More Discussions for this daf
1. Subject: Defining the Techum of a City 2. Amar Lei Rav Safra l'Rava
DAF DISCUSSIONS - ERUVIN 57

First from Yeshiva Shaare Chaim asked:

WHO EXPLAINS THE GEMARA?

Thanking you very much - in advance --for helping me with these questions

The Kollel replies:

I have included the Review Questions and Answers and our Point by Point Summary for that Amud. That part of the Gemara is addressed in Question and Answer 7b.

Let us know if you need further explanation.

Hope this helps

P Silverman

Kollel Iyun Hadaf

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DAFYOMI REVIEW QUESTIONS ON GEMARA AND RASHI

by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler

Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim

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Eruvin 57

57b-----------------------------57b

5)

(a) Chiya bar Rav establishes the author of the Seifa of our Mishnah (which

gives seventy and two thirds Amos to each of the two towns), as Rebbi

Meir. But Rebbi Meir has already taught in the Reisha that every town has

a Karpaf? Why does he need to repeat the same Chidush twice?

(b) Our Mishnah states that if there are three villages in a line, and the

space between the two outer ones is not more than a hundred and forty one

and a third Amos, then all three villages combine. Why is this a Kashya on

Rav Huna?

(c) How does Rav Huna answer this Kashya?

6)

(a) What is the maximum distance that the middle village is permitted to be

out of line (according to Rav Huna's interpretation), for it to combine

with the other two?

(b) Rava asked Abaye (who made the last point) how he reconciled it with

his own statement above (on 55b), where he permitted a town in the shape of

a bow, even when the distance between the string and the bow was more

than two thousand Amos. What did he answer?

(c) Does the distance between the outer villages make any difference?

7)

(a) How do we reconcile the fact that here we permit the three villages,

even if the distance between the outer ones is in excess of four thousand

Amos, with Rav Huna, who ruled with regard to the city shaped like a bow,

that if there was more than four thousand Amos between the two sides of

the bow, they did not combine, but were considered to be two towns?

(b) How did Rava account for the fact that the inhabitants of Akistefun and

Ardeshir considered themselves one town, even though the River Diglas,

which was wider than a hundred and forty one and a third Amos, divided

between them?

8)

(a) What size rope was used for measuring Techumin, and how was the rope held?

(b) What did the measurers do if, in the course of measuring, they

encountered ...

1. ... an acute 'valley'?

2. ... a steep pile of rubble or a steep hill?

(c) What does the Mishnah mean when it says 'u'Vilevad she'Lo Yetzei Chutz

li'Techum' (two explanations), and what is the reason for this?

(d) What does one do if it is not possible to measure the hill from the side?

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ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS

by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler

Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim

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57b------------------------------------57b

5)

(a) When Rebbi Meir said in the Reisha that every town has a Karpaf - we

might have thought that one Karpaf will suffice even for two towns. And

had he taught us the Din of two Karfifos for two towns, we would have

thought that there, two Karfifos do not separate the towns, because the

demarcation line between two towns is an open unused space between them -

and due to the many people who use the space, two Karfifos is not

sufficient space to qualify for that. One town however, does not require a

Karpaf at all, since it is anyway surrounded by an open space.

(b) The Gemara thinks that the three villages are actually in line, and

that there is exactly one hundred and forty one and a third Amos in between

the two outer villages. In that case, we can deduce that the three villages

combine only because of the one in the middle. Otherwise, they would not

combine - because of the two Karfifos in between them - not like Rav Huna.

(c) Rav answers that our Mishnah is speaking when there are far more than a

hundred and forty one and a third Amos separating the two villages. And we

are speaking here, not about when the third village is in line with the

others, but when it forms a triangle with them. If, by placing the third

village in line with the others, less than a hundred and forty one and a

third Amos remain, then they are considered one village; otherwise, they

remain three.

6)

(a) The middle village will only combine with the other two if it is not

more than two thousand Amos away from the line that joins them.

(b) In the case of the town shaped like a bow, Abaye permitted walking the

distance between the string and the bow even when it was more than two

thousand Amos - because there were houses all along the bow, and would have

been possible to walk to the string via the houses, which is not the case here.

(c) No! The distance between the outer villages make no difference at all.

As long as the middle village would fill in all the space that is in excess

of a hundred and forty one and a third Amos if it were in line with the

others, the three combine.

7)

(a) Rav Huna rules, with regard to the city shaped like a bow, that if the

distance between the two sides of the bow is more than four thousand Amos,

they do not combine, but are considered to be two towns - because there we

cannot say 'fill the space' (with the houses on the bow - see Tosfos DH

'Ela'); whereas here we say 'fill the space' (with the third village).

