Eruvin 83a (פג.) — the Talmud in English

The tanna

taught in a beraita an additional measure, calculated proportionally to this loaf:

And half

“half of its half”

of this loaf is the measure

for rendering food impure with food impurity.

According to Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka, the measure of a complete loaf is a quarter of a kav, which is six eggs; half of it is three eggs [for the afflicted house], and half of half of it is one and a half eggs [to disqualify the body], while half of “half of its half” is three-quarters of an egg, which is the measure with regard to food impurity.

But according to Rabbi Shimon, the calculation is based on a complete loaf that is one-third of a kav, which contains eight eggs. Accordingly, half of “half of its half” is one complete egg,

since half of it is four eggs, for the afflicted house,

and half of half of it is two eggs, to disqualify the body,

and half of “half of its half,” which is one egg, is the measure for food impurity.

And we raised a difficulty:

And as for our tanna—

for what reason did he not also teach

the measure of

food impurity,

as the tanna taught it in the beraita, namely, half of half of half of the loaf?

And we answer:

Because their measures are not equivalent to one another.

The tanna of the Mishna maintains that it is impossible to say that the measure for food impurity is precisely half of half of the measure of the loaf used to calculate the disqualification of the body, since we find a dispute concerning this matter: some increase this measure, while others decrease it.

The Gemara first cites a beraita in which there is a dispute concerning the measure of half a peras for disqualifying the body.

As it was taught: How much

is

the measure of half a peras [a peras is half a loaf; half a peras is a quarter of a loaf],

which is the measure for a person who eats impure food to disqualify his body from eating teruma?

The tannaim disputed this matter, according to Rabbi Shimon, who says in our Mishna that the measure is two eggs: what is the size of these eggs?

Two eggs

of ordinary size,

slightly less,

since the calculation was made using small eggs,

these are the words of Rabbi Yehuda.

Rabbi Yosei says: Two generous eggs,

slightly more than two ordinary eggs.

Rabbi

measured—he examined

the

quantity of eggs contained in one se’a of grain that had been brought before him, and found that each kav of grain contained more than twenty-four eggs.

And since according to Rabbi Shimon the loaf in question is made from one-third of a kav, it follows that the loaf contains more than eight eggs.

And half of the loaf [a peras] contains more than four eggs.

And half of half of it [half a peras] contains

two eggs, and more.

The beraita explains:

How much

“and more”

is to be added to each egg?

One twentieth of an egg!

That is, for the two eggs that constitute half a peras [to disqualify the body], two additional twentieths of an egg are to be added, which together equal one-tenth of an egg.

But with regard to

the measure of

food impurity, it was taught:

Rabbi Natan and Rabbi Dosa said:

The measure of

the egg-sized amount that they stated,

which the Sages established for food impurity, is

like it

—the egg—

and its shell.

This demonstrates that the measure for food impurity is not exactly half the measure for disqualification of the body.

For if we calculate the half according to the ratio stated with regard to disqualification of the body, then according to Rabbi Yehuda one must subtract slightly from the egg, whereas according to Rabbi Yosei one must add until reaching a generous egg and its shell. And according to Rabbi, one must add “and more,” namely, one twentieth of an egg.

And the Sages say: Like it—

without its shell.

This measure is even smaller than Rabbi Yehuda’s measure.

Therefore, the tanna did not teach in our Mishna the measure for food impurity according to that loaf.

The Gemara cites an additional opinion concerning the dispute in the beraita regarding the measure of half a peras for disqualifying the body:

Rafram bar Pappa said that Rav Ḥisda said: This is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei.

But the Sages say:

The measure of half a peras for disqualifying the body is

a generous egg and a half.

And who are the Sages—

Rabbi Yohanan ben Beroka,

who establishes the measure according to a loaf of six eggs, half of which [a peras] is three eggs, and half of the peras is one and a half eggs.

And we question this:

It is obvious,

since Rav Ḥisda himself already said above, “Remove half of it for the shopkeeper” [Rashi].

And we answer: Rav Ḥisda came

to inform us

of

the addition that they are

“generous.”

When Rav Dimi

came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia,

he said:

A man named

Bonius

sent Rabbi

a se’a of grain called

“modia de-kondisa”

from

a place called

Naosa.

And Rabbi measured

that this se’a contained

two hundred and seventeen eggs [eggs].

.

And we raised a difficulty:

This se’a,

this se’a with which Rabbi measured the se’a of “modia de-kondisa”—

of where was it!?

According to the se’a measure of which place, among the three types of se’a [the wilderness, Jerusalem, and Sepphoris], did Rabbi measure this se’a that had been brought before him, finding that it contained 217 eggs?

If

he measured with a

wilderness se’a—

then it

would be

144 eggs

only.

