Judah The Son Of TabaiBy: Shoshana

Some facts

• Yehuda Tabbai and received the transmission from the scholars.

• Yehudah ben Tabbai was the President of the Sanhedrin his partner, Shim'on ben-Shataĥ, was the President of the Court.

• Yehudah ben-Tabbai was involved in a miscarriage of justice.

Rabbi Yehudah ben-Tabbai says…

Rabbi Yehudah ben-Tabbai says: "In very truth I sentenced someone to death because of a conspiratorial witness". This was contrary to the teachings of the Sadducees who claim that conspiratorial witnesses can only be executed if the accused had already been [wrongfully] executed. Shim'on ben-Shataĥ retorted: "In very truth you shed innocent blood! For the sages say that witnesses may be punished as conspiratorial only when both are guilty..." Yehudah ben-Tabbai immediately took upon himself never to to adjudicate unless Shim'on ben-Shataĥ were present! And throughout the rest of his life Yehudah ben-Tabbai would visit the grave of that executed person and his wailing was thought by the people to the a wailing from the grave. He told them, "It is my voice...“

http://www.bmv.org.il/Shiurim/avot/avot039.html

More facts

• Yehudah ben-Tabbai, has accepted Shim'on ben-Shataĥ as a superior authority.

• Yehuda's first statement is difficult to translate

Judah the son of Tabbai would say…

Judah the son of Tabbai would say: When sitting in judgement, do not act as a counselor-at-law. When the litigants stand before you, consider them both guilty; and when they leave your courtroom, having accepted the judgement, regard them as equally righteous.

I think this means that you should think of everyone who walks in the courtroom guilty because you cant favor someone if you know they are right right when they walk in you have to think of them equal. That’s why when they walk out they are both equally righteous.