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Week 12 - Shabbat - 19 Feb. 2000

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 2: MISHNA 5

And Rabbi Yehudah ben Bava further said: In a garden or a karpef seventy amot and a fraction long by seventy amot and a fraction wide, surrounded by a fence ten tefahs high, one may carry, provided that there is in it a guardians' booth or a dwelling, or that it is close to the city. Rabbi Yehudah says: Even if there is in it only a cistern, a pit or a cave, they may carry within it. Rabbi Akiva says: Even if there is not in it one of these, they may carry within it, provided that it is seventy amot and a fraction by seventy amot and a fraction. Rabbi Eliezer says: If its length exceeds its width even by one amah, one may not carry within it. Rabbi Yose says: Even if its length is twice its width, one may carry within it.

Kehati

It has already been taught, that "they said bet satayim only regarding the garden and the karpef" (2:3, above). As explained there (ibid.), the measure of "bet satayim" is learned from the courtyard of the Tabernacle, which was 100 amot long and 50 amot wide, i.e. an area of 5,000 square amot. An area of this size is called "bet satayim" (lit., the area of two se'ahs), because only two se'ahs of grain can be sowed in it. This mishnah deals with a square bet satayim. The measurements are approximate because the square root of 5000 is an irrational number. The Sages therefore stated: "seventy amah and a fraction by seventy amah and a fraction. How much is this "balance" [i.e., fraction]? According to most of the commentators (Rashi, Bartenura), this is 2/3 of an amah. For it is written regarding the courtyard of the Tabernacle, "The length of the

courtyard shall be a hundred amot, and the breadth fifty everywhere" (Ex. 27:18). The Torah is telling us: take the area of the 50 by which its length exceeds its width, divide it up and place the resulting strips around the area of the remaining 50; this process will generate a square, each of

whose sides is 70 2/3 amot (see Bartenura). A. baraita teaches: "There is a small amount in addition to 'seventy amah and a balance'." I.e., there is a small differential by which bet satayim (5,000 square amot) exceeds the product of "seventy amot and a balance" (70 2/3 X 70 2/3 = 4,993 7/9, for a difference of 6 2/9 amot-, a more precise calculation is V 5,000 = 70.71).

Rambam calculates the "balance" more precisely, and he writes that it is 5/7 (70 5/7 X 70 5/7 = c. 5,000.5).

Rabbi Eliezer says: If its - the garden's, length exceeds its width even by one amah - even though its area does not exceed bet satayim, one may not carry within it - for he holds that the Sages permitted carrying only within a square garden of bet satayim but in a rectangular garden only if fenced in to surround a dwelling.

Rabbi Yose says: Even if its length is twice its width - as the courtyard of the Tabernacle, which was 100 amot long and 50 amotwide, one may carry within it - The law follows Rabbi Yose. A baraita quoted in the Gemara reads as follows: "Rabbi Eliezer says: If its length is more than twice its width, even by one amah, one may not carry within it." The Gemara explains that this mishnah also should be read in accordance with this latter version. The question arises: if so, what difference is there between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yose? The Gemara answers: the difference between them is "the square which was squared by the Sages." Rashi explains that Rabbi Eliezer requires, properly, a square shape, as that of the Tabernacle courtyard, while Rabbi Yose requires, lekhathilah, a square shape; bedi'avad, however, it is permitted even if it is twice as long as it is wide. The Tosafists, however, query Rashi's interpretation; they interpret as does Rabbeinu Hananel, that the Gemara refers to the divergent opinions of the Tannaim (4:8, below) regarding the 2,000 amot of the Shabbat bounds: according to Rabbi Hanina ben Antignos, this is a circular area, i.e, the area of a person's Shabbat bounds is that within a radius of 2,000 amot from the place where he established his Shabbat station. According to the Sages, however, this area is a square, thereby gaining the corners, for its diagonal is more than 2,000 amot. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yose differ on this point: Rabbi Eliezer

holds that if the diagonal of the garden is more than twice its width, a person may not carry within it, whereas Rabbi Yose holds that even if its length is twice its width, as the courtyard of the Tabernacle, a person may carry within it, even though its diagonal is more than twice its width (111.8 amot). Rambarn similarly interprets thus: "Rabbi Eliezer holds that the length may exceed the width only to the degree that the diagonal will be twice the width (i.e., the length of the garden is 93 1/27 and its width 53 1/3 amot and when the diagonal is 107 1/2, all the measurements being approximate). According to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, therefore, the length of bet satayim may not exceeed 93 and 1/3 of a ninth of an amah, while according to the opinion of Rabbi Yose, its length can be 100 amot."

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 2: MISHNA 6

Rabbi El'ai said: I heard from Rabbi Eliezer, "And even if it is as a bet kor"; and I similarly heard from him, "The people of the courtyard - if one of them forgot and did not prepare an eruv, he is prohibited from carrying into or carrying out from his house, but they are permitted"; and I similarly heard from him that they fulfill

with akrevanim on Pesah, And I went around among all his disciples and I sought for myself a colleague, and I found none.

Kehati

This is a continuation of the preceding mishnah.

Rabbi El'ai said, I heard from Rabbi Eliezer, "And even if it - the garden (or the karpef), is - as big - as a bet kor"- an area large enough to sow in it a bet kor of grain, which is 30 se'ah (75,000 square amot), it is permitted to carry within it, since it has partitions, even though it does not enclose a dwelling;

and I similarly heard from him - Rabbi Eliezer, "The people of the courtyard - if one of them forgot and did not prepare an eruv - he did not contribute his portion of the courtyard's eruv, and he thereby prohibits all the other inhabitants from carrying out from their houses into the courtyard. If, however, he renounced on the Shabbat his rights in the courtyard in favor of the other inhabitants, he is prohibited from carrying into or carrying out from his house - since he renounced his rights, we say that he also included his house, and even though he presumably may carry into and carry out from their houses to the courtyard, since he has become as a guest with them, nevertheless he may not carry into or carry out from his house to the courtyard, lest it appear as if he has retracted his renunciation and reclaimed his rights,

but they - the other inhabitants, are permitted"- to carry into or to carry out from his house;

and I similarly heard from him that they fulfill - the obligation of maror, with akrevanim - a type of plant, on Pesah. And I went around among all his -Rabbi Eliezer's, disciples and I sought for myself a colleague - who would confirm that he also had heard these three things from Rabbi Eliezer,

and I found none - and indeed, the halakhah is not in accordance with any of these three statements, but rather as follows: (1) the measure, regarding a garden or a karpef'is up to bet satayim, and no more; (2) regarding the people of the courtyard, one of whom forgot to prepare the eruv, and renounced his right in their favor: as long as he does not state explicitly that his renunciation included his house, the other inhabitants may also not carry into or carry out from his house to the courtyard; (3) akrevanim is not fit for maror, and one does not fulfill one's obligation with it on Pesah (Bartenura).

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