Sanhedrin 14B

בעליל לעיר, צריך לעסוק במדידה.

clearly close to the city, so that there is no need to measure in order to determine the closest city, nevertheless they must involve themselves with the measurement.

מתניתין דלא כי האי תנא, דתניא: רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר: ״ויצאו זקניך ושפטיך״, ״זקניך״⁠ – זו סנהדרין, ״ושפטיך״⁠ – זה מלך וכהן גדול. מלך ⁠– דכתיב: ״מלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ״. כהן גדול ⁠– דכתיב: ״ובאת אל הכהנים הלוים ואל השפט״.

§ The Talmud comments: The Mishnah is not in accordance with the opinion of this tanna, as it is taught in a baraita: R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: With regard to the breaking of the neck of the heifer, the verse states: “And your elders and your judges should go out” (Deuteronomy 21:2). “Your elders,” this is referring to the Sanhedrin; “and your judges,” this is referring to the king and the High Priest. The baraita explains the assertion that the king is called a judge, as it is written: “The king by justice establishes the land” (Proverbs 29:4), and the High Priest is also called a judge, as it is written: “And you should come to the priests the Levites, and to the judge that will be in those days” (Deuteronomy 17:9), referring to the High Priest.

איבעיא להו: רבי אליעזר בן יעקב בחדא פליג או בתרתי פליג? במלך וכהן גדול פליג, אבל בסנהדרי ⁠– אי כרבי יהודה אי כרבי שמעון? או דילמא בסנהדרי נמי פליג, דאמר: כולה סנהדרי בעינן?

A dilemma was raised before the rabbis: Does R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov disagree with the tanna’im of the Mishnah only with regard to one matter, or does he disagree with regard to two matters? Does he disagree only with regard to the requirement for the king and the High Priest to participate in the measurement, but with regard to the Sanhedrin he holds either in accordance with the opinion of R' Yehuda or in accordance with the opinion of R' Shimon? Or perhaps he disagrees with regard to the Sanhedrin, too, as he says we require all of the members of the Sanhedrin to participate in the measurement.