Quotation do Sanhedryn 2:8
Ruth Rabbah
“He was with David at Pas Dammim” (I Chronicles 11:13) – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A red field. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: At Pas Dammim, because the bloodshed stopped there.171The war between David and the Philistines. The Hebrew word for blood is dam, and in plural it is dammim.
“The Philistines gathered there to wage war; there was a portion of a field full of barley” (I Chronicles 11:13). One verse says barley and one verse says: “lentils” (II Samuel 23:11). Rabbi Yaakov said: They were lentils, but their kernels were like barley. Rabbi Levi said: The Philistines who came were as tall as barley, and they left as lowly as lentils.172They came full of arrogant confidence, but their defeat left them lowly and humbled (Midrash HaMevoar).
“They stood in the midst of the portion and they rescued it” (I Chronicles 11:14), but another verse says: “He rescued it” (II Samuel 23:12). This teaches that they returned it to its owner, to whom it was as dear as a field filled with saffron. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It was the same year, but they were two fields.173One of barley and one of lentils. It was clear to him [that it was permitted] to destroy and to pay money; why is it necessary [to ask]?174It was clear to David that it was permitted for him to destroy the field in order to battle the Philistines, who had taken cover there, and then to compensate the owner of the field. If you say [it was permitted for him] to destroy and not to pay money,175As that is the right of a king. the question remains which of them to destroy, the lentils or the barley? The lentils are food for people, the barley is food for animals. The Omer is not sacrificed from lentils, but it is sacrificed from barley. From lentils, one does not separate ḥalla, from barley, one separates ḥalla. The Rabbis say: It was one field and they were [incidents that occurred in] two [different] years. Could they not learn from the previous year? One does not learn from an incident.176One cannot draw a legal conclusion from an incident whose details differ from the case in question.
“David desired, and said: Who will give me water to drink?” (I Chronicles 11:17). Rabbi Ḥiyya said: He needed a halakhic ruling. “The three breached” (I Chronicles 11:18). Why three? It is because halakha is clarified only with three. “They drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was near the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but David would not drink it, [and he poured it out [vayenasekh] to the Lord]” (I Chronicles 11:18). He did not want the halakha to be determined in their names; he stated it unattributed [masekhta] and established a halakha for the generations: A king breaches to make a road for himself and no one objects.177Thus, it was permitted for David to burn the field without paying compensation. Nonetheless, they did not burn the field, and in that way it was saved. Bar Kappara said: It was the festival of Sukkot, it was the libation of water, and it was the time when improvised altars were permitted.178David asked for water in order to perform the special water libation that is offered on Sukkot. “The three breached,” why were they three? There was one to kill, one to clear away the dead, and one to bring in the flask [of water] in ritual purity.179Without touching the dead. Rabbi Ḥonya said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: He needed a ruling regarding a woman captive. Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi said: He demanded the construction of the Temple.
“The Philistines gathered there to wage war; there was a portion of a field full of barley” (I Chronicles 11:13). One verse says barley and one verse says: “lentils” (II Samuel 23:11). Rabbi Yaakov said: They were lentils, but their kernels were like barley. Rabbi Levi said: The Philistines who came were as tall as barley, and they left as lowly as lentils.172They came full of arrogant confidence, but their defeat left them lowly and humbled (Midrash HaMevoar).
“They stood in the midst of the portion and they rescued it” (I Chronicles 11:14), but another verse says: “He rescued it” (II Samuel 23:12). This teaches that they returned it to its owner, to whom it was as dear as a field filled with saffron. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It was the same year, but they were two fields.173One of barley and one of lentils. It was clear to him [that it was permitted] to destroy and to pay money; why is it necessary [to ask]?174It was clear to David that it was permitted for him to destroy the field in order to battle the Philistines, who had taken cover there, and then to compensate the owner of the field. If you say [it was permitted for him] to destroy and not to pay money,175As that is the right of a king. the question remains which of them to destroy, the lentils or the barley? The lentils are food for people, the barley is food for animals. The Omer is not sacrificed from lentils, but it is sacrificed from barley. From lentils, one does not separate ḥalla, from barley, one separates ḥalla. The Rabbis say: It was one field and they were [incidents that occurred in] two [different] years. Could they not learn from the previous year? One does not learn from an incident.176One cannot draw a legal conclusion from an incident whose details differ from the case in question.
“David desired, and said: Who will give me water to drink?” (I Chronicles 11:17). Rabbi Ḥiyya said: He needed a halakhic ruling. “The three breached” (I Chronicles 11:18). Why three? It is because halakha is clarified only with three. “They drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was near the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but David would not drink it, [and he poured it out [vayenasekh] to the Lord]” (I Chronicles 11:18). He did not want the halakha to be determined in their names; he stated it unattributed [masekhta] and established a halakha for the generations: A king breaches to make a road for himself and no one objects.177Thus, it was permitted for David to burn the field without paying compensation. Nonetheless, they did not burn the field, and in that way it was saved. Bar Kappara said: It was the festival of Sukkot, it was the libation of water, and it was the time when improvised altars were permitted.178David asked for water in order to perform the special water libation that is offered on Sukkot. “The three breached,” why were they three? There was one to kill, one to clear away the dead, and one to bring in the flask [of water] in ritual purity.179Without touching the dead. Rabbi Ḥonya said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: He needed a ruling regarding a woman captive. Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi said: He demanded the construction of the Temple.
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