Eruvin 21a — the Talmud in English

But a person,

even one of the pilgrims

(climbs up and climbs down) climbs [

gripping with his hands and feet both walls of the pit, on its two sides]

and descends

into the pit,

climbs up and emerges

from it, since he is able to do so; they therefore did not permit him to rely on the pasei biraot. [Emended according to Gaon Yaakov].

And we raise an objection to that which we said, that the pasei biraot were not permitted for a person:

Is that so? But Rav Yosef said that Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said [Bach]:

Bach

The pasei biraot were permitted only for a well of living water.

And necessarily, this does not come to exclude only the water of cisterns, whose water is gathered [and because a cistern is inferior, since at times the water ceases, as we said at the beginning of our chapter]. For if so, let him teach: “The pasei biraot were permitted only for a ‘well’;” and why do I need “living water”? And necessarily, “living water” means clear water fit for drinking [Ritba].

And now it is difficult:

And if

you say that

for an animal

alone we permit it,

what difference is there to me whether it is living or gathered water

meaning: water that is not clear [so one must force the explanation of the Ritba].

And we answer: Even though it is not permitted for a person, nevertheless

we require something that is fit for a person,

since the water makes a partition for the pasei biraot, we require important water.

The body of the matter: The pasei biraot were permitted only for an animal, but a person

(climbs up and climbs down) [

climbs down and climbs up — Gaon Yaakov],

Gaon Yaakov

and if the

pits

were wide,

so that he could not grip himself on both walls of the pit, on its two sides, and descend and drink,

even for a person as well

it is permitted to draw from the pit into the area between the partitions and drink.

And a person may not fill water and place it before his animal; but he may fill it and pour it before the animal, and it drinks by itself [

and this is the beraita that we brought above, page 20:].

Rav Anan challenged it: If so,

as it is taught in the beraita,

what benefit did the pasei biraot provide?!

And we are astonished at Rav Anan’s challenge:

“What benefit did they provide”

—as a question?! But they provided the benefit of

filling from them;

so what is he challenging?!

Rather,

this is how Rav Anan challenged it:

What benefit did the head and most of the body of the cow provide,

as it is taught in the Mishna? But filling and pouring before it is permitted even when its head and most of its body are not inside, for there is nothing to be concerned about [as we said above]. And we answer:

Abaye said [

and this is the matter that we brought above in the Gemara],

Here, with what are we dealing? With a trough standing in the public domain, ten high and four wide, with its head entering between the partitions,

as we explained it above.

Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said that Rav said:

The burgenin [shelters of the city guards] that are found within seventy cubits and remnants of the city are annexed with the city, [from the expression “a pregnant woman,”] meaning: it is as though the city extends up to the burgenin, and from there onward they measure the Shabbat boundary of two thousand cubits for those who spend the eve of Shabbat in the city.

But

there are no burgenin in Babylonia,

meaning: the burgenin in Babylonia are not “annexed” with the city, and they measure the Shabbat boundary from the boundary of the city.

And

it is not permitted to make

pasei biraot outside the Land of Israel,

apart from Babylonia.

And we explain the reason:

In Babylonia, there are no burgenin,

since

water floods are common

there [water torrents are common there] that wash away the burgenin, and consequently they are not significant.

Outside the Land of Israel, there are no pasei biraot: for academies are not common [

yeshivot], and we hold that the pasei biraot were permitted only for the animals of pilgrims and the animals of those going for the sake of a mitzva; and since academies are not common, so that students would travel from city to city to study Torah, the pasei biraot were not permitted there.

But conversely,

burgenin outside the Land of Israel, and pasei biraot in Babylonia, where academies are common,

we make them!

Some say: Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said that

Rav said: There are neither burgenin nor pasei biraot, neither in Babylonia nor in

the rest of

the outside of the Land of Israel.

And we explain the reason:

In Babylonia, there are no burgenin,

since

water floods are common

there, as above.

Burgenin

outside the Land of Israel also do not exist: for thieves are common,

who steal the shelters; and therefore they are not significant enough to be houses to be annexed with the city.

There are no pasei biraot in Babylonia: water is common [

water is readily available], so why should we need to permit it there?

Pasei biraot

outside the Land of Israel also do not exist: for academies are not common.

Rav Hisda said to Mari, the son of Rav Huna, the son of Rav Yirmeya bar Abba: They say that you come from Barnash [

a place-name]

to the synagogue of Daniel, [

I heard that they say about you that you come from Barnash to the synagogue where Daniel used to pray, [as it is written [Daniel 6:11]: “and windows were opened for him in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and he prayed and gave thanks before” etc.]]

that there was

the distance between them

three parasangs [

three parasangs, which are twelve times the Shabbat boundary, which is two thousand cubits]

on Shabbat!

