Megillah 10a

מגילה י׳ ע״א

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Topic

Did the first holiness of ירושלים last forever? רבי יצחק on בית חוניו, his retraction, and the search for תנאים who argue about it

Overview

This amud opens with the last line of the משנה: after שילה was destroyed, people could again bring קרבנות on private altars (במות), but after ירושלים was destroyed, they could not. רבי יצחק reports that קרבנות are brought in בית חוניו in Egypt even today. The גמרא says this rests on two ideas: בית חוניו is not עבודה זרה, and the first holiness of ירושלים was only for its time. It supports this with a פסוק that compares נחלה (ירושלים) to מנוחה (שילה). רבי יצחק later denies saying it, but רבא swears he did, so he must have taken it back because of רב מרי's challenge from two משניות. The גמרא then searches for תנאים who argue about whether the first holiness lasts forever. It first tries רבי אליעזר and רבי יהושע, but רבינא shows they may agree. It then turns to רבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי on the walled cities, but a second ברייתא in his name seems to contradict the first. The amud ends by asking why the returning exiles needed to consecrate the cities at all, and the answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (20)

1. StatementEnd of the משנה: שילה versus ירושלים
2. Statementרבי יצחק: קרבנות are offered in בית חוניו today
3. StatementThe two assumptions behind רבי יצחק's report
4. ProofThe פסוק links ירושלים to שילה
5. QuestionThe Sages ask רבי יצחק whether he said it
6. Responseרבי יצחק answers: No
7. Conclusionרבא swears that רבי יצחק did say it
8. QuestionWhy did he take back his ruling?
9. ResponseBecause of רב מרי's challenge
10. Challengeרב מרי's challenge from two משניות
11. StatementThis is a dispute of תנאים: רבי אליעזר on the curtains
12. Proofרבי יהושע: the holiness lasts forever
13. ConclusionSo רבי אליעזר holds it was not forever
14. Rejectionרבינא: maybe both agree, and each told what he heard
15. ChallengeThen why did רבי אליעזר need curtains?
16. ResolutionThe curtains were only for privacy
17. ProofA תנא who says the first holiness ended
18. ConclusionSo he holds the first holiness was only for its time
19. ChallengeA second version of the same תנא's words
20. ChallengeWhy consecrate them if they were still holy?