Eruvin 58a — the Talmud in English

And likewise, if

he reached a mountain—

he makes it pass over [the mountain], and returns to his measurement ![](pamud.bmp "

precise page location")

provided that he does not go outside the tehum

in order to make the ravine pass over [the mountain].

Rashi brought two explanations:

The first: the width of the ravine opposite the city extended outside the tehum, but the width of the ravine gradually narrowed—not directly opposite the city itself, but within the city’s tehum.

The measurer has two possibilities for measuring where the measure of the city’s tehum ends within the ravine:

a. He goes out toward the city, as far as the place where the ravine narrows, with all of it located within the city’s tehum, and makes it pass over there, at the place where it becomes narrower [by measuring the aerial distance above it], and continues the measurement from the ravine’s other edge until completing the tehum.

From there he will look in order to direct the boundary of the tehum within the widened ravine, directly opposite the city itself.

b. He goes out from the city’s side, outside the tehum, as far as the place where the ravine ends, and measures there the distance up to the point opposite the other edge of the ravine facing the city, in order to know by how many cubits that edge of the ravine lies beyond the tehum. Then he goes to the edge of the ravine opposite the city, and measures the difference within the ravine, by returning to direct [the measurement] toward the city within the ravine; he counts the number of cubits that are beyond the tehum, and marks in the ravine the place of the tehum.

And the Mishna says that he should perform the measurement according to the first possibility, since with it there is no need to go outside the tehum at the time of the measurement, and he should not measure according to the second possibility, in which he must go out and measure beyond the tehum.

And even though the measurement is performed on a weekday and not on Shabbat, we must be concerned lest someone who sees him measuring outside the tehum conclude that this place is within the tehum of Shabbat.

And the second explanation: this concerns a very long ravine, whose width is indeed within the tehum, but there it is more than fifty cubits wide, and it is impossible to make it pass over directly opposite the city, unless one goes outside to the sides of the city, beyond the tehum of Shabbat, where the ravine’s width narrows and it is possible to make it pass over there.

And the Mishna teaches that one may not measure the width of the ravine there, lest those who see him say that this place, at the sides of the city, is within the tehum of Shabbat.

If he cannot make it pass over [the ravine]—

in this case [that is, excluding other measurements of a mitzva, such as the heifer whose neck is broken]

excluding other measurements performed for a mitzva, such as the measurement for a heifer whose neck is broken]

Rabbi Dostai bar Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: I heard that they measure by making openings

puncturing

in the mountains.

That is, they treat the measurement as though there were a hole in the mountain through which the measuring rope could be passed.

For they do not measure the slopes of the mountains as they are, but take a rope only four cubits long. And the measurement is performed by means of two measurers:

One stands and holds the rope opposite his heart, while the other, standing four cubits away at the height of the slope, places it at his feet. Thus they proceed and measure the distance in a level manner and not vertically.

Gemara:

And we raise it [as a question]:

From where are these words

that the measurement must be made with a rope whose length is fifty cubits?

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: For the verse says [Exodus 27], concerning the courtyard of the Tabernacle:

[the verse concerning the courtyard of the Tabernacle]

“The length of the courtyard shall be one hundred cubits.

And the width fifty by fifty.”

The Torah said:

From the fact that the Torah said, “the width fifty by fifty,” the Torah taught:

With a rope of fifty cubits—

measure.

And we challenge this: But

this

verse

is needed

to teach us the size of the vacant square in the courtyard of the Tabernacle, which must be seventy cubits and fractions by seventy cubits and fractions, because this is what the Torah said:

To take fifty

cubits,

and to encircle

with them a square of

fifty

by fifty!?

And we answer:

If so,

that the verse comes only with regard to the size of the vacant square of the courtyard of the Tabernacle,

let the verse say, “And the width of the courtyard

fifty

fifty.”

What

is “fifty by fifty”

that the verse states?

You may infer two things from it.

We learned in the Mishna:

Neither less nor more.

A tanna

in a beraita taught:

The measuring rope must be

not less

than fifty cubits,

because

the short rope stretches, and

increases

the measurement by doing so.

And not more—

because

the weight of the rope does not allow it to be stretched properly, and thereby it

decreases

the measurement.

Rabbi Asi said: They measure only with a rope of afsekima.

And we explain:

What is afsekima?

Rabbi Abba said: Nargila.

What is nargila?

