Yerushalmi Megillah 3:2 ירושלמי מגילה ג׳:ב׳

MISHNAH: One does not sell public property to a private person because one diminishes its sanctity⁵³Since the King’s splendor is the multitude of people(Prov.14:28)., the words of Rebbi Meïr. They said to him, if this be so, then not even from a large town to a small town.

HALAKHAH: Three from a synagogue act for the synagogue, seven from a town act for the town. Where do we hold? If they accepted it, even one; if they did not accept, even many. But we hold in the normal case⁵⁴In order to legally act for a synagogue or a town, the heads have to be duly elected by the membership of the synagogue or the inhabitants of the town. The normal case is to elect a board of 3 members to run the affairs of a synagogue and a board of 7 as town council..

A person from one town who pledged⁵⁵For charity. in an other town gives with them. The people of one town⁵⁶As an organized group with a known administrator of charity who can be trusted to collect all pledges. who pledged in an other town give at their place. Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, like these benches⁵⁷This most probably either is misspelling for סִיפסרא “broker”, or it stands for this word by a dialectal change of liquids. The brokers from Maon formed a distinguished group in Tiberias and therefore pay their pledges in Maon. of Maon. As the following: Rebbi Ḥelbo was preaching in Sepphoris. He pledged there. He came and wanted to give here⁵⁸In Tiberias.. Rebbi Immi said to him, you are a single person⁵⁹And you have to pay in Sepphoris..

If somebody⁶⁰Either a Jew or a Gentile “friend of the synagogue”. makes a light or a candelabrum for the synagogue, as long as the name of their owner is not forgotten, one is not empowered to change them to another place; if the name of their owner is forgotten, one is empowered to change them to another place. Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: if the owner’s name was engraved on it, it is as if the name of their owner is not forgotten. Antoninus⁶¹For this and the following cf. Halakhah 1:13 Notes 489 ff. made a candelabrum for the synagogue. Rebbi heard and said, praise to God Who inspired him to make a candelabrum for the synagogue. Rebbi Samuel ben Rav Isaac asked, what did Rebbi say? Praise to God or praise to our God? If he said praise to God, this implies that Antoninus did not convert; if he said praise to our God this implies that Antoninus did convert.

⁶²This is copied from Halakhah 1:13. The corrector’s additions only make it a copy; this shows that from the start it was intended as a reference and not a stand-alone text.[There are indications implying that Antoninus converted; there are indications implying that Antoninus did not convert.] One saw him walking with a house shoe on the Day of Atonement, what do you infer since even God-fearing people go outside thus. Antolinus said to Rebbi, can I eat from the Leviathan in the World to Come? He said to him, yes. He told him, from the Passover lamb you would not let me eat, but from Leviathan you make me eat? He answered, what can we do for you since about the Passover lamb it is written that no uncircumcised man may eat from it. When he heard this, he went and circumcised. He came to Rebbi and said to him, look at my circumcision. He answered him, at mine I never looked, and at yours I should look? Why is he called our holy teacher? Because he never in his life looked at his circumcision. [And why is his name Naḥum the holiest of holies? Because he never in his life looked at the figure on a coin.] This implies that Antolinus converted. The statement of the rabbis implies that Antolinus did (not) convert., as Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Eleazar said: When in the Future World the proselytes come, Antolinus comes at the head of all of them.

May one write two or three words from a verse⁶³Is it permitted to use parts of verses to make a point in a letter, implying that the words were written without the required ruled lines and not in square script. Instead of a reasoned answer it is pointed out that not only did Amoraim of all generations use biblical quotes in their letters but also that they did not adhere closely to the text.? Mar Uqba sent a letter to the Head of the Diaspora who went to sleep and got up with song: Israel, do not enjoy like the Gentiles⁶⁴Hos. 9:1.. Rebbi Aḥa wrote, the remembrance of the just is a blessing⁶⁵Prov. 10:7.. Rebbi Ze`ura wrote, Joash the King did not remember⁶⁶2Chr. 24:22.. Rebbi Jeremiah sent a letter to Rebbi Jehudah Nesia, to hate your lovers, to love your hater⁶⁷2S. 19:10. The order of the quotes is inverted.. Rebbi Ḥiyya, Rebbi Yasa, and Rebbi Immi judged Tamar. She went and complained about them to the prefect⁶⁸Greek ’ανθύπατος. of Sepphoris. They sent and wrote to Rebbi Abbahu⁶⁹Who was Rabbi of Caesarea Philippi, residence of the prefect’s superior. The judgment rendered by the three rabbis could be interpreted by the Roman authorities as an act of rebellion, usurping the role of Roman criminal courts. Since the Talmudim do not indicate that the rabbis were killed or jailed, R. Abbahu must have been more successful than he indicates in his letter., who wrote back to them, (twice) [already]⁷⁰The reading of the (scribe) has to be preferred over that of the [corrector]. we pacified the three informers⁷¹Reading delatores with Graetz., the well born, the well learned, and Tarshish, Eutokos, Eumathes, Thalassios⁷²Conjectured name.; but the rebellious Tamar remains in her rebellious state; we tried to soften her but in vain did one smelt to refine⁷³Jer. 6:29.. Rebbi Mana sent a letter to Rebbi Hoshaia ben Rebbi Shammai, your beginnings were small, your future may be much expanding⁷⁴Job8:7. In the second half of the verse, the word order and spelling are changed..

Rebbi Joḥanan, it does not apply⁷⁷Mishnah 3 and Mishnah 2 contradict one another; if Mishnah 2 is confirmed then Mishnah 3 cannot apply. Mishnah 2 prohibits selling public property in a way which reduces its sanctity; the Mishnah 3 cannot permit selling it when its sanctity is certainly diminished, even if the buyers are not individuals. Not even R. Meïr’s prescription conforms with Mishnah 2. The answer must be that Mishnah 2 does not apply to real estate, only to the contents of public buildings, including the Torah scrolls.. Where do we hold? If following Rebbi Meïr, one may sell a synagogue only conditionally. If following the rabbis, one may sell it permanently except for four things! Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, explain it for a Torah scroll.