The sceptre shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, as long as men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.
English: “Sceptre” — these are the heads of the exile in Bavel who rule over Yisrael with the staff; “and the ruler’s staff from between his feet” — these are the descendants of Hillel who teach Torah in public.
On the daf / in context: The two parallel terms of the verse are applied to the two forms of leadership that continued from Yehudah after the loss of political kingship: the exilarchs and the nesi’im who taught Torah.
Type of Learning
Derash assigning the two nouns of the verse to two historical institutions.
What Is Learned
Even after the end of the Judean monarchy, the verse’s promise continues through the heads of the exile (sceptre) and through the Torah teachers descended from Hillel (the mechoqeq).