(b) Rava accounted for the fact that the inhabitants of Akistefun and

Ardeshir considered themselves one town with regard to Eruvin, even though

the River Diglas, which was wider than a hundred and forty one and a third

Amos, divided between them - because there were still remains of walls

visible in the river (which had the Din of Gedudi'os).

8)

(a) The rope used for measuring the Techum - had to be fifty Amos long, and

had to be held next to the heart. The reason for this - is because Chazal

fixed this arbitrarily, to avoid the scenario where one of the measurers

holds the rope by his neck and the other one, by his feet (thereby

subtracting from the two thousand Amos).

(b) If the measurers encountered ...

1. ... an acute 'valley' - they would (provided it was not more than fifty

Amos across) absorb it in the two thousand Amos by measuring across it.

2. ... a steep pile of rubble or a steep hill- they would absorb it by

going round the pile or the hill, measuring only in a parallel line to

their previous measurements (i.e. the point between the two ends of the

pile or the hill), before returning to the line where they had previously

been measuring (as if the wall had not been there) and continuing from there.

(c) 'u'Vilevad she'Lo Yetzei Chutz li'Techum' - means that, when they move

away from the line of measurement (i.e. to the side, to avoid the valley,

the rubble or the hill), they are not permitted to move outside the Techum

to measure from there. Alternatively, they are not permitted to measure

the valley etc. beyond the Techum whilst absorbing it (and then walk back

the few Amos that they exceeded the Techum into the valley etc. (and deduct

the excess from the measurement). This is because people who see them will

think that the Techum reaches as far as they walked.

(d) If they are unable to 'absorb' the hill - they employ the method of

measuring called 'Kidur' (Mekadrin) - which will be explained later.

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POINT BY POINT SUMMARY OF THE DAF

prepared by P. Feldman of Kollel Iyun Hadaf

daf@dafyomi.co.il, http://www.dafyomi.co.il

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57b-------------57b

(n) Question: R. Meir already taught in the Reisha that we

give a Karfef to a city (surely, two cities get two

Karfifos)!

(o) Answer: He must teach both of these:

1. Had he only taught the Reisha, one might have

thought that one Karfef is given for one or two

cities - the Seifa teaches that two cities get two

Karfifos;

2. Had he only taught the Seifa, one might have thought

that Karfifos are given to two cities [near each

other], for they are cramped, but a lone city gets

no Karfef - the Reisha teaches that this is not so.

3) THE MIDDLE CITY JOINS THE OUTER ONES

(a) Question (against Rav Huna - Mishnah): The same applies

to three cities that are Meshulashim - if the outermost

ones are less than 141 Amos apart, the middle one makes

them like one.

1. Inference: If not for the middle city, they would

not be like one!

(b) Answer: Rabah explained, they are not evenly spaced in a

line (rather, they are in a triangle - see diagram in

graphics section) - if we would project the third city

between the other two and it would be within 141 Amos of

each of them, then all are like one.

(c) Question (Rava): How far can the third city be [from the

others, and still we may consider it to be between them]?

(d) Answer (Abaye): It may be up to 2000 Amos away (since it

is within the Techum of the others, we project it as if

it is between them).

(e) Question (Rava): But you yourself said that presumably,

Rava brei d'Rabah is right (if a city is shaped like a

bow and the ends are less than 4000 apart), i.e. the bow

may be more than 2000 Amos from the Yeser [and still we

measure from the Yeser]!

(f) Answer (Abaye): There are, there are houses along the bow

(one can traverse it without leaving the city) - here,

there are no houses between the cities.

(g) Question (Rava): What is the maximum distance between the

outermost cities?

(h) Answer (Abaye): We are not concerned for this! As long as

when we project the middle city between them it is within

141 of each of them, all are like one!

(i) Question: Is this even if the outer cities are 4000 Amos

apart?

(j) Answer: Yes!

(k) Question: But Rav Huna taught that if a city is shaped

like a bow and the ends are less than 4000 apart, we

measure from the Yeser; if not, we measure from the bow!

(l) Answer: There, we cannot project the houses in the middle

to the Yeser (this would deprive them of their Techum

from the bow); here, we can project the middle city.

(m) Question (Rav Safra): People of Akistefun measure from

the end of Ardeshir and vice-versa, even though the

Diglas river separates them, and it is more than 141 and

a third wide!

(n) Answer (Rava): Part of the city wall is in the river

within 70 Amos and a fraction [of the Ibur of the other

city].