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Eruvin 35b

עירובין ל״ה ע״ב

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Topic

Why רבי מאיר is strict about a doubtful עירוב: are תחומין Torah law, and how does this fit his other rulings on doubt?

Overview

This amud continues the משנה about an עירוב תחומין that may have become unusable before or after nightfall on ערב שבת. In that doubt רבי מאיר is strict and רבי יוסי is lenient. First the גמרא explains that the burnt case shows how far רבי יוסי's leniency goes, and the impure תרומה case shows how far רבי מאיר's strictness goes. Then it asks why רבי מאיר is strict at all, since a משנה about doubtful immersion is lenient for rabbinic impurity. The answer is that רבי מאיר holds תחומין are a Torah law. The גמרא challenges this from רבי מאיר's ruling that we 'pierce mountains' when measuring. It answers that this leniency was his teacher's view, which he only reported ('I have heard'). Next the גמרא contrasts this with רבי מאיר's leniency about a person touched at night and found dead in the morning, which is also a Torah-level doubt. רבי ירמיה answers that a שרץ sat on the עירוב all through בין השמשות, but that does not fit רבי יוסי's ruling. So רבה and רב יוסף explain that the doubt comes from two sets of witnesses who contradict each other.

Opening lines

לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ כֹּחוֹ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי.

to show you the strength of Rabbi Yosei's position.

תְּנָא תְּרוּמָה וְנִטְמֵאת —

It taught the case of terumah that became impure

לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ כֹּחוֹ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר.

to show you the strength of Rabbi Meir's position.

וְסָבַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר סְפֵיקָא לְחוּמְרָא?

And does Rabbi Meir hold that a doubt is treated stringently?

The steps (16)

  1. ResponseEach example shows the full strength of one opinion
  2. ChallengeDoes רבי מאיר really rule stringently in a doubt?
  3. ProofThe מקוה case: in doubt, he stays impure
  4. StatementThis applies only to severe impurity
  5. ProofWith light rabbinic impurity, in doubt he is pure
  6. Proofרבי יוסי disagrees in the quoted משנה
  7. Resolutionרבי מאיר holds that תחומין are from the Torah
  8. Challengeרבי מאיר allows piercing mountains when measuring
  9. ProofPiercing is never used for Torah measurements
  10. ResolutionThe lenient ruling belongs to his teacher
  11. ProofProof from the wording 'I have heard'
  12. ChallengeA new contradiction in רבי מאיר's Torah-law rulings
  13. ProofTouching someone at night who was found dead
  14. Resolutionרבי ירמיה: a שרץ sat on it all of twilight
  15. ChallengeWould רבי יוסי call this a valid doubtful עירוב?
  16. ResolutionThe doubt comes from two sets of witnesses who disagree