## Sanhedrin Daf 16b

###### Sanhedrin 16b:1
[Sanhedrin 16b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:1)

״וְאַחֲרֵי אֲחִיתֹפֶל בְּנָיָהוּ בֶּן יְהוֹיָדָע וְאֶבְיָתָר וְשַׂר צָבָא לַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹאָב״. ״אֲחִיתוֹפֶל״ – זֶה יוֹעֵץ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וַעֲצַת אֲחִיתֹפֶל אֲשֶׁר יָעַץ וְגוֹ׳״. וּ״בְנָיָהוּ בֶּן יְהוֹיָדָע״ – זוֹ סַנְהֶדְרִין. ״אֶבְיָתָר״ – אֵלּוּ אוּרִים וְתוּמִּים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
It is: **And after Ahithophel was Benaiah, son of Jehoiada; and Ebiathar; and the general of the king’s army, Yoav** (see I Chronicles 27:34). The individuals named in this verse correspond to the roles in the *aggada* as follows: **Ahithophel is** the **advisor** whose counsel they sought first with regard to going to war, **and so it says: “Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he counseled** in those days, was like that of a man who inquires of the word of God; so was the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom” (II Samuel 16:23). **And Benaiah, son of Jehoiada** corresponds to **the Sanhedrin,** since he was the head of the Sanhedrin, and **Ebiathar** corresponds to **the *Urim VeTummim*,** as Ebiathar, son of Ahimelech the priest would oversee inquiries directed to the *Urim VeTummim* (see I Samuel 23:9).


###### Sanhedrin 16b:2
[Sanhedrin 16b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:2)

וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וּבְנָיָהוּ בֶּן יְהוֹיָדָע עַל הַכְּרֵתִי וְעַל הַפְּלֵתִי״. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָן כְּרֵתִי וּפְלֵתִי? כְּרֵתִי – שֶׁכּוֹרְתִין דִּבְרֵיהֶן, וּפְלֵתִי – שֶׁמּוּפְלָאִין מַעֲשֵׂיהֶן. וְאַחַר כָּךְ ״שַׂר הַצָּבָא לַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹאָב״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And so it says** with regard to the position of Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, as head of the Sanhedrin: **“And Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was over the *Kereti* and over the *Peleti*”** (II Samuel 20:23). **And why was** the Sanhedrin **called *Kereti* and *Peleti*?** It was called ***Kereti*** because **they were decisive [*shekoretin*] in their pronouncements.** It was called ***Peleti*** because **their actions** and wisdom **were wondrous [*shemufla’in*],** as *Peleti* and *mufla’in* share the same root. According to the order of the verse, upon being instructed by King David to go to war, the Sages first consulted with Ahithophel, then with the Sanhedrin, and then they would ask the *Urim VeTummim*; **and** only **thereafter** was **the general of the king’s army, Yoav,** given the command to ready the army for battle.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:3
[Sanhedrin 16b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:3)

אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב אַדָּא, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר אֲבוּדִימִי: מַאי קְרָא? ״עוּרָה כְבוֹדִי עוּרָה הַנֵּבֶל וְכִנּוֹר אָעִירָה שָּׁחַר״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Yitzḥak, son of Rav Adda, and some say Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avudimi, said: What is the verse** from which it is derived that David’s lyre would awaken him at midnight? **“Awake, my glory; awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn”** (Psalms 57:9). This means that the self-playing lyre has already awoken, and now I must engage in Torah study until dawn.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:4
[Sanhedrin 16b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:4)

וְאֵין מוֹסִיפִין עַל הָעִיר. מְנָהָנֵי מִילֵּי? אָמַר רַב שִׁימִי בַּר חִיָּיא, אָמַר קְרָא: ״כְּכׇל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ אֵת תַּבְנִית הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ״ – לְדוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: **They may extend the city** of Jerusalem or the courtyards of the Temple only on the basis of a court of seventy-one judges. The Gemara asks: **From where is this matter** derived? **Rav Shimi bar Ḥiyya says: The verse states: “According to all that I show you, the pattern of the Tabernacle** and the pattern of all its vessels, **and so shall you do”** (Exodus 25:9). “And so shall you do” means **for future generations;** just as the Tabernacle was fashioned in all of its details according to Moses’ instructions, so too later, the Temple is fashioned according to the instructions of the Great Sanhedrin, whose members stand in place of Moses.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:5
[Sanhedrin 16b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:5)

