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Eruvin 51b

עירובין נ״א ע״ב

Learn Eruvin 51b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether an עשיר may set his שבת residence by foot: רב נחמן vs. רב חסדא on the מחלוקת of רבי מאיר and רבי יהודה, the proofs for רב נחמן, and רב's ruling like רבי יהודה

Overview

The משנה speaks of a person who sets his שבת residence by going to a spot and declaring it, instead of placing bread there. רבי מאיר says only a poor man (עני) may do this. רבי יהודה says a rich man (עשיר) may too. רב נחמן explains that they argue about saying 'במקומי' (right where I stand), and that everyone agrees naming a distant spot ('במקום פלוני') works only for an עני. רב חסדא reverses this: they argue about 'במקום פלוני', and everyone agrees 'במקומי' works for all. For each view, the גמרא shows which lines of the משנה follow which תנא. A ברייתא supports רב נחמן. It includes רבי יהודה's story of poor people from כפר שיחין and כפר חנניה who spent nightfall at the edge of the תחום so they could collect food in ארומא. רב אשי adds a proof from another משנה: a traveler who was turned back may go, but the townspeople may not. This shows that even רבי יהודה limits 'במקום פלוני' to an עני. רב then rules that the הלכה follows רבי יהודה, and the amud ends by opening a story about רבה בר רב חנן's trips to פומבדיתא, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

עָנִי הוּא דְּאַקִּילוּ רַבָּנַן עִילָּוֵיהּ,

It is a poor man for whom the Rabbis were lenient,

אֲבָל עָשִׁיר — לָא.

but a rich man — no.

וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר:

And Rabbi Yehuda holds:

עִיקַּר עֵירוּב בָּרֶגֶל,

the main form of eiruv is by foot,

The steps (22)

  1. Statementרב נחמן: רבי מאיר limits the foot-עירוב to a poor man
  2. Statementרב נחמן: רבי יהודה says the foot-עירוב is the main method
  3. Statementרב נחמן: everyone agrees 'at such-and-such place' is only for a poor man
  4. Response'And this is what they said' is taught by רבי מאיר
  5. ResponseThat line refers back to the case of one unfamiliar with a landmark or the הלכה
  6. Response'They only said bread to be lenient' is taught by רבי יהודה
  7. Statementרב חסדא: the dispute is about 'at such-and-such place'
  8. Statementרב חסדא: everyone agrees 'in my place' works for rich and poor
  9. ResponseUnder רב חסדא, 'And this is what they said' is רבי מאיר
  10. ResponseUnder רב חסדא, the line refers to the traveler caught by nightfall
  11. ResponseUnder רב חסדא, 'bread is only a leniency' is agreed by all
  12. ProofA ברייתא supports רב נחמן: רבי מאיר's view
  13. ProofThe ברייתא continues: רבי יהודה's view
  14. Proofרבי יהודה's story of the poor people coming for food
  15. Proofרב אשי brings support from the משנה
  16. QuestionRecalling the question: why is he different from them?
  17. Responseרב הונא: the man has two houses far apart
  18. ResponseThe traveler counts as poor, the townspeople as rich
  19. ConclusionConclusion: naming a spot works for the poor, not the rich
  20. StatementA student recites the משנה's line about rich and poor
  21. Statementרב rules that the הלכה follows רבי יהודה
  22. StatementA story begins about רבה בר רב חנן's regular trip