1Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, and isn’t this what You said to me: It is an attribute even for the wicked? And that is the meaning of that which is written: “And now, I pray You, let the power of my Lord be great, as You have spoken, saying” (Numbers 14:17). Moses was repeating God’s promise with regard to His employment of the attribute of slow to anger.
2The Gemara relates: Rabbi Ḥagga was walking up the stairs in the school of Rabba bar Sheila. He heard a certain child who said: “Your testimonies are very sure; sanctity becomes Your house, Lord, for the length of days” (Psalms 93:5). The phrase “length of days” is a reference to the attribute of slow to anger. And juxtaposed to it is the phrase: “A prayer of Moses” (Psalms 90:1), indicating that this chapter was also stated by Moses our teacher. Upon hearing those verses, Rabbi Ḥagga said: Conclude from it that it was the attribute of slow to anger that Moses saw.
3§ Rabbi Elazar says that Rabbi Ḥanina says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, is destined to be a crown on the head of each and every righteous person, as it is stated: “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the remnant of His people” (Isaiah 28:5). What is the meaning of the phrase: “For a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty”? It means: A crown for those who perform His will and a diadem for those who await His salvation. One might have thought that this extends to everyone in those categories. Therefore, the verse states: “Unto the remnant of His people,” meaning that God will be a crown and a diadem to one who humbly establishes himself like a remnant, and does not conduct himself with self-importance.
4The Gemara interprets a verse in Isaiah. “And for a spirit of justice to him that sits in judgment and for strength to them who retaliate in battle to the gate” (Isaiah 28:6). “And for a spirit of justice”; this is referring to one who subdues his evil inclination and prevents himself from sinning. “To him that sits in judgment”; this is referring to one who judges a true judgment truthfully. “And for strength”; this is referring to one who overcomes his evil inclination. “Them who retaliate in battle”; this is referring to one who gives and takes and engages in the battle, i.e., in the discourse of Torah. “To the gate” is referring to those Torah scholars who arrive early and remain late within the gates of synagogues and study halls.
5The attribute of justice said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, how do these people, who possess these qualities, differ from those who engage in Torah study but lack these qualities? God said to the attribute of justice that those others do not receive the crown and diadem because: “These also reel through wine, and stagger through strong drink…they stumble [ paku ] in judgment [ peliliyya ]” (Isaiah 28:7). And puka in this context is referring to nothing other than Gehenna, as it is stated: “That this shall not be a cause of stumbling [ puka ] for you” (I Samuel 25:31). And the term of pelila in the verse in Isaiah is referring to nothing other than judges, as it is stated: “And he shall pay as the judges [ biflilim ] determine” (Exodus 21:22). Those who lack the qualities listed in the previous verses are not worthy of the aforementioned reward.
6MISHNA: The residents of an idolatrous city have no share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “Certain men, wicked persons, are gone out from your midst, and have subverted the inhabitants of their city, saying: Let us go and let us worship other gods” (Deuteronomy 13:14). And idol worshippers are not executed as residents of an idolatrous city unless its subverters are from that city and from that tribe, and unless most of the inhabitants of the city are subverted, and unless men subvert the inhabitants of the city. If it occurs that women or children subvert the inhabitants of the city, or that a minority of the inhabitants of the city were subverted, or that its subverters were from outside the city and were neither residents of that city nor members of that tribe, these idol worshippers are judged as individuals. And to judge the inhabitants of a city one requires two witnesses and forewarning for each and every one who engaged in idol worship.
7This is a stringency with regard to individuals who worship idols that is more stringent than the halakha with regard to multitudes who worship idols: As the individuals who worship idols are executed by stoning; therefore, since there is a stringency with regard to their mode of execution, their property is spared and is inherited by their heirs. And the multitudes are executed by the sword; therefore, since there is a leniency with regard to their mode of execution, their property is eliminated.
8From the verse: “You shall smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword” (Deuteronomy 13:16), it is derived that the caravan of donkeys and the caravan of camels that move from place to place, these donkey or camel drivers save the city. If they were residing in the city for a period, they could join the minority of permanent residents who were not subverted to idol worship in order to create a majority and prevent the destruction of the city and its contents.