מֵתִיב רָבָא: כׇּל הַכֵּלִים שֶׁעָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה, מְשִׁיחָתָן מְקַדַּשְׁתָּן. מִיכָּן וְאֵילָךְ, עֲבוֹדָתָן מְחַנַּכְתָּן. וְאַמַּאי? נֵימָא ״וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ״ לְדוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִין!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rava raises an objection** from a *baraita*: With regard to **all of the utensils that Moses fashioned, their anointment** with the sacred oil is what **consecrates them,** rendering them fit for service in the Tabernacle. **From that** point **forward,** i.e., in future generations, there is no need for anointment, but rather **their service** in and of itself **dedicates them,** meaning that when they are used for the first time in sacred service they become consecrated. Rava explains the objection: **And why** is this so? **Let us say** instead that since the verse states: **“And so shall you do,”** this teaches that it must be done **for future generations** as in the Tabernacle, and therefore anointment with sacred oil should be required in the Temple as in the Tabernacle.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:6
[Sanhedrin 16b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:6)

שָׁאנֵי הָתָם, דְּאָמַר קְרָא: ״וַיִּמְשָׁחֵם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתָם״ – אוֹתָם בִּמְשִׁיחָה, וְלֹא לְדוֹרוֹת בִּמְשִׁיחָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara answers: It **is different there, as the verse states:** “And it came to pass on the day that Moses completed erecting the Tabernacle that he anointed it and sanctified it and all its vessels, and the altar and all its vessels, **and he anointed them and he sanctified them”** (Numbers 7:1). The verse emphasizes that he sanctified **“them,”** and from this it is inferred that only those utensils need sanctification **by anointment, but for** future **generations** there is **not** a requirement of sanctification **by anointment.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:7
[Sanhedrin 16b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:7)

וְאֵימָא: אוֹתָם בִּמְשִׁיחָה, וּלְדוֹרוֹת – אִי בִּמְשִׁיחָה אִי בַּעֲבוֹדָה? אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: אָמַר קְרָא ״אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ בָם בַּקֹּדֶשׁ״, הַכָּתוּב תְּלָאָן בְּשֵׁירוּת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And say** instead: **Those** vessels require sanctification specifically **by anointment, but for** future **generations** it could be done **either by anointment or by service. Rav Pappa says: The verse states** with regard to this: “And they shall take all service vessels **with which they shall serve in the sanctuary”** (Numbers 4:12). **The verse renders it dependent upon service,** meaning that the service is what sanctifies them.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:8
[Sanhedrin 16b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:8)

אֶלָּא ״אֹתָם״ לְמָה לִי? אִי לָאו ״אֹתָם״, הֲוָה אָמֵינָא: לְדוֹרוֹת בִּמְשִׁיחָה וּבַעֲבוֹדָה, דְּהָא כְּתִיב ״וְכֵן תַּעֲשׂוּ״. כְּתַב רַחֲמָנָא ״אֹתָם״ – אוֹתָם בִּמְשִׁיחָה, וְלֹא לְדוֹרוֹת בִּמְשִׁיחָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But** if so, **why do I** need the extra word **“them”?** This emphasis seems superfluous. The Gemara answers: **Had** the verse **not** added the word **“them,” I would say: For** future **generations** the sanctification is accomplished **by anointment and by service** together, **as it is written: “And so shall you do.” Therefore, the Merciful One writes “them,”** to teach: **They** alone are consecrated **by anointment, but for** future **generations** the vessels are **not** consecrated **by anointment.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:9
[Sanhedrin 16b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:9)

וְאֵין עוֹשִׂין סַנְהֶדְרָאוֹת כּוּ׳. מְנָא לַן? כִּדְאַשְׁכְּחַן בְּמֹשֶׁה, דְּאוֹקִי סַנְהֶדְרָאוֹת, וּמֹשֶׁה בִּמְקוֹם שִׁבְעִים וְחַד קָאֵי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that they may **appoint** a lesser **Sanhedrin** for the tribes only on the basis of a court of seventy-one judges. The Gemara asks: **From where do we** derive this matter? The Gemara answers: It is **as we find with regard to Moses, who established** lesser **courts** for all of the people (see Exodus 18:25–26), **and Moses stands in place of** the **seventy-one** judges on the Great Sanhedrin. Consequently, a lesser Sanhedrin that stands at the head of a tribe is appointed by the Great Sanhedrin.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:10
[Sanhedrin 16b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:10)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מִנַּיִין שֶׁמַּעֲמִידִין שׁוֹפְטִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁפְטִים תִּתֵּן״. שֹׁטְרִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁטְרִים תִּתֵּן״. שׁוֹפְטִים לְכׇל שֵׁבֶט וְשֵׁבֶט מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁפְטִים לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ״. שׁוֹטְרִים לְכׇל שֵׁבֶט וְשֵׁבֶט מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁטְרִים לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: **From where** is it derived **that** society must **establish judges for** the **Jewish people? The verse states: “You shall place judges** and officers over you in all of your gates that the Lord your God gives you for your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment” (Deuteronomy 16:18). **From where** is it derived that society must also establish **officers for** the **Jewish people? The** same **verse states: “You shall place** judges and **officers.” From where** is it derived that society must also establish **judges** not only for the entire Jewish people but also **for each and every tribe? The verse states:** “You shall place **judges** and officers…**for your tribes.” From where** is it derived that society must also establish **officers for each and every tribe? The** same **verse states:** “You shall place judges and **officers**…**for your tribes.”**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:11
[Sanhedrin 16b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:11)

