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Eruvin 33b

עירובין ל״ג ע״ב

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Topic

How רבי combines the views of רבי מאיר and רבי יהודה to rule on an עירוב placed in a basket hanging on a tree, and the source for רבי יהודה's requirement that an עירוב rest on a place four טפחים wide.

Overview

The גמרא explains רבי's ruling about an עירוב placed in a basket hanging from a tree. רבי combines two ideas. From רבי מאיר he takes חוקקין להשלים, so the basket counts toward widening the tree to four טפחים. From רבי יהודה he takes the rule that an עירוב must rest on a place four טפחים wide. The source for רבי יהודה is a ברייתא about a beam in רשות הרבים. The גמרא re-reads that ברייתא: only a beam ten טפחים high needs a top four wide, while a lower beam is part of רשות הרבים and needs no width. The גמרא then asks whether this basket explanation clashes with רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה, who treats a basket on a reed as a private domain. It answers that the basket's walls surround the reed but do not surround the tree. רבי ירמיה offers a different explanation: a basket can be tilted down to within ten טפחים. Finally, רב בר שבא challenges רב פפא's teaching from a משנה about one עירוב for יום טוב followed by שבת, and the discussion continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְרַבִּי סָבַר לַהּ כְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר,

And Rabbi holds like Rabbi Meir,

וְסָבַר לַהּ כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה.

and he holds like Rabbi Yehuda.

סָבַר לַהּ כְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר,

He holds like Rabbi Meir,

דְּאָמַר חוֹקְקִין לְהַשְׁלִים.

who said: we carve out to complete.

The steps (13)

  1. Statementרבי follows two different תנאים
  2. StatementThe רבי מאיר piece: imagine the surface widened
  3. StatementThe רבי יהודה piece: the עירוב needs a four-טפח base
  4. QuestionWhere does רבי יהודה say this?
  5. ResponseThe ברייתא of the beam in רשות הרבים
  6. ChallengeWhy would a short beam invalidate the עירוב?
  7. ResolutionRe-reading the ברייתא: four wide is needed only when the beam is ten high
  8. QuestionWhose view supports the earlier basket explanation?
  9. Proofרבי יוסי ברבי יהודה: a basket on a reed makes a private domain
  10. RejectionSurrounding walls versus non-surrounding walls
  11. Statementרבי ירמיה: a basket can be tilted down within ten טפחים
  12. Statementרב פפא teaches the הלכה
  13. ChallengeAn objection from the case of a festival next to Shabbat