(Mishnah): The following people are disqualified as witnesses - one who gambles, one who lends money for interest, one who flies pigeons and merchants of Sheviis fruits.

The rule is - any testimony that a woman cannot give, these people also cannot give.

(Gemara): The gambler is a person who gambles with chips made of broken bones.

When can we accept him as a witness? When he breaks his chips and we investigate and discover that he has fully repented.

One who lends for interest - this is a person who lends for interest. (Note: It could be that the Gemara is qualifying that this law only applies to a person who lends regularly for interest.)

When can we accept him as a witness? When he tears up his documents and we investigate and discover that he has fully repented.

One who flies pigeons - this is a person who makes pigeons fight one another (and he bets on the winner). This applies whether he does this with pigeons or with other animals, wild animals or birds.

When can we accept him as a witness? When he breaks his boards (used for prodding them to fight) and we investigate and discover that he has fully repented.

Merchants of Sheviis fruit - this is a person who does not do business throughout the Shemita cycle and when the Shemita year arrives, he begins to do business with the Shemita fruit.

When can we accept him as a witness? When another Shemita year comes and we investigate and discover that he has fully repented.

Beraisa: R. Yosi says that he must be clean from this sin for two Shemita years.

Beraisa quoting R. Nechemya: It is not enough to verbally repent - he must also return the money for the fruit that he sold. He should say, "Take this 200 zuz and divide amongst the poor the money that I earned from Sheviis.

The Sages also disqualified the testimony of shepherds, those who force people to sell an item against their will, thieves (even those who steal from children, the insane etc.) and all who are suspected in monetary matters.

R. Abahu: Shepherds refers to those who shepherd small animals (not large animals, as it is common that small animals are taken to graze on land that belongs to others).

R. Chuna: Who is the Tanna who disqualifies pigeon flyers from testimony? It is R. Eliezer, as the Mishnah teaches - Two laws were taught in the name of R. Eliezer - On Shabbos, a woman may go into a public domain wearing a type of tiara called a "Jerusalem of Gold''; pigeon flyers are invalid witnesses.

Question (R. Mana to R. Yosa): According to this, are all of the cases of Rabbinically invalid witnesses in the Mishnah in Sanhedrin said by R. Eliezer?

Answer (R. Yosa): This list follows all opinions. What do we mean that it follows all opinions?

Answer: We know that all agree that they are disqualified from testifying in monetary cases. What is Eliezer adding? They are also disqualified from testifying in cases of life and death (like the case of a person who might be punished with death for profaning Shabbos).

Witnesses of the new moon are like witnesses for cases for life and death.

Question - Mishnah: The rule is - any testimony that a woman cannot give, these people also cannot give (and vice-versa). (But in Maseches Yevamos, R. Eliezer holds that a woman cannot even testify in the case of an Agunah, so the Mishnah cannot be R. Eliezer!?)

Answer: The Rabbanan (authored the Mishnah and) follow the opinion of R. Eliezer in one way and disagree in another way.

R. Yona quoting Rav Chuna: All of the cases are R. Eliezer and this dispute is like another dispute - as R. Meir teaches in the Beraisa - a false witness is invalid for all types of testimony in the Torah.

R. Yosi: When is this? When he was discovered to be false in a case of life and death (which is the most severe type of testimony); but if he was discovered false in a monetary case, he is suspected and invalid only for monetary cases.

And R. Yosi follows Rabbanan (that one is only invalid for testimony in the type of case that he is suspected) and R. Meir follows R. Eliezer (that once he is suspected for a lenient case, he is suspected even on a stringent case).