Audio by Dr. Michael Sokolow

Six things the inhabitants of Jericho did: three they [the Sages] forbade them, and three [they] did not forbid them. And it is these which they did not forbid them: they grafted Palm Trees all day, they `wrapped up` the Shema and they harvested and stacked [their produce] before [the bringing of] the `Omer. And it is these which they forbade them: they permitted [for use] the branches [of carob or Sycamore trees] belonging to hekdesh , and they ate the fallen fruit from beneath [the tree] on the Sabbath, and they gave Peah from vegetables; and the Sages forbade them. פסחים 4.8
שישה דברים עשו אנשי יריחו-- על שלושה מיחו בידם, ועל שלושה לא מיחו בידם׃ ואלו שלא מיחו בידם-- מרכיבין דקלים כל היום, וכורכין את שמע, וקוצרין וגודשין מלפני העומר; ולא מיחו בידם׃ ואלו שמיחו בידם-- מתירין גמזייות של הקדש, ואוכלין מתחת הנשרים בשבת, ונותנין פיאה לירק; ומיחו בידם חכמים
King Hizkiah did six things. Regarding three, they [the Sages] agreed with him, and regarding [the other] three they did not agree with him. He dragged his father's bones [i.e., corpse] on a bed of ropes [since his father was wicked he buried him in a disrespectful manner, rather than in a royal funeral], and they agreed with him [so that this should somewhat atone for him, and, also, that the populace take heed not to learn from his actions]; he crushed the brazen serpent [which was made by Moshe (see Numbers 21:4-9)], and they agreed with him [since the people had come to worship it]; [and] he hid the book of remedies [from which people used to heal themselves so quickly that they had no fear of illness], and they agreed with him. But they did not agree with him in three: He cut [the gold off] the doors of the Temple and sent it [as tribute] to the king of Assyria, and they did not agree with him; and he closed up the waters of Upper Gihon [in order to prevent its usage by the enemy], and they did not agree with him [in both cases, the Sages felt that he should have had faith that God would save him]; and he intercalated [the month of] Nissan in Nissan [since the lunar year is 11 days shorter than a solar year, every few years, an extra month of Adar is added. During the times of Hizkiah this was done by deliberation of Bet Din. The verse states: “This month shall be for you the beginning of months,” (Exodus 12:2) once Nissan begins no further intercalation is possible. (Sanhedrin 12b) The Gemara (ibid.) explains that this incident actually took place on the thirtieth of Adar], and they did not agree with him [because the Sages maintained that since the thirtieth of Adar is eligible to be declared the first of Nissan, intercalation may no longer be performed from that day onward]. פסחים 4.9
שישה דברים עשה חזקייה מלך יהודה-- על שלושה הודו לו, ועל שלושה לא הודו לו׃ על שלושה הודו לו-- גירר עצמות אביו על מיטה של חבלים, והודו לו; כיתת נחש הנחושת, והודו לו; גנז ספר רפואות, והודו לו׃ ועל שלושה לא הודו לו-- קיצץ דלתות ההיכל ושיגרם למלך אשור, ולא הודו לו; סתם את מי גיחון העליון, ולא הודו לו; עיבר ניסן בניסן, ולא הודו לו

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