Rabbi Yaakov said: A palm branch with one fiber [“fiber” is a strand that grows and coils around the palm tree].

“Strand” is a fiber that grows and winds around the palm tree].

Some say

that what was stated above should be recited in a different form:

What is afsekima?

Rabbi Abba said: Nargila.

Rabbi Yaakov said: A palm branch with one fiber.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania said: You have no

thing

better suited for precise measurement

precise

than

measurement by means of

iron chains,

which neither stretch nor slacken.

But what shall we do, since the Torah said [a support from the words of the Prophets] that one should measure with a rope, as it is stated [Zechariah 2]:

a supporting indication from the words of the Prophets] that one must measure with a rope, as it is stated [Zechariah 2]:

“And in his hand was a measuring rope.”

And we challenge this:

But it is written [Ezekiel 40], concerning Ezekiel’s prophecy about the Tabernacle:

[concerning Ezekiel’s prophecy about the Temple]

“And in the man’s hand was the measuring reed.”

And a reed is not a rope!?

And we answer:

That

measuring reed is not for measuring distance, but

for

measuring

the gates,

the gates of the Tabernacle in Ezekiel’s prophecy.

Rav Yosef taught: There are three

types of

ropes:

One of maggag,

rushes,

one of netzer,

peeled willow,

and one of flax.

A rope

of maggag

is required

for the

red

heifer, as we learned:

They tied the red heifer

with a rope of maggag,

which does not contract impurity,

and placed it upon its pyre. A rope

of

willow for a woman suspected of adultery—as we learned:

And afterward he brings an Egyptian rope and ties it above her breasts.

A rope

of flax—

for measurement.

We learned in the Mishna:

If he was measuring and reached

a ravine or a mountain—he makes it pass over [it], and returns to his measurement.

And we infer:

Since you taught me

“and returns to his measurement,”—

by inference, if he cannot make it pass over [the ravine]

in its place,

he goes

the measurer

to a place where he can make it pass over [the ravine], and makes it pass over [there], and looks

at the place beyond its being made to pass over

opposite his measure, and returns

to the place of the measurement and continues measuring there.

And we are astonished: But

we already learned this

in a beraita, and if this is the explanation of the Mishna, the beraita should not have needed to repeat it.

For the Sages taught: If he was measuring and the measure reached a ravine, if he can make it pass over [the ravine] with a rope of fifty cubits—

he makes it pass over [it]

there.

And if not—

he goes to a place where he can make it pass over [the ravine], and makes it pass over [there], and looks, and returns to his measurement.

If the ravine was winding [according to Rashi’s second explanation, in the version of the Tosefta],

with the ravine turning from west toward north, and he can make it pass over only on the northern side of the city,

then making the ravine pass over on the northern side does not help to make it pass over also on the western side, even though by looking and measuring he could transfer the projection made in the north to the western side of the city.

Rather, he

measures by making openings as he ascends and measures by making openings as he descends

in the ravine, on the side where it cannot be made to pass over.

If he reached a wall

that was slightly sloping—

we do not say

that he should puncture

it,

the wall,

in order to pass the rope through it so as to measure the width of the wall’s slope [that is, they do not require him to erect poles up to the height of the wall on both sides and thereby make the slope pass over. Tosafot].

Rather, he estimates it

as a slope by a mere estimation, without making it pass over from the side,

and goes on his way.

And we challenge this:

But we learned in the Mishna: “He makes it pass over [the ravine], and returns to his measurement”!

And it is proven that he cannot suffice with an estimation alone!

And we answer:

There,

with regard to a mountain or a ravine, which must be made to pass over and for which an estimation does not suffice,

its use is convenient,

since it is somewhat comfortable to walk upon, and therefore he is obligated to measure it, by making it pass over or by making openings.

But

here,

with regard to a wall,

its use is not convenient,

since the wall’s slope is not fit for walking, and therefore it is not to be considered part of the measure; rather, an estimation suffices for it.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: They taught

that one must measure the ravine by making openings

only

when its slope is somewhat convenient for walking, such as

when “the plumb line does not descend directly opposite it.”

That is, a slope that is not steep: if he lowers the builders’ plumb line toward its depth, the plumb line does not descend directly opposite it, since the slope prevents it from descending.

And the intention is that if he lowers the line to a distance of four cubits from the edge of the ravine, the line still does not descend directly opposite it.