Eruvin 105a — the Talmud in English

:

Rabbi Yohanan said:

They do not disagree about this, and in any event, according to everyone, one who brings a creeping creature into the Temple is liable.

Rather,

Rather, both expounded one verse,

each according to his own approach, concerning removing an impure object from the courtyard on Shabbat:

as it is written in Chronicles:

“And the priests entered inside the House of the Lord to purify.

And they brought out all the impurity that they found in the Sanctuary of the Lord

то есть идолов и предметы, предназначенные для идолопоклонства, которые оскверняют даже при нахождении под одной крышей,

'to the courtyard of the House of the Lord

to the courtyard.

And once the priests brought the impurity from the Sanctuary to the courtyard—

the Levites received it

from the priests,

to bring it out

from there

to the Kidron Valley outside.”

It follows that although they required other people in order to remove the impurity from the courtyard, other priests were not permitted to become impure in order to continue removing the impurity from the courtyard and outward.

Mar,

Ben Nannas,

held: Since it changed in the courtyard,

from the distinction in the courtyard, that other priests were not permitted to become impure in order to remove the impurity from there, but

only through the Levites

alone.

infer from this that

Conclude from this that there is no impurity in the courtyard!

That is, it is not so severe in relation to the impurity of the Sanctuary that they should transgress any prohibition because of it.

And therefore, we likewise do not set aside a rabbinic prohibition of muktzeh in order to remove the creeping creature from there.

But,

Rabbi Akiva

held:

the reason is not that the impurity of the courtyard is less severe than that of the Sanctuary.

Rather,

Rather, wherever it is not possible through the Levites,

for the Levites are forbidden to enter the Sanctuary, since even the priests were permitted to enter only at the time of service—

the priests take it out,

taking out the

priests

from there.

But

now,

when the impurity has reached the courtyard,

when it is possible through the Levites

to enter there and remove it—

they no longer cause the priests to become impure.

But in the case of a creeping creature found in the courtyard, it is impossible to leave the impurity there until evening. Therefore, even when the matter involves the prohibition of muktzeh, they remove the creeping creature from there.

The Sages taught: Everyone may enter the Sanctuary

in order

to build

there, and in order

to repair, and to remove

from there

the impurity.

And it is a mitzva

ab initio

for priests

to do this.

If there are no priests there, Levites enter.

If

there are no Levites there, Israelites enter.

And in either case,

whether priests, Levites, or Israelites,

if pure, yes.

If impure, no.

And if there are no pure people, but only impure people, they should not enter at all.

Rav Huna said: Rav Kahana,

who was a priest,

supports the priests,

giving precedence to the priests, for he does not hold in accordance with the above beraita, but rather that impure priests are preferable to pure Israelites.

For Rav Kahana taught: Since it is stated

concerning priests with a bodily defect,

“But he shall not come to the Curtain”—

I might

say:

Priests with bodily defects shall not enter between the Hall and the altar

in order

to make sheets of metal

of gold with which they cover the Holy of Holies from within?

The verse says, “But”—

it makes a division!

That is, “but” is a limitation, for every “but” and “only” in Scripture comes to limit.

And the verse comes to make a distinction, so that there is not a prohibition in every circumstance; and to limit, teaching that for the purpose of work they are permitted to enter.

And

And it is a mitzva

ab initio for priests

without bodily defects

to enter there.

If

there are no priests without bodily defects there, priests with bodily defects enter.

And likewise

it is a mitzva for

priests

who are pure.

And if

there are no pure people there, impure people enter.

In either case,

whether without bodily defects or with bodily defects, whether pure or impure,

priests, yes.

Israelites, no.

They raised a dilemma before them:

there were only two priests, one

impure and

the other

with a bodily defect—

which of them enters?

Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: The impure one enters, for impurity has been permitted in communal service!

For an impure priest serves with communal offerings when there are no pure priests, but a priest with a bodily defect never serves, even with communal offerings.

Rabbi Elazar says: The one with a bodily defect enters, for he has been permitted with regard to eating sacred offerings!

But the impure person is forbidden to eat sacred offerings.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Shimon says:

The place where the Sages permitted you, they gave you from your own.

And we explain:

To what is Rabbi Shimon referring?

He is referring there.

To that

which we learned

above, on 52b:

One for whom it became dark outside the boundary,

who was coming from the road on the eve of Shabbat and did not manage to enter within two thousand cubits of the city before Shabbat began,

even if

he was

one cubit

outside the boundary—

he may not enter

the city, for it is two thousand cubits distant from him.

Rabbi Shimon says: Even if

he was

fifteen cubits

outside the boundary of the city—

he may enter

the city.

Because those who measure

who measure the boundaries

make the measurements intermediate,

being precise in measuring the boundary, for they do not establish the boundary marker at exactly the end of two thousand cubits, but rather fifteen cubits before it,

because of those who err.

That is, the measurers are concerned lest they err in the measurement, and therefore they shorten the measure. [

Another explanation: because of people who err and forget and go outside the boundary and return; and by shortening the boundary, they do not stumble into a prohibition.]

Therefore, one for whom it became dark outside the boundary, up to fifteen cubits, is in practice within the boundary.

For the first tanna says—

he may not enter.

And Rabbi Shimon said to him—

he may enter!

And here, in our Mishna, Rabbi Shimon comes to give a reason for his words, lest you say that he is lenient regarding the prohibition of Shabbat, but rather,

from your own—

they gave it to you!

That is, those fifteen cubits are in practice within the boundary of the city. [And he says it here because of the continuation below.]

We learned in the Mishna in the continuation of Rabbi Shimon’s words:

For they permitted you only because of a rabbinic prohibition.

And we explain:

To what is it referring?

It is referring there, where the first tanna says

in the beraita above, on 103a: a Levite whose string on the lyre broke

ties it.

And Rabbi Shimon said to him

in that beraita

he makes a bow.

And Rabbi Shimon comes to give a reason for his words: specifically

a bow, which does not come to the point of liability for a sin-offering,

but is entirely permitted—

the Sages permitted it

in the Temple.

But

a knot, which comes to the point of liability for a sin-offering

if he makes it in the country [outside the Temple],

the Sages did not permit it

even in the Temple, by decree lest he make a knot in the country.

And this is what Rabbi Shimon says to the first tanna:

Although I was lenient concerning one for whom it became dark outside the boundary, I am stringent concerning the string of a lyre.

For there, in

For there, in the place where the Sages permitted you,

that is, concerning boundaries,

from your own—

they gave it to you!

And it is not leniency.

But here, concerning the string of a lyre, although according to the fundamental law it is even permitted to tie it, since the preparations for a communal offering

set aside Shabbat,

because

they permitted you not

in the Temple

except

a matter that is forbidden

only because of a rabbinic prohibition,

alone; but tying, which is a primary category of labor, they did not permit even in the Temple, by decree on account of the country [according to the Maharsha].

We shall return to you, chapter “One Who Finds Tefillin,” and tractate Eruvin is concluded.