Eruvin 83b (פג:) — the Talmud in English

They separated challah

in order that

the measure of

your doughs.

And what

is the measure of

your doughs? —

The measure

of

the dough of the wilderness.

And what

is the measure of

the dough of the wilderness? —

As it is written: “And the omer is a tenth of an ephah.”

An ephah contains three seahs, which are eighteen kav, and within them are seventy-two log [a log is one quarter of a kav].

Accordingly, a tenth of an ephah is 7.2 log [seven quarters of a kav plus one fifth].

[A fifth of a log is one egg-volume and a fifth].

From here they said:

A dough containing

seven quarters

[of log] of wilderness measure

of flour and an additional

egg-volume and a fifth —

is obligated in challah.

Which are six

quarters

of the Jerusalem measure.

For if one subtracts one sixth [one log and a fifth] from seven log and a fifth, one obtains six log. 1.2 = 7.2 / 6 6 = 7.2 - 1.2

Which are five of the measure of Sepphoris.

For if one subtracts one sixth from six, one obtains five.

From here they said: One who eats this measure is healthy

because he eats all that he requires,

and blessed

in that he does not eat excessively [see Rashi].

More than this —

a glutton.

Less than this —

his intestines are impaired.

Mishna:

A courtyard from which one ascends by a ladder to a gallery, and upper chambers open onto the gallery; the residents of the upper chambers ascend by means of steps [a ladder] and pass through the gallery to their chambers.

Thus, although the residents of the upper chambers pass [going out and entering] through the courtyard to the public domain, we do not say that the residents of the gallery prohibit the residents of the courtyard, as is the case with two courtyards, one inside the other, where the inner one prohibits the outer one [if they did not establish an eruv between them, as stated above, on page 75a].

[See illustration]

This is because we say: Since the gallery is ten handbreadths higher than the courtyard, the staircase by which one ascends to it has the status of a partition; and since this is so, the residents of the gallery do not prohibit them [the Ritva in his understanding of Rashi; see there. See also Gaon Yaakov, who explained the matter differently].

Nevertheless, although on the one hand we grant the staircase the status of a partition, on the other hand we grant it the status of an opening, since a staircase is always treated leniently.

Therefore, if the residents of the gallery and the residents of the courtyard wish to establish an eruv between them, they may establish one, like other courtyards that have an opening between them; they are not like courtyards between which there is a partition without an opening, which cannot establish an eruv together.

The residents of a courtyard and the residents of a gallery who forgot and did not establish an eruv

between them, but each established an eruv separately —

every

mound or pillar found in the courtyard

that is ten handbreadths high

and whose use is inconvenient for the residents of the courtyard — they give it

to

the residents of the

gallery.

That is, the domain of the gallery “controls” it, and only the residents of the gallery may use it, whereas the residents of the courtyard are prohibited from carrying from their domain into that domain.

But one that is

less than this

and whose use is convenient for the residents of the courtyard — they give it

to the courtyard!

[See illustration]

The Gemara will explain the reason.

The rim of the pit

[soil removed when digging the pit and piled around its mouth].

And

likewise

the rock:

if

they are ten handbreadths high,

so that in order to draw water from the pit the residents of the courtyard must leap up a height of ten handbreadths, or so that in order to use the rock they must throw something up to a height of ten handbreadths — they give them

to the gallery.

Less than this —

they give it

to the courtyard.

The Gemara will explain the reason.

In what case is this statement said? When

the rim was

adjacent

to the gallery, so that its use was convenient for the residents of the gallery.

But when it is distant

from it,

even if the

rock or the rim is

ten handbreadths

high — they give them

to the courtyard.

The Gemara will explain the reason.

And what is considered adjacent

to the gallery?

Anything that is not farther

from it than

four handbreadths.

Gemara:

The following discussion is explained according to the Ritva. See also the difficulties raised by the Ritva, Tosafot of Rabbi Asher, and Gaon Yaakov concerning Rashi’s explanation.

It is obvious

to us—and there is no need to state or teach this law, because of its obviousness—that when two courtyards did not establish an eruv between them, and there is one domain, four by four [handbreadths], the measure of a domain, adjacent to both courtyards and used by both of them,

if the use of that domain is equally convenient for both domains,

for example,

for this one

[one of the courtyards]

by way of an opening,

because this domain was less than ten handbreadths lower on the side of one courtyard, and therefore the use of that domain, adjacent to them, was convenient for the residents of the courtyard, like an opening, which is convenient to enter through,

and

also

for this one by way of an opening,

because that domain was also less than ten handbreadths lower on its other side,

the law of this domain is that it “belongs” to both courtyards, and both are prohibited from carrying from the house to the domain and from it to the house in each courtyard.

