Torah Community Connections

Week 14 - Shabbat - 4 March 2000

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 5: MISHNA 7

If a person was in the east, and he said to his son, "Make an eruv for me in the west"; in the west, and he said to his son, "Make an eruv for me in the east" if there are from him to his house 2,000 amot, and to his eruv more than this, he is permitted to his house and prohibited to his eruv, to his eruv 2,000 amot and to his house more than this, he is prohibited to his house and permitted to his eruv. If a person puts his eruv in the extension of the town, he did nothing. If he put it beyond the bounds, even one amah, what he gains he loses.

Kehati

This mishnah resumes the discussion of the laws of eruv tehumin.

If a person - on Shabbat eve, at twilight, was - outside his town, e.g.: in the east - of the town, and he said to his son - during the day, before he left his house, "Make an eruv - place an eruv tehumin - for me in the west" - to the west of the town; or if he was at twilight in the west - of the town, and he said to his son, "Make an eruv for me in the east" - of the town - if there are from him - the place where he is standing at twilight, to his house 2,000 amot, and - but, to his eruv - which his son placed for him, more than this - there is a distance of more than 2,000 amot, he is - permitted to - walk to - his house - and he has 2,000 amot from his house in every direction, and prohibited to - walk to - his eruv - since he could not go to his eruv at twilight, because it was more than 2,000 amot distant from him, the eruv is not valid; and since he is standing within the bounds of his house, presumably he thought that if the eruv that his son set down for him was not valid, then his Shabbat station was to be in his house; and if there is from his place - to his eruv 2,000 amot and - but - to his house more than to this - more than 2,000 amot, e. g., he is standing to the southeast of his house, and his eruv is located to the southwest of the house.
He is forbidden to his house - i.e., to walk to his house, for his house is not his Shabbat station, from which the 2,000 amot in every direction are counted, and permitted to his eruv - i.e., to walk to his eruv, for he has from the place of the eruv 2,000 amot in every direction; he may also go to his house, if the distance between the eruv and his house does not exceed 2,000 amot.

If a person puts his eruv in the extension of the town - in one of the houses located within the 70 and a fraction amot beyond the town (see the introduction to 5:1, above), he did nothing - for even without the eruv, he has 2,000 amot in every direction beyond the borders of the town. The extension of the town is included within these borders (see 5:1, above), for the 2,000 amot are measured starting from the outer boundary of the extension of the town. He therefore gained nothing by this eruv.

If he put it - the eruv, beyond the bounds i.e., beyond the extension of the town (Gemara), even one amah - beyond it, what he gains - in the direction of his eruv, he loses - in the opposite direction, for he has 2,000 amot in every direction from the eruv. E.g., if he made his eruv at a distance of 1,000 amot to the east of the town, then he may go east a distance of 3,000 amot from his town ( 1,000 amot to his eruv, and 2,000 amot from his eruv on). To the west, however, he may walk only 1,000 amot. He therefore loses in the west the 1,000 amot that he gains in the east. The Gemara states that the town itself is not included in the count, because it is regarded as an area of four amot. However, this applies only if the 2,000 amot from his eruv to the town end at the end of the town or beyond it. If, however, the 2,000 amot end within thetown, he may go only up to there within the town and no further. Tosafot, however, state that if he spends the night within the town, he may go within the entire town, but it is not regarded for him as four amot to allow him to go outside the town.

ERUVIN: CHAPTER 5: MISHNA 8

The people of a large town may walk about throughout a small town, and the people of a small town may not walk about throughout a large town. How? If a person was in a large town and put his eruv in a small town, in a small town and put his eruv in a large town he may walk throughout it and outside it 2,000 amah. And Rabbi Akiva says. He has 2,000 amot from the place of his eruv only.

Kehati

As has already been mentioned, a person who makes his Shabbat station in a town may walk throughout the entire town, and 2,000 amot beyond it in every direction. In the current mishnah, Rabbi Akiva and the Sages differ on whether a person who placed his eruv within a close-by town has the legal status of one who established his Shabbat station within the town (in which case he has 2,000 amot in addition to the town), or whether the town is included within the count of the 2,000 amot. The first section of the mishnah teaches (as has already been mentioned at the end of the preceding mishnah, and on which there is general agreement) that when a person measures 2,000 amot from his town or from the place of his Shabbat station, in order to determine his Shabbat bounds, and a town is located within these 2,000 amot, then if the measure of the bounds ends atthe end of the town, the town is regarded as if it were four amot, and its actual dimension is not included in the count of the 2,000, rather the count of the 2,000 is completed outside it. E.g., if the distance from the place of his Shabbat station to the town is 96 amot, and the length of the town is 1,800 amot, he may walk throughout the entire town, and beyond it an additional 1,900 amot, for the town itself is accounted only as 4 amot. If, however, the measure of the bounds ends within the town, he may go only a distance of 2,000 amot from the place of his eruv.

The people of a large town - within whose bounds a small town is located, may walk about throughout a small town - since it is within the 2,000 amot of the larger town, then it is accounted for the people of the larger town as 4 amot; and they may walk through all of it, and complete the measure of the bounds beyond it, and the people of a small town may not walk about throughout a large town - for the measure of their Shabbat bounds ends in the middle of the larger town, which is therefore not accounted for them as 4 amot, and they may walk in it only to the end of their Shabbat bounds. The following must be added to the current mishnah here: this applies only to a person who measures the 2,000 amot of the Shabbat bounds from his town to another town. But if a person places his eruv in another town, the person of the large town may walk through- out all the small town, and the person of the small town may walk throughout all the large town.

How? If a person was - residing - in a large town and put his eruv in a small town - which is located within its bounds, or he was residing - in a small town and put his eruv in a large town - in the part that is located within the small town's Shabbat bounds, he may walk throughout it - the entire town, and outside it 2,000 amot - for the establishment of the eruv in the town gives the entire town the legal status of 4 amot.
And Rabbi Akiva says, He has 2,000 amot from the place of his eruv only - Rabbi Akiva, disagreeing with the First Tanna, holds that the eruv does not give the entire town in which he places it the legal status of 4 amot, and the person making the eruv may therefore go only 2,000 amot from the place of his eruv. The halakhah does not follow Rabbi Akiva.

Return to Mishna Yomit Index

Visit the Mishna Yomit Archives