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Sanhedrin 20b

סנהדרין כ׳ ע״ב

Learn Sanhedrin 20b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The mourner's bed, the king's powers in the משנה, פרשת מלך, the order of the three מצוות on entering the land, and the fall of שלמה

Overview

The גמרא finishes explaining how a דרגש differs from a regular bed. A challenge from a משנה in כלים replaces the first explanation with a new one. It then rules like רבן שמעון בן גמליאל about the mourner's דרגש and adds a rule about beds with tall posts. A new משנה lists the king's powers: an optional war with the approval of the 71, breaking through to make roads, and the first share of the spoils. שמואל and רב, and before them רבי יוסי and רבי יהודה, argue whether the king may really do everything in פרשת מלך. Other ברייתות discuss whether appointing a king is a מצוה, and רבי יוסי proves the order: first a king, then wiping out עמלק, then building the בית המקדש. ריש לקיש describes how שלמה's kingdom shrank step by step, and רב and שמואל argue whether he ever became king again. Finally the גמרא returns to the משנה: a ברייתא divides the spoils, and אביי asks for the source, which begins at the end of the amud.

Opening lines

סֵירוּגוֹ מִתּוֹכוֹ,

its weaving is on its inside,

מִטָּה – סֵירוּגָהּ מֵעַל גַּבָּהּ.

a bed – its weaving is over its back.

מֵיתִיבִי: כְּלֵי עֵץ,

They challenged: wooden vessels,

מֵאֵימָתַי מְקַבְּלִין טוּמְאָה?

from when do they become susceptible to impurity?

The steps (31)

  1. StatementHow a דרגש and a bed are strung
  2. ChallengeChallenge from the smoothing of beds
  3. ResolutionNew explanation: both are strung inside
  4. ConclusionThe הלכה follows רבן שמעון בן גמליאל
  5. StatementA bed with long posts
  6. StatementThe king's powers: optional war and making roads
  7. StatementThe king's share of the spoils
  8. ChallengeWe already learned this rule earlier
  9. ResolutionRepeated because the משנה lists all the king's laws
  10. Statementשמואל: the king may do everything in the passage
  11. Statementרב: the passage was only meant to make the people afraid
  12. StatementThe same argument appears among the תנאים
  13. Statementרבי יהודה: three מצוות upon entering the land
  14. Statementרבי נהוראי: The king passage answers the people's complaint
  15. Statementרבי אליעזר: The elders asked well, the common people spoiled it
  16. Statementרבי יוסי: Three מצוות upon entering the land
  17. QuestionWhich of the three comes first?
  18. ResponseThe king comes before the war with עמלק
  19. ProofProof that 'throne' means a king
  20. QuestionWhich comes first: the בית המקדש or wiping out עמלק?
  21. ResponseRest from enemies comes before the chosen place
  22. Proofדוד wanted to build only after he had rest
  23. Statementשלמה first ruled above, later only below
  24. Statementרב and שמואל: where were תפסח and עזה?
  25. Statementשלמה keeps falling, step by step, until he rules only his staff
  26. StatementWas 'this' his staff or his cloak?
  27. QuestionDid שלמה ever get his kingdom back?
  28. Responseרב and שמואל disagree whether he returned
  29. StatementBack to the משנה: the king's share of war spoils
  30. Questionאביי asks: what is the source for the half-and-half split?
  31. ResponseThe answer begins: 'As it is written'