The proof that this law is obvious and need not be stated is that

this is

the Mishna cited above, in which we learned:

A window between two courtyards

—they establish two eruvin, and if they wish, they establish one.

The tanna did not trouble to teach us the law concerning the place of the window itself, to whom it belongs if they did not establish one eruv together, just as he did teach us the law concerning use of the wall between two courtyards in the following Mishna!

For we learned there: A wall between two courtyards, ten handbreadths high and four handbreadths wide—they establish two eruvin but do not establish one.

If there were produce on top of the [wall], these ascend from this side and eat, and those ascend from that side and eat, provided that they do not lower it below, because it is a domain belonging to both of them, and both are prohibited from carrying to it or from it, since they did not establish an eruv between them.

And necessarily, the reason the tanna did not teach us the law concerning use of the window itself is that it is obvious that it belongs to both courtyards and that it is prohibited to carry from it or to it, since they did not establish an eruv between them.

This is not so with regard to a wall between two courtyards, which appears to divide off an independent domain; therefore, the tanna had to teach us that its law too is like that of a window, belonging to both domains, and that carrying to it or from it is prohibited.

And it is likewise obvious [though it is necessary to state it] that if the domain between them is used

by this one through throwing

to a height of ten handbreadths

and by that one through throwing

[because it was ten handbreadths high on both sides], both courtyards are prohibited from using that domain, since it belongs to both of them!

This

is

the Mishna cited above:

A wall between two courtyards,

ten handbreadths high and four handbreadths wide, “provided that they do not lower [the produce] below”! And it is likewise obvious to us, and there is no need to state it, that if the domain is used

by this one through lowering

to a depth of ten handbreadths

and by that one through lowering

to a depth of ten handbreadths, both are prohibited from using it!

This

is

the Mishna above:

A trench between two courtyards,

ten handbreadths deep and four handbreadths wide—they establish two eruvin but do not establish one. The tanna did not trouble to teach us that they are prohibited from using it [as he did with regard to the wall], because it is obvious [according to Gaon Yaakov].

And this law concerning the domain is likewise obvious to us if it is used

by this one by way of an opening and by that one through throwing.

This

is

that which

that

he said above,

Rabba bar Rav Huna said that Rav Naḥman said:

A wall between two courtyards, one side of which is ten handbreadths high and the other side of which is level with the ground [less than ten]—they give it to the one whose side is level with the ground. This is because for this one its use is convenient [by way of an opening], whereas for that one its use is difficult [since he uses it by throwing]. [See illustration]

And everywhere that it is used conveniently by one and with difficulty by the other, they give it to the one for whom its use is convenient!

And this law concerning the domain is likewise obvious to us if it is used

by this one by way of an opening and by that one through lowering

ten handbreadths.

This

is

that which

that

he said above,

Rav Shizbi said that Rav Naḥman said:

A trench between two courtyards, one side of which is ten handbreadths deep and the other side of which is level with the ground [the ground on this side of the trench was lower, so that the trench was less than ten handbreadths deep relative to it]—they give it to the one whose side is level with the ground, because for this one its use is convenient [by way of an opening], whereas for that one its use is difficult, since he uses it through lowering.

But this is what was uncertain to us:

If the domain is used

by this one through lowering

[because one courtyard was ten handbreadths higher than it],

and by that one through throwing

[because the other courtyard was ten handbreadths lower than the domain] —

what?

[See illustration 1]

Rav said: Both are prohibited,

because for both of them it is used with difficulty.

And Shmuel said: They give it to the one who uses it through lowering.

Because for this one its use is convenient,

since lowering, relative to throwing, is convenient use, whereas

for that one its use is difficult.

And anything whose use is convenient for this one and difficult for that one —

they give it to the one for whom its use is convenient.

We learned

in our Mishna:

The residents of a courtyard and the residents of a gallery who forgot and did not establish an eruv: anything that is ten handbreadths high —

to the gallery.

Less than this —

to the courtyard.

It entered your mind

of the members of the academy:

What is meant by

“gallery” —