שׁוֹפְטִים לְכׇל עִיר וָעִיר מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁפְטִים לִשְׁעָרֶיךָ״. שׁוֹטְרִים לְכׇל עִיר וָעִיר מִנַּיִין? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״שֹׁטְרִים לִשְׁעָרֶיךָ״. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אֶחָד מְמוּנֶּה עַל כּוּלָּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תִּתֶּן לְךָ״. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: ״לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ״ – מִצְוָה בַּשֵּׁבֶט לָדוּן אֶת שִׁבְטוֹ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**From where** is it derived that society must also establish **judges for each and every city? The verse states:** You shall place **judges** and officers…**for your gates,** as the gate of the city is the seat of the elders of the city and its judges. **From where** is it derived that society must also establish **officers for each and every city? The verse states:** You shall place Judges and **officers**…**for your gates. Rabbi Yehuda says:** You must also have **one** court **appointed over all of them, as it is stated: “You shall place over you,”** meaning that there must be a single institution that is responsible for all of these appointments. **Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:** Another *halakha* is derived from the verse: **“For your tribes, and they shall judge.”** This teaches that it is **a mitzva for a tribe to judge** the sinners from within **its tribe,** and not to delegate the responsibility to other tribes.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:12
[Sanhedrin 16b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:12)

וְאֵין עוֹשִׂין עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת. מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי? אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא: דְּאָמַר קְרָא ״וְהוֹצֵאתָ אֶת הָאִישׁ הַהוּא אוֹ אֶת הָאִשָּׁה הָהִיא״. אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה אַתָּה מוֹצִיא לִשְׁעָרֶיךָ, וְאִי אַתָּה מוֹצִיא כָּל הָעִיר כּוּלָּהּ לִשְׁעָרֶיךָ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna states that **a city may be designated** as **an idolatrous city** only in accordance with the ruling of the Great Sanhedrin, consisting of seventy-one judges. The Gemara asks: **From where are these matters** derived? **Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Yosef says** that **Rabbi Oshaya says: As the verse states** with regard to one who engages in idol worship: **“And you shall take out that man or that woman** who did that evil thing to your gates” (Deuteronomy 17:5), and it is inferred: **You take out a man or a woman to your gates** for the lesser Sanhedrin to judge them, **but you do not take out the entire city to your gates;** rather, they are to be judged by the Great Sanhedrin.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:13
[Sanhedrin 16b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:13)

אֵין עוֹשִׂין עִיר הַנִּדַּחַת בַּסְּפָר. מַאי טַעְמָא? ״מִקִּרְבֶּךָ״ אָמַר רַחֲמָנָא, וְלֹא מִן הַסְּפָר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that the court **may not designate** a city as **an idolatrous city** if it is **on the frontier.** The Gemara asks: **What is the reason** for this? The Gemara answers: The verse states: “Certain worthless people have gone out from your midst and have led astray the inhabitants of their city” (Deuteronomy 13:14). **The Merciful One states** that this *halakha* applies when they come **from your midst,** meaning from within your country, **but not from the frontier.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:14
[Sanhedrin 16b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:14)

וְלֹא שָׁלֹשׁ עָרֵי הַנִּדַּחַת, דִּכְתִיב: ״אַחַת״, אֲבָל עוֹשִׂין אַחַת אוֹ שְׁתַּיִם, דִּכְתִיב: ״עָרֶיךָ״. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״אַחַת״ – אַחַת וְלֹא שָׁלֹשׁ. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר: אַחַת וְלֹא שָׁלֹשׁ, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא אַחַת וְלֹא שְׁתַּיִם? כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר: ״עָרֶיךָ״, הֲרֵי שְׁתַּיִם אָמוּר. הָא מָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּים ״אַחַת״? אַחַת וְלֹא שָׁלֹשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches: **And three** adjoining cities may **not** be designated as **idolatrous cities.** The source for this ruling is **as it is written:** “If you shall hear concerning **one** of your cities that the Lord your God has given you” (Deuteronomy 13:13), and not three cities. The mishna continues: **But** the court **may designate one** city, **or two** adjoining cities as idolatrous cities. The source for this is **as it is written: “Your cities,”** in the plural. **The Sages taught** in a *baraita*: The verse states: **“One,”** from which it is inferred: **One, but not three. Do you say** that the meaning is **one, but not three, or rather,** is this **not** the meaning of the verse, that it is **one, but not two?** The *baraita* explains that this cannot be. **When** the verse **states: “Your cities,” two are stated. How do I realize** the meaning of: **“One”? One, but not three.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:15
[Sanhedrin 16b:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:15)

