The Sanhedrin as Israel's Navel and Half-Moon Bowl

Another interpretation of YOUR NAVEL (Song of Songs 7:3): just as in the case of the navel, all the time that the infant is set in its mother's womb its navel comes from it and through it he lives, so Israel lives from the Sanhedrin. Therefore they were compared, in the matter of the Sanhedrin, to a navel. What is A ROUND BOWL (aggan ha-sahar)? It is the explanation of a piece of merchandise (a trader's dish) — the sahar being like the soher (merchant) — for whatever one needs comes out of it. And this term is nothing but a term of explanation, as it is said: "And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins (agganot)" (Exodus 24:6). Another interpretation of YOUR NAVEL IS A ROUND BOWL: Abbin bar Rav Chisda said: What is A ROUND BOWL? Like the half of the moon, for they call the moon sihara (in Aramaic) — A ROUND BOWL. Our Rabbis taught: The Sanhedrin was like the half of a round threshing floor. LET NOT MIXED WINE BE LACKING (Song of Songs 7:3) — that they should never be lacking one of the three of them. "Mixed wine" (mezeg) is one who mixes properly: he mixes one third of the cup wine and two parts water. So too the Sanhedrin would sit from the morning daily-offering until the daily-offering of twilight, so that not one of them would turn aside for his need. And what would they do? When one of them wished to go out, he would count: if there were twenty-three, he would go out; and if not, he would not go out, as it is written, LET NOT MIXED WINE BE LACKING — and they would never be lacking one of the three of them. Therefore: LET NOT MIXED WINE BE LACKING.