Rosh Hashanah, Chapter 4, Mishnah 2. In the previous mishnah we saw the position of the Rambam, that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbos it is permitted to blow the shofar not only in the Beis HaMikdash, but anywhere in Jerusalem. We will explain our mishnah according to this approach as well.
The advantage that the mishnah does not spell out:
The Gemara points out that the wording of the mishnah is incomplete at its opening, because there is a built-in advantage that Jerusalem had over Yavneh - or over any other place where the Sanhedrin sat - with regard to blowing the shofar on Shabbos: in Jerusalem they blew not only in the place where the beis din was sitting, but even outside its presence, whereas in Yavneh they blew on Shabbos only in the presence of the beis din. This advantage is not stated explicitly in our mishnah, and it fits well with the view of the Rambam, that they blew the shofar on Shabbos not only in the Beis HaMikdash, but throughout Jerusalem.
The wording of the mishnah:
"Ve'od zos haysah Yerushalayim yeseirah al Yavneh" - besides the advantage that our mishnah leaves unstated, that in Jerusalem one could blow even when not in the presence of a beis din, Jerusalem has further advantages over Yavneh: "shekol ir shehi ro'ah ve'shoma'as u'kerovah vi'yecholah lavo - tokin" - any city outside Jerusalem that meets these four conditions may also blow:
"Ro'ah" - that it actually sees Jerusalem, which excludes a city situated in a valley, for although it is close, Jerusalem is not visible from it.
"Ve'shoma'as" - that the shofar blast of Jerusalem can be heard there, which excludes a city situated on a mountaintop, which sees Jerusalem but does not hear it.
"U'kerovah" - that it is within the techum, that is, within two thousand amos of Jerusalem.
"Vi'yecholah lavo" - that one can travel from it to Jerusalem, and there is no river or other obstacle blocking the way.
"U'v'Yavneh lo hayu tokin ela b'veis din bilvad" - in Yavneh, the seat of the Sanhedrin, they blew the shofar on a Rosh Hashanah that fell on Shabbos only in the presence of the beis din, and nowhere else.
In summary: in this mishnah we learned the advantages Jerusalem had over Yavneh regarding blowing the shofar on Shabbos: the first advantage, which is not stated explicitly in the wording of the mishnah, is that in Jerusalem they blew even when not in the presence of the beis din; and the second advantage is that even a city outside Jerusalem may blow, provided that it sees, hears, is close and is able to come. In Yavneh, however, they blew only in the presence of the beis din.