Sanhedrin 112a

סנהדרין קי״ב ע״א

Learn Sanhedrin 112a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

עיר הנדחת: who counts as part of the city, how it is judged, and which property is destroyed

Overview

The amud opens by closing an earlier discussion with קשיא. It then asks whether a city that turned to עבודה זרה on its own, with no outside instigators, becomes an עיר הנדחת; a proof from the משנה's women-and-children case is pushed away. Next the גמרא asks how a court finds out that most of the city strayed: רב יהודה says judge and imprison, עולא and רבי יוחנן say judge and stone one by one, and ריש לקיש says add courts, with the בית דין הגדול giving the final verdict. A ברייתא teaches that travelers become part of the city after thirty days, and רבא explains that this makes them residents, while twelve months makes them full citizens. The גמרא then works out which property is destroyed: righteous people's property inside the city, wicked people's property even outside it if it can be gathered in, but not הקדש. רב חסדא adds rulings on deposits and on half-owned animals and dough. Two questions end in תיקו: whether שחיטה helps the city's animal, and whether a righteous woman's wig is destroyed. Finally, רבי ישמעאל and רבי עקיבא argue whether a city with no town square can become an עיר הנדחת.

Opening lines

The steps (39)

1. ConclusionThe Previous Challenge Remains Unanswered
2. QuestionWhat If the City Led Itself Astray?
3. ProofAttempted Proof from Women and Children
4. RejectionFollowing Yourself Is Different from Following Women and Children
5. QuestionHow Do We Determine That Most of the City Strayed?
6. Responseרב יהודה: Judge and Imprison
7. Challengeעולא: Imprisoning Delays Their Judgment
8. Responseעולא: Judge and Stone
9. Statementרבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש on judging a whole city
10. ChallengeA whole city cannot be judged in local courts
11. ResolutionMany courts investigate, the great court rules
12. StatementTravelers who stayed in the city
13. ChallengeAnother source says twelve months
14. ResolutionCitizen versus resident
15. ProofA vow case supports the difference between a citizen and a resident
16. StatementWhich property of the city is destroyed
17. StatementWhy righteous people lose their property
18. StatementOnly property that can be gathered into the city
19. StatementDeposits are permitted
20. QuestionWhat case is he talking about? The first option is too obvious
21. ChallengeThe second option either contradicts him or repeats him
22. ResolutionThe deposits are outsiders' property that a resident took responsibility for
23. StatementHalf-owned animal is forbidden, half-owned dough is permitted
24. QuestionWhy the difference?
25. ResponseAn animal cannot be divided, dough can
26. QuestionDoes slaughtering the city's animal save it from נבלה impurity?
27. ConclusionThe question remains unresolved
28. QuestionWhat about the hair of righteous women?
29. Challengeרבא questions the assumption behind the question
30. ProofThe פסוק includes only things ready to be gathered and burned
31. Questionרבא reframes the question: a wig
32. ChallengeIf the wig is on her head, it is like her body
33. ResolutionThe case is a wig hanging on a peg
34. QuestionIs the wig like property or like clothing?
35. ConclusionThe wig question stays open
36. Statementרבי ישמעאל: no square, no condemned city
37. Statementרבי עקיבא: make a square
38. QuestionWhat is the root of their argument?
39. ResponseDoes 'its square' mean one from before, or one made now?