Talmud zu Jehoschua 8:78

MISHNAH: Six tribes climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and six tribes climbed to the top of Mount Ebal⁸³Deut. 27:12–13; Jos. 8:33. while the Cohanim, the Levites, and the ark were below in the middle. The Cohanim were surrounding the ark, the Levites the Cohanim, and all of Israel [were] on both sides, as it was said⁸⁴Jos. 8:33.: “And all of Israel, its Elders, its policemen, its judges were standing on both sides of the ark …” They turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim and opened with the blessing: “Blessed be the man who will not make a hewn or molten [image], the Eternal’s abomination, made by an artisan, and will not put it up in secret.” These and those did answer and say: Amen. They turned their faces towards Mount Ebal and opened with the curse⁸⁵Deut. 27:15.: “Cursed be the man who would make a hewn or molten [image], the Eternal’s abomination, made by an artisan, and would put it up in secret.” These and those did answer and say: Amen, until they finished blessings and curses.

One could think that those on Mount Gerizim did recite the blessings and those on Mount Ebal did recite the curses, the verse⁹¹There is no such verse; both in Deut. 30:1 and Jos. 8:34 the singular is used. The plural is used for “blessings” in Deut. 28:2, for “curses” in Deut. 28:15. says “the blessings and the curses”; both were saying blessings and curses. One could think that after they had recited the blessings they were reciting the curses, the verse⁹²Deut. 11:26, Jos. 8:34. From here on, a similar argument is in Sifry Deut. 55; that text is reproduced in the Babli, 37b. says “the blessing and the curse”, one blessing and one curse. One could think that those on Mount Gerizim did answer “Amen” after the blessings and those on Mount Ebal did answer “Amen” after the curses, the verse⁹³Deut. 27:15. says “the entire people will answer and say “Amen”; these and those did answer “Amen” after the blessings and after the curses. How is that? When they were reciting the blessings they were turning their faces towards Mount Gerizim; when they were reciting the curses they were turning their faces towards Mount Ebal.

Why does the verse¹²²In Jos. 8:33, those who went to Mount Gerizim are חֶצְיוֹ “half”, but those on Mount Ebal are וְהַחֶצְיוֹ “and the half”. The appearance of the definite article has to be explained. say: “and the half of it”? This teaches that a minority was on Mount Gerizim and a majority on Mount Ebal¹²³Based on the figures of Num. 26, there would be about 20’000 fewer persons on Mount Gerizim than on Mount Ebal, the Levites not counted. Since the Levites were counted separately, as unfit for war, and they were counted from one month of age, the numbers cannot be compared. Including children from the age of one month, there were only 23’000 Levites.. Why? Because the tribe of Levi was not completely there. For if the tribe of Levi had been completely there, they would have been equal. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: If the tribe of Levi had been completely there, they would not have been equal. Why? Since already 24’000 had fallen at Shiṭṭim from the tribe of Simeon¹²⁴In the count of Num. 1, the tribe of Simeon had 59’300 warriors, but in Num. 26, that number had shrunk to 22’200. The people who had died at Shiṭṭim were 24’000 (Num. 25:9). This is less than the total diminution of the tribe of Simeon.. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, if the tribe of Levi had been completely there, they would have been equal¹²⁵This is difficult to understand. Following Jos. 4:13, the Transjordanian tribes together delivered “about 40’000 frontline soldiers”. There is no indication that the Transjordanien tribe of Manasse was counted separately. In any case, the data in Scripture are insufficient to express any opinion in the matter.. Why? Because from the tribes of Reuben and Gad only 40’000 front line troops came there.

