משנה: וְאֶת כָּל שְׁלָלָהּ תִּקְבּוֹץ אֶל תּוֹךְ רְחֹבָהּ. אִם אֵין לָהּ רְחוֹב עוֹשִׂין לָהּ רְחוֹב. הָיָה רְחוֹבָהּ חוּצָה לָהּ כּוֹנְסִין אוֹתוֹ לְתוֹכָהּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֶל תּוֹךְ רְחֹבָהּ וְשָׂרַפְתָּ בָאֵשׁ אֶת הָעִיר וְאֶת כָּל שְׁלָלָהּ וְלֹא שְלַל שָׁמַיִם. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ הַהֶקְדֵּישׁוֹת שֶׁבָּהּ יִיפָּדוּ וּתְרוּמוֹת יִירְקָבוּ מַעֲשֵׂר שֵׁנִי וְכִתְבֵי הַקּוֹדֶשׁ יִגָּנֵזוּ. כָּלִיל לַיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה דִּין בְּעִיר הַנִּדַּחַת מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עָלֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ אַתָּה מַעֲלֶה עוֹלָה כָלִיל לְפָנָי. וְהָיְתָה תֵּל עוֹלָם לֹא תִבָּנֶה עוֹד. לֹא תֵיעָשֶׂה אֲפִלּוּ גַנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים דִּבְרֵי רִבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגָּלִילִי. רִבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר לֹא תִבָּנֶה עוֹד לִכְמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה אֵינָהּ נִבְנֵית אֲבָל נַעֲשֵׂית הִיא גַּנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים. וְלֹא יִדְבַּק בְּיָדְךָ מְאוּמָה מִן הַחֵרֶם לְמַעַן יָשׁוּב ה׳ מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְנָתַן לְךָ רַחֲמִים וְרִחַמְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ וגו׳. שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים בָּעוֹלָם חֲרוֹן אַף בָּעוֹלָם אָבְדוּ רְשָׁעִים מִן הָעוֹלָם נִסְתַּלֵּק חֲרוֹן אַף מִן הָעוֹלָם: MISHNAH: All its spoils you shall collect in its public square378Deut. 13:17–18.. If it has no public square, one creates a public square in it. If its public square was outside, one collects it379One extends the territory of the town to include the public square. inside, for it is said: In its public square you shall burn the town and all its spoils in fire; its spoils but not Heaven’s spoils. From here they said that dedicated objects in it shall be redeemed, heaves shall be left to rot, Second Tithes and Holy Scriptures shall be put away371All the items enumerated are Heaven’s property. While the second part of the verse insists that the town’s property must be destroyed, Heaven’s property cannot be destroyed. The disposal of Heaven’s property is discussed in Mishnah 9. Babli 112b..
Totally for the Eternal, your God. Rebbi Simeon said, if you judge the seduced town, I will credit it for you as if you brought an entire elevation offering before Me. It shall be an eternal mound, it shall not berebuilt. It should not even be made into gardens and orchards, the words of Rebbi Yose the Galilean. Rebbi Aqiba says, it shall not be rebuilt as it was but it may be made into gardens and orchards380R. Yose the Galilean reads תֵּל with the Accadic as ruin, R. Aqiba with the Arabic as mound, butte..
Nothing of what should be destroyed shall stick to your hands, so the Eternal may change from His anger to grant you mercy, have mercy on you and increase you, etc. Any time evildoers are in the world, anger is in the world; when the evildoers are lost from the world, anger passes away from the world.
הלכה: וְאֶת כָּל שְׁלָלָהּ תִּקְבּוֹץ כול׳. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. קַל וָחוֹמֶר בִּדְבָרִים. מָה אִם נְכָסִים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶן דַּעַת לֹא לְטוֹבָה וְלֹא לְרָעָה וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁגָּרְמוּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לָדוּר עִם הָרְשָׁעִים אָמְרָה הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁיִּשָּׂרֵפוּ. הַמִּתְכַּוֵּין לְהַטּוֹת אֶת חֲבֵירוֹ וּמַטֵּהוּ מִדֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה לְדֶרֶךְ רָעָה עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. אָמַר רִבִּי לָעְזָר. מוֹכִיחַ בַּדָּבָר בְּלוֹט שֶׁלֹּא יָשַׁב בִּסְדוֹם אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי מָמוֹנוֹ אַף הוּא יָצָא וְיָדָיו עַל רֹאשׁוֹ. הָדָא הִיא דִכְתִיב מַהֵר הִמָּלֵט שָׁמָּה. דַּיֶיךָ שֶׁאַתְּ מְמַלֵּט אֶת נַפְשֶׁךָ. HALAKHAH: All its spoils you shall collect, etc. Rebbi Simeon said, is there not an argument de minore ad majus about this? Since properties, which have no knowledge of good or bad, but because they caused the just to dwell with the evildoers the Torah said, should be burned, if somebody has the intention of influencing his neighbor and influences him from good ways to bad ones, not so much more? Rebbi Eleazar said, the matter is demonstrated by Lot who dwelt in Sodom only because of his money but left there with his hands on his head. This is what is written381Gen. 19:22.: Quickly escape to there; it is enough for you that you escape with your life.
