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Zevachim 117a

זבחים קי״ז ע״א

Learn Zevachim 117a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

The three camps in שילה and refuge in מחנה לויה; which offerings were brought on private במות and at the אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד in גלגל

Overview

A ברייתא taught that in שילה 'there were only two camps,' and the גמרא works out what this means. Removing מחנה לויה would put זבין and טמאי מתים outside the same single camp, against the Torah's plural 'their camps.' רבא shows that removing מחנה ישראל fails too, because זבין and מצורעים would then share one place, while a מצורע must dwell alone. So all three camps existed in שילה. 'Only two camps' means that מחנה לויה did not give refuge to an accidental killer there. A ברייתא proves that in the מדבר it did give refuge, and from this comes a rule: a לוי who kills by accident is exiled to another district, or even to another part of his own, based on 'כִּי בְעִיר מִקְלָטוֹ יֵשֵׁב.' The גמרא then turns to גלגל, where private במות were allowed. It brings a ברייתא in which רבי מאיר and חכמים argue about which offerings an individual could bring on a private במה. A second ברייתא gives three views on what was brought at the אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד in גלגל: רבי יהודה, חכמים, and רבי שמעון. רבי שמעון's list continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

נִמְצְאוּ זָבִין וּטְמֵאֵי מֵתִים

It would turn out that zavim and those impure from a corpse

מִשְׁתַּלְּחִין חוּץ לְמַחֲנֶה אַחַת,

are sent outside one camp,

וְהַתּוֹרָה אָמְרָה:

but the Torah said:

״וְלֹא יְטַמְּאוּ אֶת מַחֲנֵיהֶם״ –

"that they not defile their camps"

The steps (14)

  1. ChallengeThe plural 'camps' shows the Levite camp existed in שילה
  2. Challengeרבא: without the Israelite camp, a מצורע would not dwell alone
  3. ResolutionAll three camps existed; 'only two' is about giving refuge
  4. QuestionDid the Levite camp give refuge in the wilderness?
  5. ResponseYes, the Levite camp gave refuge in the wilderness
  6. StatementA Levite who killed by accident
  7. QuestionWhich verse teaches this?
  8. ResponseThe city that already took him in
  9. Statementגלגל: which offerings could go on a private altar, according to רבי מאיר
  10. Statementחכמים: only עולות and שלמים
  11. Statementרבי יהודה: גלגל took every offering the wilderness Tabernacle took
  12. Statementרבי יהודה explains the one difference: private altars
  13. Statementחכמים: individuals brought only עולה and שלמים
  14. Statementרבי שמעון: even the public brought only limited offerings