Who May Serve as a Witness

(Corresponding to m.Sanhedrin 3:3 )

And these are they who are invalid to serve as witnesses or judges:

The Pharisees say: "He who plays dice; he who loans money for interest; those who race pigeons; and those who do business in the produce of the Sabbath Year."
Rabbi Simeon said, "In the beginning they called them `Those who gather Seventh Year produce,' When oppressors became many [who collected taxes on this produce] they reverted to calling them, `Those who do business in the produce of the Seventh Year."
Rabbi Judah said: "Under what circumstances? When they have only that as their profession. But if they have a profession other than that. They are valid."
(m.San. 3:3)

The Essenes said, "No one who has knowingly violated a single word of the commandment will be considered a reliable witness against his fellow until he is considered fit to return to full fellowship." (Damascus Document 4Q270 frag. 9 col. 10 lines 2-3)

Messiah said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" (Jn. 8:7) and the Torah requires the two witnesses to cast the first stone (Deut. 17:7).

And what is meant by "he who is without without sin"?

Yochanan says "And if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and [to] cleanse us from all our iniquity. And if we say that we do not sin, we make Him a liar: and His Word is not with us. My sons, I write these [things] to you, that you do not sin: and if someone should sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua the Messiah, the just [One]. For He is the propitiation for our sins, and not on behalf of ours only, but also on behalf of [the sins of] the whole world. And in this we perceive that we know Him: if we keep His commandments. For he who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1Jn. 1:10-2:4)

The International Nazarene Beit Din says: "By this we are to understand that one who does not have Messiah as their advocate with the Father and does not keep his commandments, but has knowingly violated a single word of the commandment, may not serve as a witness against his fellow until he is considered fit to return to full fellowship."

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