English: R. Shimon ben Lakish said: there are many verses that seem fit to be burned, yet they are bodies of Torah — and so this one: “for Cheshbon is the city of Sichon… and he fought the king of Moav.”
Type of Learning
Apparent narrative detail as essential law-history.
What Is Learned
Sichon’s prior conquest of Moav explains why Yisrael could take that land without violating “do not harass Moav.”