Shoftim 21:02 · unit 2
TT #348 · Parashas Shoftim · Seventh Aliyah · Passuk 21:02
The Complete Passuk
וְיָצְא֥וּ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶ֑יךָ וּמָדְדוּ֙ אֶל־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר סְבִיבֹ֥ת הֶחָלָֽל׃
Then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure to the cities that are around the slain person.
Chabad / Judaica Press
Source Citation
Torah Temimah points to Sotah 45a.
TT lemma: וּמָדְדוּ אֶל הֶעָרִים.
Sefaria — Sotah 45a
Core Text of Chazal
Core Text
וּמָדְדוּ אֶל הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹת הֶחָלָל – מִן הַטַּבּוּר.
English: ‘And measure to the cities that are around the slain person’ – from the navel.
On the daf / in context: The measurement is taken from a defined point on the body.
Type of Learning
Derash on the point of measurement (Bavli) — the navel is the traditional starting point.
What Is Learned
The distance is measured from the navel of the corpse to the nearest cities.