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Eruvin 83

1) THE INCREASED STANDARDS OF MEASURE

QUESTION: The Gemara explains that when Rebbi measured the various measures, he added a bit (1/20 or 1/80 Beitzah for every Beitzah, see Rashi) more to each measure. Why did Rebbi add that amount to the measures?

ANSWER: RASHI (Shabbos 15a DH Chamishah v'Od) and TOSFOS (in our Sugya DH Yeseirah) explain that Rebbi determined that the eggs at the time of Moshe were slightly larger than today's eggs. When we measure 207 eggs, we really are measuring slightly less than that amount of eggs would have measured in the past. Therefore Rebbi added the "v'Od" to each egg that we measure using present day eggs.

This, points out Tosfos, is why the additional 'v'Odos' of Rebbi are only mentioned with regard to the modern, Tzipori, measure. Rebbi did not add 'v'Odos' to the Midbari measure, since in the Midbar proper sized eggs were used (and at the time that the Yerushalmi measure was instituted, they did not yet notice the difference between the sizes of eggs).

83b

QUESTION: The Mishnah discusses the Halachos of shared domains between a Chatzer and a balcony, in a case where the residents of the Chatzer and the residents of the balcony above the Chatzer forgot to make an Eruv together. RASHI on the Mishnah says that although they did not make a joint Eruv together, they did make separate Eruvin in their respective areas. Rashi also says that there is a ladder that goes from the Chatzer to the balcony, and therefore if they did not make an Eruv together, they will not prohibit each other from carrying in their respective domains. The reason is because the ladder is considered to be both a Pesach and a Mechitzah, and thus it serves to separate the two domains from each other.

Why did Rashi have to mention that it is the ladder which serves as a Mechitzah? There is already a Mechitzah separating between the Chatzer and the balcony -- the height of ten Tefachim is equivalent to a Mechitzah!

ANSWER: The RITVA explains that Rashi wanted to explain the Mishnah according to all opinions. Rebbi Akiva (59b, 66b, 75a) is of the opinion that "Regel ha'Muteres bi'Mekomah Oseres she'Lo bi'Mekomah;" when there is one Chatzer located on the inner side of another Chatzer, and the inner Chatzer's only access to the outside is via the outer Chatzer, the inner Chatzer's trampling over the outer Chatzer make it prohibited for the residents of the outer Chatzer to carry in their Chatzer with their own Eruv. The inner Chatzer's trampling prohibits people in the outer Chatzer from carrying even when the residents of the inner Chatzer may carry in their own Chatzer (because they have an Eruv).

In the case of our Mishnah, the residents of the balcony are like the residents of the inner Chatzer who walk through an outer Chatzer. Even though they are permitted in their own domain (because of their Eruv), according to Rebbi Akiva they should prohibit the residents of the Chatzer from carrying in the Chatzer, since there is no joint Eruv (and the Eruv of the outer Chatzer is ineffective due to the trampling of people living on the balcony). Therefore, Rashi says that the ladder serves as a *Mechitzah* to separate the two domains. It is not considered an entranceway through which the inner Chatzer could prohibit the outer Chatzer (see Daf 59b).