R. Yochanan once went to be judged before R. Chiya HaGadol. R. Chiya sat his student with him (as a second judge).

Question (Beraisa): If there is a father and his son or a Rabbi and his student, they are counted as only one judge!

Answer: He was a student who was also a contemporary, such as R. Elazar was with R. Yochanan (so the student could be counted as a second judge).

Rav would issue rulings from his Beis Din even when he judged alone. This was also done by Rav Acha, by R. Yona and by R. Yosi in their own Batei Dinim.

Mishnah in Maseches Bechoros: If a person takes payment for judging, his rulings are annulled.

This Mishnah refers to when he takes payment specifically for making a ruling (rather than for the loss of work that he had suffered when he was involved with judging).

A person once went to be judged before Rav Huna. Rav Huna told him, "(I will not take payment, but) bring me someone who will take my place picking dates."

Rav Huna was shepherding animals and he had testimony to give about a certain person, who asked him to come and testify. Rav Huna told him, "Pay me for my loss of work", as the Beraisa teaches - One can pay a judge for his loss of work or a witness for his loss of work.

A person once made a Kohen impure (thereby causing him a financial loss, since he could not eat Terumah until purified and to eat regular food is more expensive). The case came before R. Yitzchak who ruled that the person must supply the Kohen regular food (in the interim). The students assumed that the person could deduct the value of Terumah from the food payment.

Beraisa (R. Eliezer ben R. Yosi Haglili): A judge who looks to make a compromise is sinning (as he awards half the money to the wrong party) and one who blesses him for doing so is actually blaspheming against Hash-m, as the pasuk states (Tehillim 10:3), "...and the robber praises (himself) that he has blasphemed against Hash-m".

Rather, the law pierces the mountain (that it must always be followed), as Moshe did. But Aharon would make peace, as the pasuk states (Malachi 2:6), "...in peace and fairness he went with Me".

Beraisa (R. Eliezer ben Yaakov): What is the meaning of (Tehillim 10:3), "...and the robber praises (himself) that he has blasphemed against Hash-m"?

It can be compared to a person who stole a se'ah of wheat and took it to a baker, (made a blessing and) separated challah and fed the (rest of the) baked dough to his children. His blessing is actually blaspheming (against Hash-m).

(R. Meir): What does that phrase mean? It refers to Yosef's brothers, as the pasuk states (Bereishis 37:26), "What gain is there if we kill our brother etc."

(R. Yehoshua ben Korcha): It is a mitzvah to compromise, as the pasuk states (Zecharia 8:16), "...truth, and judgment of peace". Wherever there is truth, there cannot be a judgement of peace; wherever there is a judgement of peace, there cannot be truth?!

If he merited the innocent and obligated the guilty, the pasuk considers it as if he has acted kindly both with the innocent and even with the guilty - with the innocent, because he returned him that which was rightfully his; and with the guilty, because he took a stolen item away from him.

R. Abahu: (As proof to R. Yehoshua ben Korcha, that it is a mitzvah to compromise) There are two mentions of the word 'judgement' in the parasha - (Devarim 1:17), "(You shall not favor people in) judgement...(because judgement is to Hash-m)".Similarly, there are two mentions of judging in the pasuk (Zecharia 8:16), "(...truth, and) judgment (of peace you shall judge in your cities)" -in both these cases, one mention teaches about judging and one teaches about making a compromise.

Question (R. Zecharia to R. Ami): Do we rule like the Tanna who said that judges should try and compromise?

Answer (Beraisa of R. Shimon ben Menasya): Sometimes you may compromise and sometimes you may not...

How is this? If two people came to the judge, before he has heard their statements or after he has heard them but he does not know which way the ruling should go, he may ask them to compromise.

After he has heard them and he knows which way to rule, he may not ask them to compromise, as the pasuk states (Mishlei 17:14), "The beginning of a quarrel is like letting out water, before the argument is exposed, abandon it" - before the argument is exposed, you may abandon it (by the judge compromising); after it is exposed, you may not abandon it.

R. Matanya: Even in order to compromise, a judge must first understand which way the ruling should go.