Eruvin 21a

עירובין כ״א ע״א

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Topic

פסי ביראות and בורגנין: their limits, and an אגדה on the vastness of the תורה

Overview

This amud finishes a ברייתא saying that פסי ביראות were permitted only for animals, while a person must climb down into the well to drink. The גמרא challenges this from שמואל, who allows the boards only at a spring-water well, and answers that the water must still be fit for people. רב ענן then asks why the enclosed area must fit a cow's head and most of its body if a person may not hold water before his animal. אביי answers that this ban applies only to a special trough case. Next, רב teaches that בורגנין do not work in בבל and פסי ביראות do not work in חוץ לארץ. An איכא דאמרי version says neither works anywhere outside ארץ ישראל. רב חסדא questions מרי's family walking a long way on שבת, and מרי shows that ruined towns close to one another, not huts, joined the route. The amud ends with אגדה from מרי בר מר: the תורה is 3200 times larger than the whole world. A new דרשה about two baskets of figs begins and continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (24)

1. StatementEnd of the quote: a person climbs into the well
2. ChallengeChallenge from שמואל: boards only for spring-water wells
3. ResolutionThe water must still be fit for people
4. StatementThe full ברייתא quoted again with its details
5. Challengeרב ענן: then what good are the boards?
6. RejectionOf course they help: they let you draw water
7. ChallengeRestating the question: why does the cow need so much room?
8. Resolutionאביי: the case of a trough sticking into the enclosure
9. Statementרב: no בורגנין in בבל, no פסי ביראות outside ארץ ישראל
10. StatementThe reasons: floods in בבל and few ישיבות outside ארץ ישראל
11. ConclusionIn practice we do the reverse
12. StatementA second version of רב's teaching: neither rule works anywhere outside ארץ ישראל
13. StatementWhy huts do not work in Babylonia or anywhere outside the Land
14. StatementWhy well-boards do not work in Babylonia or anywhere outside the Land
15. Challengeרב חסדא questions how מרי's family walked three פרסאות on שבת
16. Resolutionמרי shows a chain of ruined towns within 70⅔ אמות of each other
17. StatementFour prophets and the breadth of the Torah
18. StatementThe פסוקים of דוד and איוב
19. Statementיחזקאל's scroll written on both sides
20. StatementDecoding the three words on יחזקאל's scroll
21. Statementזכריה sees a flying scroll with exact measurements
22. StatementOpening and peeling the scroll: 40 by 20 אמות
23. ConclusionThe whole world is 1/3200 of the תורה
24. StatementA new דרשה begins: the two baskets of figs