Makos 5a.
1. We continued discussing the point which we spoke about last week. The Gemara says that if two Eidim claim that they witnessed a person, in Los Angles for example, doing something and another two Eidim come and say that these witnesses were with them in Tokyo, we calculate if it was possible to travel the distance and be in both places on the same day. If it is not possible, the first pair is guilty of being Eidim Zomemin.
We mentioned that the Rishonim ask: There is a phenomenal story about Shmuel’s father who was out of town and he traveled back to his wife (Shmuel’s mother) using the power of a “Shem“.
Thus we clearly see that one can claim that he traveled a long distance in a short span of time- even in Halocho!!!
Read the details of this story here:
http://beta.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=46819&st=&pgnum=5
Note that the fortuneteller who tempted Samuel’s father was a gilgul of Potifar’s wife- the woman who tempted Yosef in Mitzrayim!
Attached please see attachment PDF of the Shulchan Oruch.
2. The Mishnah states the following “Witnesses do not become Zomemin, until they discredit themselves“.
When we learned the Gemore we translated it the way Rash”i explains it, that in order for them to become Eidim Zomemin the second pair of Eidim have contradict something about the first pair of Eidim’s credibility, for example they were out of town. If they only contradict the facts of the story’s they do not become Eidim Zomimn.
At the Shiur we mentioned the fascinating point which is mentioned in the Rabeinu Chananel in the name of Reb Hai Gaon (His bio in English or Hebrew) that what the Mishnah means to say by “Witnesses do not become Zomemin, until they discredit themselves” is that they can only become Zomemin if they admit they they were lying or remain silent and don’t contradict the second pair.
That is a huge Chiddush and something which is not mentioned in most Rishonim! We mentioned in the Shiur that the Chasam Sofer uses this Peshat to answer many questions of Tosfos. Attached please find the PDF. Attached also find the original source from R’ Hai Gaon’s classic book.
3. We mentioned the Chasam Sofer regarding the reasoning of the Ramaban why you believe the second pair of Eidim. Basically- when testifying against a pair of witnesses by saying that they were elsewhere at the time of the alleged act of the defendant is like saying that the first pair are mecha’lelei Shabbos. Thus in turn they become defendents themselves and therefore cannot refute the second pair!
4. The story with the murder, snake, golus and the shomer.