Eruvin 109

והיינו דאמר אבדימי בר חמא בר דוסא מאי דכתיב (דברים ל, יב) לא בשמים היא ולא מעבר לים היא לא בשמים היא שאם בשמים היא אתה צריך לעלות אחריה ואם מעבר לים היא אתה צריך לעבור אחריה

This<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The deduction that it is necessary to resort to special efforts, such as the device of mnemotechnical symbols and the like, in order to acquire a knowledge of the Torah.');">¹</span> is in harmony with the following statement of R.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So Bah, wanting in cur. edd.');">²</span> Abdimi B'Hama B'Dosa:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' MS.M. R. Dimi b. Hisda.');">³</span> What is the significance of the text: It is not in heaven, [that thou shouldst say: 'who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us'],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXX, 12.');">⁴</span>

רבא אמר לא בשמים היא לא תמצא במי שמגביה דעתו עליה כשמים ולא תמצא במי שמרחיב דעתו עליה כים

neither is it beyond the sea [that thou shouldst sat, 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unt us']?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 13.');">⁵</span> 'It is not in heaven', for if it were in heaven you should have gone up after it; and if it were 'beyond the sea', you should have gone over the sea after it. Raba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Var. lec. R. Johanan (She'iltoth, Toledoth, XIX) .');">⁶</span> expounded, 'It is not in heaven',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXX, 12.');">⁴</span>

רבי יוחנן אמר לא בשמים היא לא תמצא בגסי רוח ולא מעבר לים היא לא תמצא לא בסחרנים ולא בתגרים:

it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Torah.');">⁷</span> is not to be found with him who, because he possesses some knowledge of it, towers in his pride as high<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'who lifts up his mind because of it'.');">⁸</span> as the heavens, '[neither is it beyond the sea'] it is not found with him who, because of some knowledge of it, is as expansive in his self-esteem<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'who widens his mind because of it'.');">⁹</span> as the sea.

תנו רבנן כיצד מעברין את הערים ארוכה כמות שהיא עגולה עושין לה זויות מרובעת אין עושין לה זויות היתה רחבה מצד אחד וקצרה מצד אחר רואין אותה כאילו היא שוה

R'Johanan<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Var. lec. Raba (She'iltoth, ibid.) .');">¹⁰</span> expounded: 'It is not in heaven', it<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Torah.');">¹¹</span> is not to be found among the arrogant;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. notes on previous exposition by Raba.');">¹²</span> 'neither is it beyond the sea', it is not to be found among merchants or dealers.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The 'sea' representing maritime trade.');">¹³</span>

היה בית אחד יוצא כמין פגום או שני בתים יוצאין כמין שני פגומין רואין אותן כאילו חוט מתוח עליהן ומודד ממנו ולהלן אלפים אמה היתה עשויה כמין קשת או כמין גאם רואין אותה כאילו היא מלאה בתים וחצירות ומודד ממנו ולהלן אלפים אמה

Our Rabbis taught: How are the sabbath boundaries of towns extended? [If a town is] long the sabbath limits are measured from its normal boundaries.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., as it is - This is further explained infra.');">¹⁴</span> If it is round corners are added to it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. the circumference of the town is deemed to be enclosed in an imaginary square and the Sabbath limits are measured from the sides of that square, the townspeople thus gaining the benefit of longer distances through the angles of the square:');">¹⁵</span> If it is square no corners are added to it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is explained infra.');">¹⁶</span>

אמר מר ארוכה כמות שהיא פשיטא לא צריכא דאריכא וקטינא מהו דתימא ליתן לה פותיא אאורכה קמ"ל

If it was wide on one side and narrow on the other<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If its northern side, for instance, was wider than its southern side.');">¹⁷</span> it is regarded as if both its sides were equal.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The southern boundary is deemed to be extended in both directions to the same length as the northern one, and the extremities of this imaginary line are deemed to be joined to the extremities of the northern boundary.');">¹⁸</span> If one house projected<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From the town wall.');">¹⁹</span> like a turret, or if two houses projected<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is now assumed that both houses were on the same side of the town.');">²⁰</span>

מרובעת אין עושין לה זויות פשיטא לא צריכא דמרבעא ולא מרבעא בריבוע עולם מהו דתימא לירבעא בריבוע עולם קא משמע לן

like two turrets, they are to be treated as if a thread had been drawn beside them in a straight line, and the two thousand cubits are measured from that line outwards.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the projecting house, for instance, was in a corner on the northern side of the town, an imaginary line, parallel to the town in wall, is drawn across the northern side of the house towards the western side of the town, and this line is deemed to represent the boundary of the town for the purpose of measuring the Sabbath limits. The respective positions of the 'two houses projected' is discussed presently.');">²¹</span> If the town was shaped like a bow<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' No houses having been built on the side corresponding to the bow-string.');">²²</span> or like a gamma,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gr. **. Cf. prev. n. mut. mut.');">²³</span> it is to be regarded as if it had been full of houses and courtyards, and the two thousand cubits are measured from the imaginary boundaries outwards.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosef. 'Er. IV. Every townsman man, irrespective of the position of his house, is entitled to walk two thousand cubits distance from the imaginary, as well as from the actual boundaries.');">²⁴</span>

