Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 205
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(דברים כא א) כִּי יִמָּצֵא – וְלֹא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמָּצוּי. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ (סוטה ט ט): מִשֶּׁרַבּוּ הָרַצְחָנִים בָּטְלָה עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה, מִשֶּׁבָּא אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן דִּינַאי וּתְחִינָה בֶן פְּרִישָׁה. [״בֶּן פְּרִישָׁה״] הָיָה נִקְרָא – חָזְרוּ לִקְרוֹתוֹ ״בֶּן הָרַצְחָן״.
(Devarim 21:1) "If there be found a slain one on the earth": "If there be found": and not if there were generally found" — to exclude (its being found) near the border or near a city inhabited mostly by gentiles — where it was stated: When murderers proliferated, the breaking of the heifer's neck was abolished. When R. Elazar b. Dinai came, (otherwise known as Techinah b. Prishah), they began to call him "the son of the murderer."
חָלָל – וְלֹא חָנוּק. חָלָל – וְלֹא מְפַרְפֵּר.
"slain" (connoting: by the sword), and not strangled. "slain": and not convulsing.
בָּאֲדָמָה, וְלֹא טָמוּן בַּגַּל.
"on the earth": and not hidden in a heap.
נֹפֵל – וְלֹא תָלוּי בָּאִילָן.
"fallen": and not hanging on a tree.
בַּשָּׂדֶה – וְלֹא צָף עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם.
"in the field": and not floating on the waters.
אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ – לְרַבּוֹת עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן.
"which the L-rd your G-d gives to you": to include (the land of the Jews) across the Jordan.
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: בְּכֻלָּם הָיוּ עוֹרְפִים! אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה: וְכִי אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא חָנוּק וּמֻשְׁלָךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה, שֶׁמָּא הָיוּ עוֹרְפִים? אֶלָּא בְּכֻלָּם אִם הָיָה חָלָל – עוֹרְפִים.
R. Eliezer says: In all (of these instances) if he were slain (by the sword), they would break the neck (of the heifer). R. Yossi b. R. Yehudah said to R. Eliezer: If he were strangled or cast in the refuse, would they break the neck? So, in all of these instances, they would not break the neck.
לֹא נוֹדַע מִי הִכָּהוּ, הָא אִם נוֹדַע מִי הִכָּהוּ, וַאֲפִלּוּ אֶחָד מֵהֶן רָאָהוּ – לֹא הָיוּ עוֹרְפִים.
"it was not known who killed him": But if it were known who killed him — even if one person in the end of the world had slain him, (though normally two witnesses are required) they would not break the neck.
רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן רָאוּהוּ בֵּית דִּין שֶׁהָרַג, וְלֹא הָיוּ מַכִּירִים אוֹתוֹ – לֹא הָיוּ עוֹרְפִים? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכֻה אֶת הַדָּם הַזֶּה״ וְגוֹ׳.
R. Akiva says: Whence is it derived that if beth-din saw him killing but did not recognize him, they would not break the neck? From (Ibid. 7) "And they shall answer and say … our eyes have not seen" (But in that instance their eyes did see.)
(דברים כא ב) וְיָצְאוּ זְקֵנֶיךָ, זְקֵנֶיךָ – שְׁנַיִם, וְשֹׁפְטֶיךָ – שְׁנַיִם, אֵין בֵּית דִּין שָׁקוּל – מוֹסִיפִים עֲלֵיהֶם עוֹד אֶחָד, הֲרֵי כָּאן חֲמִשָּׁה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: זְקֵנֶיךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶיךָ – שְׁנַיִם, אֵין בֵּית דִּין שָׁקוּל – מוֹסִיפִים עֲלֵיהֶם עוֹד אֶחָד, הֲרֵי כָּאן שְׁלֹשָׁה.
(Ibid. 2) "Then your elders shall go out": "your elders" — two; "and your judges" — two. And since a beth-din cannot be evenly balanced, an additional one is added, making five. These are the words of R. Yehudah. R. Shimon says: "Your elders and your judges" — two. And since a beth-din cannot be evenly balanced, an additional one is added, making three.
וּמָדְדוּ אֶל הֶעָרִים, מִן הֶחָלָל אֶל הֶעָרִים, וְלֹא מִן הֶעָרִים אֶל הֶחָלָל. מִכָּן אָמְרוּ: נִמְצָא רֹאשׁוֹ בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד וְגוּפוֹ בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר – מוֹלִיכִים אֶת הָרֹאשׁ אֵצֶל הַגּוּף, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר: הַגּוּף אֵצֶל הָרֹאשׁ. נִמְצָא סָמוּךְ לַסְּפָר, אוֹ לְעִיר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ גּוֹיִם, אוֹ לְעִיר שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ בֵּית דִּין – לֹא הָיוּ מוֹדְדִים. אֵין מוֹדְדִים אֶלָּא לְעִיר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהּ בֵּית דִּין!
"and they shall measure to the cities that are around the slain one": (They measure) from the slain one to the cities, and not from the cities to the slain one. If his head was found in one place, and his body in another, the head is brought to the body. These are the words of R. Eliezer. R. Akiva says: The body (is brought) to the head.