HALAKHAH: ⁵⁴⁰Corrector’s addition, inserted at the wrong place since this paragraph is a direct continuation of the preceding one, showing that at all times a prophet may legally build an altar separate from the official sanctuary. As noted in N. 537, Deuteronomy nowhere declares that only one sanctuary is tolerated, but only that the place of sacrifices must have been chosen by the Eternal. The high cost of official worship as demanded in Num. 28–29 automatically restricts permanent worship to one place, making any additional place used on the authority of a recognized prophet a temporary matter. Rebbi Joḥanan bar Marius understood it from the following⁵⁴¹Jos. 8:30. Since the altar on Mount Ebal was built at the time when the Tent and Moses’s altar were at Gilgal, this proves that at this time secondary public altars were not forbidden.: Then Joshua would build an altar for the Eternal, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal. Not only Mount Ebal, from where Shilo⁵⁴²That several official and private altars were permitted after the destruction of Shilo.? Samuel took a milk lamb and brought it up totally as elevation offering for the Eternal⁵⁴³1S. 7:9.. Rebbi Abba bar Cahana said, three sins were permitted for Samuel’s sheep: It and its hide⁵⁴⁴In Lev. 1:6 it is decreed that an elevation offering is burned without its hide. Babli Zevaḥim 120a., and deficient in time⁵⁴⁵This is not spelled out in the verse. No lamb may be sacrificed on an official altar if it is not at least 8 days old; Lev. 23:27., and he was a Levite⁵⁴⁶He was a descendant of Qoraḥ, and only descendants of Aaron may officiate at a public altar.. Rebbi Yose said, if about this it implies nothing, since Rebbi Abba bar Cahana said, seven sins were permitted for Gideon’s bull⁵⁴⁷Jud. 6:25–27. The stones had been used for an altar of Baal, therefore they were forbidden for all usufruct together with the wood of the Asherah tree. They could have been used only by direct commandment from God. That the bull had been worshipped as a deity is deduced from the involved language in the verse, where a single bull is called “second” to show that two sins were committed with it. (Babli Temurah 28b.) That sacrifices are permitted only during daytime is deduced from Lev. 7:38 (Halakhah 2:5). In Gideon’s time the sanctuary of Shilo was in existence.: Disqualified stones, and Asherah wood, and separated, and worshipped, and night, and outsider, and altar prohibition. He who wants may understand it well from that by Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman: When he returned to Rama, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar for the Eternal⁵⁴⁸1S. 8:17, after the destruction of Shilo.. It is written⁵⁴⁹1S. 9:24., the cook lifted the thigh and what was on it and put before Saul, etc. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman said, the thigh and meat⁵⁵⁰The thigh belongs to the officiating Cohen (Ex. 29:27–28); Saul could have received it only if no Cohen was officiating at the altar. Babli Avodah zarah 25a, Zevaḥim 119b.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, the thigh and the fat tail⁵⁵¹The fat tail is to be burned on the altar, Lev. 3:9.. Rebbi Eleazar said, the thigh and the breast⁵⁵⁰The thigh belongs to the officiating Cohen (Ex. 29:27–28); Saul could have received it only if no Cohen was officiating at the altar. Babli Avodah zarah 25a, Zevaḥim 119b., as Rebbi Eleazar said, the thigh and the breast belong to the Cohanim at a public altar but to the owner at a private altar. Rebbi Ze`ira in the name of Rebbi Eleazar: The hide of the elevation sacrifice belongs to the Cohanim at a public altar<sup>552</sup>In Lev. 7:8 it is decreed that the hide belongs to the officiating Cohen. Since a non-Cohen was shown to be able to officiate at a private altar, the hide belongs to the owner. Babli Zevaḥim 119b. but to the owner at a private altar. Rebbi Ze`ira in the name of Rav Jeremiah: The contribution of a thanksgiving sacrifice⁵⁵³The officiating Cohen’s part of the breads accompanying the sacrifice, Lev. 7:14. belongs to the Cohanim at a public altar but to the owner at a private altar. Rebbi Joḥanan asked, is the night qualified at a private altar⁵⁵⁴Since on an official altar sacrifices are possible only during daytime, Halakhah 2:5.? Rebbi Eleazar answered, is it not written,⁵⁵⁵1S. 14:34. It is stated in the verse that the slaughter was in the night; in v. 35 it is stated that Saul built an altar. Saul said, disperse under the people and tell them, every man shall bring to me his ox, etc. And it is written⁵⁵⁶1S. 14:33, they engaged in pagan slaughter., they told Saul saying, behold the people are sinning against the Eternal by eating on the blood, etc. How is this? The night for profane {slaughter}, and the day for sacrificial. When Rebbi Joḥanan heard this, he said, well did Rebbi Eleazar teach us⁵⁵⁷That the verse emphasizes profane slaughter during nighttime. Babli Zevaḥim 120a..