Megillah 19
Gemara. Rabbi Yitzhak said: I heard that one may bring offerings in the house of Honyo at this time. He avers that the house of Honyo is not a house of idol service, and he also avers that the first sanctification [of Jerusalem] sanctified it for its hour, but did not sanctify it for future time.
for as it is written, “For you have not yet come to the rest and to the inheritance” (Deuteronomy 12:9). “Rest” here means Shiloh and “inheritance” means Jerusalem. The verse compares “inheritance” to “rest” [to show that] just as after the [destruction of the] “rest” it was again permitted, so after the [destruction of the] “inheritance” it is again permitted.
Then what is the reason he retracted it? Because of the difficulty of Rav Mari. For Rav Mari challenged: [Regarding the] sanctity of Shiloh, there is legal permission after it; [but with] the sanctity of Jerusalem, there is no legal permission after it. And we further taught: From [the time] that they came to Jerusalem 'high places' (bamot) were prohibited, and there was no longer legal permission for them. And it was the 'inheritance'.
There is a difference of Tannaim on this point, as we have learnt. R. Eliezer said: I have heard that when they were building the hekhal [in the second Temple] they made curtains for the hekhal and for the courtyard, the difference being that in the hekhal they built [the walls] outside [the curtains] and in the courtyard they built [the walls] within [the curtains].
And Rabbi Yehoshua said: I heard that we may bring offerings even though there is no Temple, and [priests] may eat the Holy of Holies even though there are no curtains. [Foods of] 'light' sanctity and the second tithe [may be eaten] even though there is no wall. Because the first sanctification [of Jerusalem] sanctified it for its hour, and sanctified it for future time. By implication, then Rabbi Eliezer avers that [the first sanctification] did not sanctify it for future time.
Ravina said to Rabbi Ashi: How so? Perhaps for the entire world the first sanctification sanctified it for its hour and sanctified it for future time. So [one] Master said what he had heard and [the other] Master said what he had heard. So if you say, why 'curtains' according to Rabbi Eliezer, [we say] merely for privacy.
Rather, it is because of these Tannaim: For it was taught: Rabbi Yishmael the son of Rabbi Yose said: Why did the Sages count these [cities]? Because when the exiles ascended [back to Israel] they found these [walled cities] and they sanctified them. But [the sanctity of] the first [cities] was annulled when [the sanctity of] the land was annulled. Consequently, he averred that the first sanctification sanctified it for its hour but did not sanctify it for future time.
But there is a contradiction. Rabbi Yishmael son of Rabbi Yose said: Were these the only ones? But hasn't it already been said (Deuteronomy 3:4): "Sixty cities, the entire boundary of Argov"? And it is written (Deuteronomy 3:5): "All of these were fortified cities with a high wall." So, why did the Sages count [only] these? Because when the exiles ascended [back to Israel] they found these [walled cities] and they sanctified them.