Eruvin 66a

עירובין ס״ו ע״א

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Topic

Eruvin 66a: Renting a נכרי's courtyard rights on שבת — נהרדעא's challenge, and רבי אלעזר's difficulty from שמואל's rule on ביטול רשות

Overview

The amud opens with the end of רבי יוחנן's ruling: residents who rented a נכרי's rights in their shared courtyard on שבת itself 'did well.' The scholars of נהרדעא object, citing רבי יוחנן's own rule that 'renting is like making an עירוב.' Since an עירוב must be made מבעוד יום, they argue that renting must be done before שבת too. The גמרא answers that the comparison only carries over leniencies. Renting works for less than a שוה פרוטה, it works through the נכרי's hired worker or harvester (שכירו ולקיטו), and one resident can rent for everyone in the courtyard. Then רבי אלעזר is puzzled by רבי יוחנן's ruling, and רב ששת explains that the difficulty comes from a teaching of שמואל, רבי אלעזר's teacher. שמואל taught that ביטול רשות works only where residents both restrict each other and could make an עירוב together. The גמרא illustrates each case and suggests that 'they restrict but cannot make an עירוב' refers to a courtyard with a גוי. It then notes that if the גוי came before שבת, they could have rented from him then, which points to a גוי who arrived on שבת. The discussion continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (14)

1. Statementרבי יוחנן approves of renting that was done on שבת
2. ChallengeThe scholars of נהרדעא ask how renting on שבת can work if renting is like an עירוב
3. RejectionThe comparison is a leniency: renting works even for less than a פרוטה
4. RejectionA second leniency: renting even through the gentile's hired worker or harvester
5. RejectionThird parallel: one person can rent on behalf of everyone
6. Challengeרבי אלעזר was puzzled by the ruling
7. Questionרבי זירא asks what bothered רבי אלעזר
8. Responseרב ששת: the difficulty came from his teacher שמואל
9. Statementשמואל's three-part rule about renouncing rights
10. StatementFirst case illustrated: two courtyards, one inside the other
11. StatementSecond case: they can make an עירוב but do not restrict each other
12. StatementThird case: they restrict each other but cannot make an עירוב
13. QuestionWhich case does the third rule include? A gentile
14. ChallengeIf the gentile came before שבת, they should have rented from him then