9It is stated: “Destroy it utterly, and all that is in it and its animals, with the edge of the sword” (Deuteronomy 13:16). From here, the Sages stated: The property of the righteous, who did not engage in idol worship, that is inside the city is destroyed with the rest of the city and its contents; but the property of the righteous that is outside the city is spared. And the property of the wicked, whether it is inside the city or whether it is outside the city, these items are destroyed.
10It is stated: “And you shall gather all of its spoils into the midst of its square” (Deuteronomy 13:17). If the city has no square, one creates a square for the city in order to fulfill the mitzva as it is written. If there was a square outside of the city, they bring it inside the city by expanding the city wall to include the square.
11It is stated in the continuation of the verse: “And you shall burn it with fire, both the city and all its spoils, entirely for the Lord your God.” The mishna infers: “Its spoils,” but not the spoils of Heaven. From here the Sages stated: The consecrated property in it, which was no longer the property of its inhabitants, must be redeemed, and terumot are neither eaten nor burned; rather they must be left to decay. And second tithe and sacred scrolls that were in the city must be interred.
12With regard to the phrase: “Entirely [ kalil ] for the Lord your God,” Rabbi Shimon says: The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: If you implement judgment on an idolatrous city, I ascribe you credit as though you have sacrificed an entirely [ kalil ] burnt offering before Me.
13It is written: “And it shall be a heap forever” (Deuteronomy 13:17), meaning: The idolatrous city shall not be converted even into gardens and orchards; this is the statement of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili. Rabbi Akiva says: From the end of that verse: “It shall not be built again,” it is derived: To restore it to the way it was before destruction, it may not be built; but it may be converted into gardens and orchards. The next verse states: “And there shall cleave nothing of that which was devoted to your hand” (Deuteronomy 13:18). This teaches that as long as the wicked exist in the world, there is wrath in the world; once the wicked are eliminated from the world, wrath leaves the world.
14GEMARA: The Sages taught an interpretation of the verse: “Certain men, wicked persons, are gone out from your midst, and have subverted the inhabitants of their city saying: Let us go and let us worship other gods that you have not known” (Deuteronomy 13:14). From the term “are gone out” it is derived that these halakhot apply only if they, the subverters themselves, subverted the residents, but not agents whom they designated to subvert. From the term “men” it is derived that men in the plural means no less than two. Alternatively, it is derived: Men, but not women; men, but not children.
15The phrase “wicked persons [ benei veliyya’al ]” is an abbreviation of banim beli ol , meaning: Sons who have cast off the yoke of Heaven from their necks. From the term “from your midst” it is derived that these halakhot apply only to a city located in the center of the country, but not to a city located on the border. From the phrase “inhabitants of their city” it is inferred: But not inhabitants of another city. The term “saying” alludes to the halakha that in order to convict them one requires witnesses and forewarning for each and every one who worshipped idols.
16It was stated that there is an amoraic dispute. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: One divides one city into the tribal territory of two tribes; and Reish Lakish says: One does not divide one city into the tribal territory of two tribes. Rabbi Yoḥanan raised an objection to the opinion of Reish Lakish from the mishna, which states: Unless its subverters are from that city and from that tribe; what, is it not that although its subverters are from that city, if they are from that tribe, yes, they render the city an idolatrous city, and if not, no, they do not render the city an idolatrous city? Conclude from it: One divides one city into the tribal territory of two tribes, as otherwise, by definition, a resident of that city is a member of that tribe.
17The Gemara rejects that proof: No, even if a city is not divided between two tribes, the scenario in the mishna is possible in a case where the property in the city fell to him as an inheritance from the family of his mother, who was from a different tribe. Alternatively, it is possible in a case where they gave him that property as a gift.
18Rabbi Yoḥanan raised an objection to the opinion of Reish Lakish from a verse written with regard to the cities designated for the Levites: “Nine cities from those two tribes” (Joshua 21:16). What, is it not that those nine cities were equally divided; four-and-a-half from this tribe, and four-and-a-half from that tribe, and conclude from it that one divides one city into the tribal territory of two tribes? The Gemara rejects that proof: No, those nine cities were divided in this manner: Four cities from this tribe and five cities from that tribe.
19The Gemara asks: If so, let the verse state explicitly from which tribe the additional city was taken.