And if

he measured with a

Jerusalem se’a—

then it

would be

173 eggs

only.

And if it was that of Sepphoris—then it

would be

207

eggs

only!

And we answer:

Actually,

Rabbi measured with a

Sepphoris se’a,

which contains 207 eggs.

And the additional ten eggs resulted from the fact that

they brought the dough-offering,

adding to the se’a of grain the amount required for separating ḥalla from the dough that would be made from this grain, which is one twenty-fourth,

and cast it upon them,

placing that addition on the grain in this measure.

And we raised a difficulty: The measure of

the dough-offering

from dough containing 207 eggs, according to the ratio of one twenty-fourth,

how much would it be—

eight.

A measure of eight eggs.

For eight multiplied by twenty-four equals 192 [and he did not take into account the remaining fifteen eggs, since the obligation of ḥalla for them is less than an egg].

And if so, even if we add the ḥalla to the dough, then:

Two hundred and seven eggs according to the measure of Sepphoris, plus eight for the ḥalla, amount to only 215. Yet Rabbi measured 217 eggs.

And if so,

it is still lacking

two eggs

for it,

in order to complete the measure that he measured.

Rather,

it must be explained that

they brought

also

Rabbi’s “additional amounts,”

that which Rabbi added “and more” to each egg, at a measure of one twentieth of an egg [for two hundred eggs, ten eggs must be added],

and

cast

the ten eggs

upon them,

upon the 207 eggs of the Sepphoris se’a, so that with the addition of the ten eggs there were 217 eggs.

And we challenge this:

If so,

that they added twenty one-hundredths [Rabbi’s “additional amounts”],

why do we not calculate one one-hundredth of each of the 207 eggs, and if so,

it would be more for him!

For we would obtain an addition of more than ten eggs, and together with the 207 eggs we would obtain more than 217 eggs!?

And we answer:

Since it does not amount to an egg—

he does not count it.

The reason they did not add to the calculation one twentieth of the seven eggs beyond the two hundred eggs is that they do not reach the measure of one egg.

And in this calculation they did not add the measure of the ḥalla.

The Sages taught: A Jerusalem se’a exceeds a wilderness se’a by one-sixth

from the outside [of the new measure], which is one-fifth from within [of the original measure].

A wilderness se’a contains 144 eggs. 29-0.2 = 144/5

It follows that the one-fifth from within, which is one-sixth from the outside, is 29 eggs, less one-fifth of an egg.

And since the missing fifth of an egg is not taken into account, 173 = 29 + 144. This is the measure of a Jerusalem se’a.

And a Sepphoris se’a exceeds a Jerusalem se’a by one-sixth

from the outside, which is one-fifth from within:

A Jerusalem se’a contains 173 eggs. 0\. 6 + 34 = 5 / 173

It follows that the one-fifth from within, which is one-sixth from the outside, is 34 eggs, plus six-tenths of an egg.

And since an amount less than an egg is not taken into account, then 207 = 34 + 173

This is the measure of a Sepphoris se’a.

It follows that

a

Sepphoris se’a,

which contains 207 eggs,

exceeds a wilderness se’a,

which contains 144 eggs [a difference of 63]—

by one-third.

And we question this:

One-third

of what?

If you say one-third of a wilderness se’a,

that is impossible.

For

since

it is known,

how much is one-third of a wilderness se’a—

forty-eight. 48 = 3 / 144

Whereas the excess—

the difference between the wilderness and Sepphoris measures—is

sixty-three! 63 = 144 - 207

Rather, one-third of a Jerusalem se’a.

This too is impossible.

For

how much is one-third of it—

fifty-eight and one-third. 0.33 - 58 = 3 / 173

Whereas the excess is sixty-three.

Rather,

one-third

of a Sepphoris se’a.

This too is impossible.

For

how much is one-third of it—

sixty-nine less one. 69 = 3 / 207

Whereas the excess is

sixty-three!

Rather, Rabbi Yirmeya said: This is what he is saying: It follows that a Sepphoris se’a

which contains 207 eggs

exceeds a wilderness se’a by nearly one-third of its measure [that

of the Sepphoris se’a, which is 69 eggs].

And one-third of its measure

[of the Sepphoris se’a, which is 69]

is nearly half of a wilderness se’a

which is 72.

Ravina raised an objection to this: Does he really

mean that

“nearly”

“nearly”

is what he teaches?

Rather, Ravina said: This is what he is saying:

It follows that one-third of a Sepphoris se’a is

an addition of

“and the additional amounts”

of Rabbi,

which is seventy-two and one-third. 0.33 + 72 = 3 / 217

greater than half of a wilderness se’a

which is 72 eggs—

by one-third of an egg.

The Sages taught: “The first portion of your kneading.