Commentary for Shabbat 231:3

מאן תנא דפליג עליה דר' רשב"ג הוא דתניא רשב"ג אומר עתידה פרשה זו שתיעקר מכאן ותכתב במקומה ולמה כתבה כאן כדי להפסיק בין פורענות ראשונה לפורענות שנייה פורענות שנייה מאי היא (במדבר יא, א) ויהי העם כמתאוננים פורענות ראשונה (במדבר י, לג) ויסעו מהר ה' וא"ר חמא בר' חנינא שסרו מאחרי ה' והיכן מקומה אמר רב אשי בדגלים

The first [account of] punishment? — And they 'moved away from the mount of the Lord,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. X, 33. ');">⁷</span> which R. Hama b. R. Hanina expounded [as meaning] that they turned away from following the Lord. And where is its [rightful] place? — In [the chapter on] the banners.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But in the future, when all evil and its consequent retribution has ceased, this section will be inserted in its right place. ');">⁸</span> The scholars asked: The blank spaces of a Scroll of the Law, may we rescue them from fire or not? — Come and hear: If a Scroll of the Law is decayed, if eighty-five letters can be gathered therein, such as the section 'and it came to pass when the ark set forward,' we must save it; if not, we may not save it. But why so? conclude [that it may be saved] on account of its blank space?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And since we do not reason thus, it follows that the margin may not be saved. ');">⁹</span>

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