Zevachim 118b

זבחים קי״ח ע״ב

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Topic

קדשים קלים in sight of שילה, the שכינה in בנימין's land, and the years of the משכן in each place

Overview

In the time of the משכן in שילה, קדשים קלים could be eaten anywhere שילה could be seen. The גמרא gives three hints for this rule: the place name תאנת שילה, רבי אבהו's reading of 'עלי עין' in יעקב's blessing, and רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא's reading of 'סנה' in משה's blessing. Next it defines 'seeing.' A ברייתא requires a full view with nothing blocking, while רב פפא says seeing part of it is enough. Two questions about borderline views end in תיקו. Then רב דימי reports in רבי's name that the שכינה always rested in בנימין's land, even at שילה. רב יוסף objects from פסוקים that call שילה 'the tent of יוסף.' The answer is that a strip of יוסף's land reached into בנימין's land, and the question turns out to be a מחלוקת תנאים. Finally a ברייתא counts the years the משכן stood in each place: 39 in the מדבר, 14 in גלגל, 57 in נוב and גבעון, and 369 in שילה. The גמרא proves each number in turn, and the count of the 57 years continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (31)

1. StatementThe name תאנת שילה hints at eating sacrifices in sight of שילה
2. Statementרבי אבהו's hint from יעקב's blessing to יוסף
3. Statementרבי יוסי ברבי חנינא's hint from משה's blessing
4. StatementA ברייתא defines 'seeing' as seeing all of it, with nothing blocking
5. StatementAn example: the synagogue of מעון
6. Statementרב פפא: seeing part of it is enough
7. QuestionSeeing שילה while standing but not while sitting
8. QuestionSeeing שילה from the bank but not from inside the stream
9. ConclusionBoth questions stay unanswered
10. StatementThe שכינה always rested in בנימין's land
11. Challengeרב יוסף objects: שילה belonged to יוסף
12. Resolutionרב אדא: the משכן spread across both tribes
13. Challengeרב יוסף: the two cases are not alike
14. ResolutionThey were close, like the strip under the מזבח
15. ProofA strip at שילה, hinted in 'תאנת שילה'
16. StatementA dispute of תנאים: first view on 'חופף עליו'
17. Statementרבי: the פסוק covers all of this world
18. StatementA ברייתא counts the years of the אהל מועד in each place
19. QuestionWhere do we know the 39 years in the מדבר from?
20. ResponseThe משכן went up only in the second year
21. QuestionWhere do we know the 14 years in גלגל from?
22. Proofכלב's two ages in ספר יהושע
23. ConclusionThe math proves seven years of conquest
24. QuestionWhere do we know the land was divided over seven years?
25. ResponseFirst answer: dividing matched the seven years of conquering
26. ResponseSecond answer: the date in יחזקאל's prophecy
27. QuestionWhere do we know the משכן stood 57 years in נוב and גבעון?
28. ProofThe פסוק about the death of עלי
29. ProofEach move of the משכן followed a leader's death
30. ProofThe ארון stayed in קרית יערים for twenty years
31. ResponseSplitting up the twenty years