר ֶאה ֵבית‬ ְ ‫ ֶ ִא‬,‫ר ִ י‬1 ‫ְכ ִד ְב ֵרי ַה ְמ‬
‫ ֶ ֵאי‬,‫ ָע ָליו‬5‫מ‬ ְ ‫יִס‬ ְ ְ‫ָחיד ו‬ ִ !‫ ְב ֵרי ַה‬+ִ ‫ֶאת‬
‫י‬+ִ ‫ ְב ֵרי ֵבית‬+ִ ‫ל‬4ֵ ‫י יָכל ְל ַב‬+ִ ‫ֵ ית‬
‫ ַב ָח ְכ ָמה‬6ֶ ‫!ִהיֶה גָדל ִמ‬ ְ ֶ ‫ֲח ֵבר ַעד‬
‫ ַב ָח ְכ ָמה‬6ֶ ‫ ָהיָה גָדל ִמ‬.ָ‫ב ִ ְני‬ ַ
‫ ַ ִ ְניָ ֲא ָבל לֹא‬,ָ‫ֲא ָבל לֹא ַב ִ ְני‬
‫ ַעד‬,‫ ָב ָריו‬+ְ ‫ל‬4ֵ ‫ ֵאינ יָכל ְל ַב‬,‫ַב ָח ְכ ָמה‬
:ָ‫ב ִ ְני‬
ַ ‫ ַב ָח ְכ ָמה‬6ֶ ‫ֶ!ִ ְהיֶה גָדל ִמ‬

m1:6 R. Judah said: if so, why do they record the ‫ ָל ָה‬3ֵ ‫ ִא‬,‫יְהדה‬ָ ‫מר ַר ִ י‬$ַ (‫) ו‬
opinion of an individual with the majority? To annul it. ‫ר ִ י‬1 ‫ָחיד ֵ י ַה ְמ‬
ִ !‫ ְב ֵרי ַה‬+ִ ‫ירי‬
ִ 3ִ ְ‫ַמז‬
So that if a man shall say, thus have I learnt the ‫ ֲא ִני‬5ְ 3ָ ‫ד‬$ ָ ‫ֹאמר ָה‬
ַ ‫ ֶ ִא י‬,‫ ָלה‬4ָ ‫ְל ַב‬
‫לני‬
ִ ְ ‫ ִד ְב ֵרי ִאי‬3ְ ‫ֹאמר ל‬ ַ ‫ י‬,‫ק ָ ל‬1 ‫ְמ‬
tradition,` it may be said to him, `according to the :'ָ ‫ָ ַמ ְע‬
[refuted] opinion of that individual did you hear it.
Tosefta Eduyyot 1:3-6
t1:3… And why are their place and their job explicitly ‫ ולמה הוזכרו ש‬...
mentioned? ‫מקומותיה וש אומנות‬

And is it not so that you have no more degraded craft than ‫ אומנות‬5‫והלא אי ל‬
5‫ירידה אלא גרדי ואי ל‬
weaving, and no more despised place in Jerusalem than the ‫מקו בזוי בירושל‬
Dung Gate? ‫כשער האשפות‬
But just as the fathers of the world were not stubborn about ‫אלא מה אבות העול לא‬
their opinion when there was a tradition, how much the more ̘ӷ ‫עמדו על דבריה‬
so that a person should not be stubborn about his opinion when ‫ על אחת כמה‬‰ÚÂÓ˘
there is a tradition ‫וכמה שלא יעמיד אד על‬
:‰ÚÂÓ˘ ̘ӷ ‫דברו‬

t1:4 Under all circumstances the law follows the majority, and ‫לעול הלכה כדברי‬
the opinion of the individual is recorded along with that of the ‫המרובי לא הוזכרו דברי‬
majority only in order to nullify it. ‫היחיד בי המרובי אלא‬
‫לבטל‬
R. Judah says, ``The opinion of an individual is recorded along ‫ר' יהודה אומ' לא הוזכרו‬
with that of the majority only so that, if the times necessitate it, ‫דברי יחיד בי המרובי‬
they may rely upon [the opinion of the individual]`` ‫ לה‬5‫אלא שמא תיצר‬
‫שעה ויסמכו עליה‬
And sages say, ``The opinion of the individual is recorded along
with that of the majority only so that, if later on, this one says, ‫וחכמ' אומ' לא הוזכרו‬
`Unclean,` and that one says, `Clean,` one may respond that the ‫המרובי‬ ‫דברי יחיד בי‬
‫טמא‬ '‫אומ‬ ‫שזה‬ 5‫אלא מתו‬
one who says it is unclean is in accord with the opinion of R. '‫וזה אמ' טהור זה אמ‬
Eliezer [and the law must follow the majority, which opposed ‫טמא כדברי ר' אליעזר‬
his opinion], so they say to him, `You have heard this opinion in ‫אמרו לו כדברי ר' אליעזר‬
accord with the ruling of R. Eliezer.``` :‫שמעתה‬
t1:5 [If] one has addressed a question to one sage and he has ‫נישאל לחכ אחד וטימא‬
declared the matter unclean, he should not address his question ‫לו לא ישאל לחכ אחר‬
to another sage. [If] he has addressed a question to a sage and ‫נשאל לחכ וטיהר לו לא‬
he has declared the matter clean, he should not address his ‫ישאל לחכ אחר‬
question to another sage.
‫היו שני אחד אוס' ואחד‬
[If] there were two sages, one prohibiting and one permitting, ‫מתיר אחד מטמא ואחד‬
one declaring it unclean and one declaring it clean, if there is ‫מטהר א יש חכ אחר‬
another sage available, they address the question to him as ‫נשאלי לו וא לאו‬
‫הולכי אחר המחמיר‬
well.And if not, they follow the opinion of the one who adopts
the more strict of the two positions. '‫ר' יהושע ב קרחה אומ‬
‫דבר מדברי תורה הולכי‬
R. Joshua b. Qorha says, ``[If] it is a ruling involving teachings ‫אחר המחמיר מדברי‬
of the Torah, they follow the opinion of the one who adopts the ‫סופרי הולכי אחר‬
more strict of the two positions, but [if] it is a ruling involving :‫המיקל‬
teachings of scribes, they follow the opinion of the one who
adopts the more lenient of the two positions.``