כָּתוּב בְּיָמָיו בָּנָה חִיאֵל בֵּית הָאֱלִי אֶת יְרִיחוֹ. חִיאֵל מִן דִּיְהוֹשָׁפָט. יְרִיחוֹ מִן דְּבִנְיָמִין. אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמְגַלְגְּלִין אֶת הַחוֹבָה עַל יְדֵי חַיָיב. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר בַּאֲבִירָם בְּכוֹרוֹ יִסְּדָהּ וּבִשְׂגוּב צְעִירוֹ. [בַּאֲבִירָם בְּכוֹרוֹ לֹא הָיָה לֹו מְאַיִן לְלַמֵּד. וּבִשְׂגוּב] הָרָשָׁע הָיָה לֹו מְאַיִין לְלַמֵּד. לְפִי שֶׁרָצוּ לְרַבּוֹת אֶת מָמוֹנָן נִשְׁלְטָה בָהֶן מְאֵירָה וְהָיוּ מִתְמוֹטְטִין וְהוֹלְכִין. לְקַיֵים מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּדְבַר יְי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן. 382Halakhah 2, Notes 143–146. It is written1431K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9.: In his days did Ḥiel from Bet-El build Jericho. Ḥiel is from the descendants of Josaphat, Jericho is in the territory of Benjamin. Only that bad deeds are put in the hands of the unworthy; therefore, it is said, with his first-born Aviram he set the foundation and with his youngest son Seguv he put in the doors. [If it was not appropriate for him to learn from his firstborn Aviram, should he not have learned from]383The addition in brackets is only in a Genizah fragment. the wicked Seguv? Because they wanted to make more money, the curse ruled over them and they were continuously weakened to confirm what was said1431K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9., following the word of the Eternal, the God of Israel, which He had spoken though Joshua ben Nun.
כָּלִיל לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ. וְלֹא יִדְבַּק בְּיָדְךָ. תַּנֵּי. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוּמֵר. וְלֹא אוֹתָהּ בָּנוּ אֶלָּא עִיר אֲחֶרֶת בָּנוּ. מֵאַחַר שֶׁהִיא נִבְנֵית מוּתָּר אַתְּ לֵישֵׁב בָּהּ. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה אוֹמְרִים. מַה תַלְמוּד לוֹמַר וּבָנָה אֶת הָעִיר הַזֹּאת אֶת יְרִיחוֹ. אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא יִבְנֶה עִיר אֲחֶרֶת וְיִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ יְרִיחוּ. יְרִיחוֹ וְיִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ עִיר אֲחֶרֶת. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר. לֹא תוֹסִיפוּן לָשׁוּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה עוֹד. לִישִׁיבָה אֵין אַתְּ חוֹזֵר. חוֹזֵר אַתְּ לִסְחוֹרָה וְלִפְרַקְמַטֵיָא וְלִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת הָאָרֶץ. Totally, for the Eternal. your God. Nothing of what should be destroyed shall stick to your hands. It was stated384Tosephta 14:10.: Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar says, they did not rebuild it but built another town. After it was built, you are permitted to dwell there385As the Tosephta points out, the students of prophecy lived at Jericho, 2K.2:5.. Rebbi Yose386The Tanna. and Rebbi Joshua ben Qorḥa say, why does the verse say1431K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9., who would build this town, Jericho? That one may not build another town and call it Jericho, or Jericho and call it another town. And so He says387Deut. 17:16., you shall not continue to return on this way, you may not return for dwelling; you may return for peddling, business388Greek πραγματεία., or to conquer the land389The verse prohibits return to Egypt to procure war materiel. It seems that the inference is based on a derivation of the word לָשׁ֛וּב not from the root שוב but from ישב..