Mishnayos Megillah Perek 3 Mishnah 1
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מגילה פרק ג׳ משנה א׳
Residents of a town who sold the town square, which was at times used for public prayer and therefore attained a certain degree of sanctity, may use the proceeds of the sale only to purchase something of a greater degree of sanctity. They may therefore purchase a synagogue with the proceeds of the sale. If they sold a synagogue, they may purchase an ark in which to house sacred scrolls. If they sold an ark, they may purchase wrapping cloths for the sacred scrolls. If they sold wrapping cloths, they may purchase scrolls of the Prophets and the Writings. If they sold scrolls of the Prophets and Writings, they may purchase a Torah scroll. However, the proceeds of a sale of a sacred item may not be used to purchase an item of a lesser degree of sanctity. Therefore, if they sold a Torah scroll, they may not use the proceeds to purchase scrolls of the Prophets and the Writings. If they sold scrolls of the Prophets and Writings, they may not purchase wrapping cloths. If they sold wrapping cloths, they may not purchase an ark. If they sold an ark, they may not purchase a synagogue. If they sold a synagogue, they may not purchase a town square. And similarly, the same limitation applies to any surplus funds from the sale of sacred items, i.e., if after selling an item and purchasing something of a greater degree of sanctity there remain additional, unused funds, the leftover funds are subject to the same principle and may be used to purchase only something of a degree of sanctity greater than that of the original item. They may not sell a sacred object belonging to the community to an individual, even if the object will still be used for the same purpose, due to the fact that by doing so they downgrade its degree of sanctity, as an item used by fewer people is considered to have a lower degree of sanctity than one used by many; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. The Rabbis said to him: If so, by your logic, it should also not be permitted to sell a sacred object from a large town to a small town. However, such a sale is certainly permitted, and therefore it must also be permitted to sell such an object to an individual.
בְּנֵי הָעִיר שֶׁמָּכְרוּ רְחוֹבָהּ שֶׁל עִיר, לוֹקְחִין בְּדָמָיו בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת. בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת, לוֹקְחִין תֵּבָה. תֵּבָה, לוֹקְחִין מִטְפָּחוֹת. מִטְפָּחוֹת, לוֹקְחִין סְפָרִים. סְפָרִים, לוֹקְחִין תּוֹרָה. אֲבָל אִם מָכְרוּ תוֹרָה, לֹא יִקְחוּ סְפָרִים. סְפָרִים, לֹא יִקְחוּ מִטְפָּחוֹת. מִטְפָּחוֹת, לֹא יִקְחוּ תֵבָה. תֵּבָה, לֹא יִקְחוּ בֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת, לֹא יִקְחוּ אֶת הָרְחוֹב. וְכֵן בְּמוֹתְרֵיהֶן. אֵין מוֹכְרִין אֶת שֶׁל רַבִּים לְיָחִיד, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמּוֹרִידִין אוֹתוֹ מִקְּדֻשָּׁתוֹ, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אִם כֵּן, אַף לֹא מֵעִיר גְּדוֹלָה לְעִיר קְטַנָּה:
Bartenura
בני העיר. רחובה של עיר. יש בה קדושה, שמתפללין בה בתעניות. וחכמים פליגי על סתם מתניתין ואמרי רחובה של עיר אין בה משום קדושה, הואיל ואין מתפללין בה אלא באקראי בעלמא. והלכה כחכמים:
בית הכנסת לוקחים תיבה. ודוקא בית הכנסת דכפרים הוא דמצו מזבני לה. אבל בית הכנסת דכרכים כיון דמעלמא קא אתו לה הויא דרבים ולא מצו מזבני לה:
ספרים. נביאים וכתובים:
אבל אם מכרו תורה לא יקחו ספרים. דמעלין בקודש ואין מורידין:
וכן במותריהן. מכרו ספרים ולקחו ממקצת הדמים תורה, לא יקחו מן המותר דבר שקדושתו פחותה. ולא נאמרו כל הדברים הללו אלא כשלא מכרו שבעה טובי העיר במעמד אנשי העיר, אבל אם מכרו שבעה טובי העיר במעמד אנשי העיר, אפילו לקנות בדמים שכר לשתות מותר. ודוקא בשל כפרים כדאמרינן:
בני העיר, רחובה של עיר – it has holiness/Kedusha in it, for they pray in it (i.e., the streets of the city) on fast days. And the Sages dispute the anonymous Mishnah and say that the street of the city lacks coming under the category of holiness, since we don’t pray in it other than by mere chance. And the Halakha is according to the Sages.
בית הכנסת לוקחים תיבה – and specifically, the synagogue of the villages where he is able to sell it, but in the synagogues of walled cities, since in a general way one comes to it, and it is of the community and people cannot sell it.
ספרים – The Prophets and the Writings (i.e., the second and third sections of the Tanakh/Bible).
אבל אם מכרו תורה לא יקחו ספרים – for we ascend in holiness and do not descend [in it].
וכן במותריהן – They sold scrolls [of the Prophets and the Writings] and purchased from some of the monies a Torah, they should not purchase from what remains something whose holiness is less, and all of these things were not said other in order that the seven representatives of the town did not sell [them] in the presence of the witnesses/judges of the city, but if the seven representatives of the town did sell [them] in the presence of the witnesses/judges of the city, even to purchase with their monies liquor to drink, it is permitted, and especially of that [which belongs to] the villages, as we have said.