זִימְנִין אָמַר רַב: בְּבֵית דִּין אֶחָד הוּא דְּאֵין עוֹשִׂין, הָא בִּשְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשָׁה בָּתֵּי דִינִין – עוֹשִׂין. וְזִימְנִין אָמַר רַב: אֲפִילּוּ בִּשְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשָׁה בָּתֵּי דִינִין לְעוֹלָם אֵין עוֹשִׂין. מַאי טַעְמָא דְּרַב? מִשּׁוּם קׇרְחָה. אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: לֹא שָׁנוּ אֶלָּא בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד, אֲבָל בִּשְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשָׁה מְקוֹמוֹת – עוֹשִׂין. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: אֵין עוֹשִׂין מִשּׁוּם קׇרְחָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**At times Rav said: It is in one court that they may not designate** more than two adjoining cities as idolatrous cities, **but in two or three courts they may designate** them. **And at times Rav said: Even in two or three courts they may never designate** them. **What is the reasoning of Rav?** It is **due to desolation,** to ensure there will not be large swaths of uninhabited land in Eretz Yisrael. **Reish Lakish says: They taught only** that the court may not designate three adjoining cities as idolatrous cities **in one region, but in two or three regions they may designate** them. **Rabbi Yoḥanan says: They may not designate** them, **due to desolation.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:16
[Sanhedrin 16b:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:16)

תַּנְיָא כְּוָותֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אֵין עוֹשִׂין שָׁלֹשׁ עֲיָירוֹת מְנוּדָּחוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲבָל עוֹשִׂין אוֹתָם שְׁתַּיִם, כְּגוֹן אַחַת בִּיהוּדָה וְאַחַת בַּגָּלִיל. אֲבָל שְׁתַּיִם בִּיהוּדָה וּשְׁתַּיִם בַּגָּלִיל – אֵין עוֹשִׂין. וּסְמוּכָה לַסְּפָר – אֲפִילּוּ אַחַת אֵין עוֹשִׂין. מַאי טַעְמָא? שֶׁמָּא יִשְׁמְעוּ גּוֹיִם וְיַחְרִיבוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara comments: It **is taught** in a *baraita* (*Tosefta* 14:1) **in accordance with** the opinion **of Rabbi Yoḥanan:** The court **may not designate three** adjoining **cities** as **idolatrous** cities **in Eretz Yisrael, but they may designate two, such as one in Judea and one in the Galilee. But they may not designate two in Judea or two in the Galilee. And** if the city is **near the frontier, they may not designate even one. What is the reason** for this? **Perhaps the gentiles will hear** that there is a city on the border that is desolate, **and they will** seize the opportunity to invade and **destroy Eretz Yisrael.**


###### Sanhedrin 16b:17
[Sanhedrin 16b:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:17)

וְתִיפּוֹק לִי דְּ״מִקִּרְבֶּךָ״ אָמַר רַחֲמָנָא, וְלֹא מִן הַסְּפָר? רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הִיא, דְּדָרֵישׁ טַעְמָא דִּקְרָא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But** let **him derive** this *halakha* from the fact **that the Merciful One states: “From your midst,”** from which it is inferred: **But not from the frontier.** The Gemara answers: This *baraita* **is** in accordance with the opinion of **Rabbi Shimon, as he interprets the reason** for the mitzva **in the verse** and draws halakhic conclusions based on that interpretation.


###### Sanhedrin 16b:18
[Sanhedrin 16b:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sanhedrin/r/16b:18)

סַנְהֶדְרִי גְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה. מַאי טַעְמַיְיהוּ דְּרַבָּנַן דְּאָמְרִי וּמֹשֶׁה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן? אָמַר קְרָא: ״וְהִתְיַצְּבוּ שָׁם

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that **the Great Sanhedrin was** composed of seventy-one judges, and that Rabbi Yehuda holds that it was composed of only seventy, as Moses gathered seventy men of the Elders of the Jewish people, and according to Rabbi Yehuda, Moses himself was not counted as part of the group. The Gemara asks: **What is the reasoning of the Rabbis, who say** that when **Moses** gathered seventy men, he was **at the head of** the court and is therefore counted among them? **The verse states:** “And the Lord said to Moses: Gather Me seventy men from the Elders of Israel, whom you know to be the Elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting **and they shall stand there**