Why did you rely

on going outside the boundary of Barnash? Surely there were

burgenin

along the entire road, each one within seventy cubits and remnants of the next, all of which are annexed with Barnash!

And he was astonished at them:

Did not the father of your father say

your [namely, Rav Yirmeya bar Abba, who was the father of Rav Huna, Mari’s father] above

in the name of Rav: There are no burgenin in Babylonia?!

He went out and showed him those towns that were contained within seventy cubits and remnants [

Mari went out and showed Rav Hisda ruined towns in which partitions from the houses remained, scattered along the road, with each one contained within seventy cubits of the adjacent one; meaning, there was no distance of more than seventy cubits and remnants between them].

And those towns are “annexed” with Barnash, as we say below: A monument that has not been breached [a grave monument] is annexed with the city, even though it is not actually a house. And the same applies to ruined cities whose house partitions remain.

Rav Hisda said: Mari bar Mar expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For every limit [

for every matter for which you set a limit and measure — Ritba. Meiri explained: “for every desire,” from the expression “my soul longs and pines”]

I have seen an end [

I knew and saw the end of that measure, how great it is — Ritba; see Rashi in Ein Yaakov] [but]

Your mitzva is exceedingly broad [

“mitzva” means the Oral Torah, as explained in the Gemara, Berakhot 5a, according to our version, and in the introduction of Rambam to the Yad Ha-Hazaka]

exceedingly [

I did not know its measure — Ritba; see Rashi]?

This matter David said but did not explain,

what is the end of its measure;

Job said it but did not explain,

how great it is;

Ezekiel said it

the prophet

but did not explain, until

the prophet

Zechariah son of Iddo came —

and explained it!

And we explain it:

David said it but did not explain it, for it is written: “For every limit I have seen an end; Your mitzva is exceedingly broad!”

Job said it but did not explain it, for it is written: “Its measure is longer than the earth [

the heh is pronounced, meaning: the measure of wisdom — Ramban in his commentary on Job]

and broader than the sea,”

but he did not explain how great it is!

Ezekiel said it but did not explain it, for it is written:

“And I saw, and behold, a hand stretched out to me, and behold, in it was a scroll of a book” [a scroll of the Oral Torah].

And he spread it before me, and it was written on the front and on the back [

on its front and on its back]

and written upon it [

on it, Radak]

lamentations, sighing, and woe.

And since we brought the verse, we explain it:

“Lamentations”: This is the punishment of the righteous in this world,

for the righteous are punished for their sins in this world,

and so it says: “It is a lamentation, and they lamented it,”

thus what they lament over punishment is called a “lamentation.”

“And sighing”: This is the reward of the righteous in the World to Come, and so it says

that “sighing” is an expression of joy:

“Upon the melody of the lyre.”

“And woe”: This is the punishment of the wicked in the World to Come, and so it says: “Woe upon woe

an event upon an event, woe upon woe. And Menahem connected it as an expression of breaking — Rashi on Ezekiel]

shall come.”

Until Zechariah son of Iddo came and explained it: “And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see a flying scroll” [

folded, as we translate: “it shall be square”—“folded”

—Rav Hai]

twenty cubits long [

with the cubit of the Holy One, blessed is He — Rashi]

and ten cubits wide; and when you spread it out [

when you open it from its folds and spread it out]

it will be twenty

cubits long, as it was,

by twenty

cubits wide, for its width has been doubled.

And it is written

in the words of Ezekiel above:

“It was written on the front [

on the front]

and on the back [

and on the back],

and when you peel it [

that you place what you peeled from the scroll, its back, on the side of the scroll’s front, after you have spread it out from its folding]

how great will it be? Forty

cubits long, double what you had until now,

by twenty

cubits wide, as it was.

And it is written: “Who measured the waters in His handful, and the heavens [

the entire world]

with a span [

half a cubit]

measured, etc.,”

so the size of the world is half a cubit of the Holy One, blessed is He, by half a cubit.

Go out and calculate: How many times does half a cubit by a cubit fit into a scroll whose length is forty cubits by twenty cubits, which are eight hundred square cubits, [and each square cubit contains four times half a cubit by half a cubit]?! You have here: three thousand two hundred spans in the scroll [according to Rav Hai and Ritba; see Rashi]!

It follows that the entire world —

which is half a cubit by half a cubit [a span] —

is one out of three thousand two hundred in the Torah!

And Rav Hisda said: Mari bar

Mar

expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written

in Jeremiah: “The Lord showed me, and behold, two baskets of”

very good

copper pots

figs, prepared

ready

before the Temple of the Lord,”

after Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia, exiled Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah [who was righteous], and the craftsmen and the smiths [great sages in Torah; “craftsman”: when he would speak, everyone would be silent like the deaf; and “smith”: they would close, and no one would open] from Jerusalem and brought them to Babylonia.