Sanhedrin 109a

סנהדרין ק״ט ע״א

Learn Sanhedrin 109a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

נחום איש גם זו's gift, the sin of דור הפלגה, and the wickedness of אנשי סדום

Overview

This amud opens by finishing the story of נחום איש גם זו. Thieves swapped the gift for the emperor with dirt, but אליהו convinced the Romans it was the miraculous dirt of אברהם אבינו. נחום was rewarded with gold, and the thieves who tried to copy him were executed. The גמרא then asks what sin דור הפלגה committed. רבי שילא's school says they wanted to hack open the sky, but scholars in ארץ ישראל mock this answer. רבי ירמיה בר אלעזר says they split into three groups with three plans, while רבי נתן says they all meant to serve עבודה זרה. Statements follow about the fate of the tower and how its area makes people forget Torah. Next the גמרא turns to אנשי סדום: פסוקים are explained to describe their sins, their arrogance from great wealth, and their cruel tricks for robbing rich people. It tells of רבי יוסי, whose lecture on these tricks was copied by thieves in ציפורי. The amud ends with סדום's unfair herding rule and an orphan who killed the oxen he was given. His reply comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (27)

1. StatementChoosing נחום איש גם זו as the messenger
2. StatementThe gift is stolen and replaced with dirt
3. Statementאליהו suggests the dirt is אברהם's miraculous dirt
4. StatementThe dirt wins a battle and נחום is rewarded
5. ConclusionThe thieves try to copy נחום and are executed
6. QuestionWhat was the sin of the Tower builders?
7. Responseדבי רבי שילא: they wanted to break open the sky
8. ChallengeThe West laughs: why not build on a mountain?
9. ResponseThree groups of builders, three punishments
10. StatementAll the builders meant to serve idols
11. StatementWhat happened to the tower itself
12. StatementThe tower's air makes people forget
13. Statementבבל and בורסיף are bad for Torah
14. QuestionWhat does the name בורסיף mean?
15. Responseבורסיף means an empty pit
16. StatementThe people of סדום lose עולם הבא
17. Statementרב יהודה explains each word of the פסוק about סדום
18. StatementA ברייתא reverses the meanings and explains 'very' as bloodshed
19. Statementסדום became arrogant because of the great good ה׳ gave them
20. Statementסדום decides to stop all travelers from coming
21. StatementKilling rich people with a leaning wall
22. StatementFinding treasure rooms with balsam
23. StatementMore פסוקים describing their cruelty
24. Statementרבי יוסי's lecture leads to break-ins
25. StatementThe gutters of ציפורי flow with blood
26. Statementסדום's backward rule for herding the town's oxen
27. StatementThe orphan who killed the oxen he was given to herd