היה בית אחד יוצא כמין פגום או שני בתים יוצאין כמין שני פגומין השתא בית אחד אמרת שני בתים מיבעיא

The Master said: '[If a town is] long the Sabbath limits are measured from its normal boundaries'. But is this not obvious? - The ruling is required in a case where it was long but narrow. Since it might have been presumed that the width should be regarded as equal to its length.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., as if the a town were square-shaped and its shorter sides were equal to its longer ones.');">²⁵</span> we were informed [that the law was not so].'

לא צריכא משתי רוחות מהו דתימא מרוח אחת אמרינן משתי רוחות לא אמרינן קא משמע לן

If it is square shaped no corners are added to it'. Is not this obvious? - This was only required in a case where it is square shaped but the sides of the square are not parallel with the four directions of the world. As it might have been presumed that it should be deemed to be enclosed in an imaginary square whose sides are parallel with the four directions of the world, we were informed [that this is not permitted].' If one house projected like a turret, or if two houses projected like two turrets'.

היתה עשויה כמין קשת או כמין גאם רואין אותה כאילו היא מלאה בתים וחצירות ומודד ממנה ולהלן אלפים אמה אמר רב הונא עיר העשויה כקשת אם יש בין שני ראשיה פחות מארבעת אלפים אמה מודדין לה מן היתר ואם לאו מודדין לה מן הקשת

Now that you said that law applied to one house, was it also necessary to mention two houses? - The ruling was necessary in that case only where the two houses were respectively on two sides of the town. As it might have been presumed that we apply the law only where a projecting house was on one side but not when houses were projecting on two sides, we were informed [that the law is applied to the latter case also].' If the town was shaped like a bow or like a gamma, it is to be regarded as if it had been full of houses an courtyards, and the two thousand cubits are measured from its imaginary boundaries'. R'Huna laid down: If a town is shaped like a bow, then, if the distance between its two ends<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the side corresponding to the bow string.');">²⁶</span>

ומי אמר רב הונא הכי והאמר רב הונא חומת העיר שנפרצה במאה וארבעים ואחת ושליש

is less than four thousand cubits,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that the Sabbath limit from the one end overlaps with the Sabbath limit from the opposite end.');">²⁷</span> the Sabbath limits are measured from the bow-string,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Outwards; and the whole town, as far as its inhabitants are concerned, is regarded as no bigger than four cubits within which they may freely move on the Sabbath in addition to the two thousand cubits distance beyond the town in all directions.');">²⁸</span> otherwise measuring must begin from the arch.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Every inhabitant may move no further than two thousand cubits from his own house in any direction.');">²⁹</span> But could R'Huna have laid down such a ruling?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That two sections of a town are regarded as one where the distance between them is less than four thousand cubits.');">³⁰</span>

אמר רבה בר עולא לא קשיא כאן ברוח אחת כאן משתי רוחות

Did not R'Huna in fact rule: If a breach was made in a town wall,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. a breach that completely severed the town in two distinct sections, no houses intervening.');">³¹</span> [the houses on both sides of the breach are regarded as belonging to the same town if the distance between them is] no more than a hundred and forty-one and a third cubits?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A distance representing the length of two karpafs of seventy and two thirds cubits each (which each town is allowed in addition to the Sabbath limit of two thousand cubits) . But if the distance was greater, the two sections are regarded as two different towns. How then could it be said that R. Huna permitted any distance within four thousand cubits?');">³²</span> - Rabbah B''Ulla replied: This is no difficulty, since the former<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A bow shaped town.');">³³</span> deals with a case where the gap was only on one side<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 385, n. 9.');">³⁴</span>

ומאי קמ"ל דנותנין קרפף לזו וקרפף לזו הא אמרה רב הונא חדא זימנא דתנן

while the latter deals with one that had breaches on two sides.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra n. 6.');">³⁵</span> Then what does he<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Huna in the last ruling cited.');">³⁶</span> inform us? That a karpaf<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of a length of seventy and two thirds cubits.');">³⁷</span> is allowed for each section.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the same manner as one is allowed for each of two adjacent towns which are thereby combined to form one town for the purposes of Sabbath movements.');">³⁸</span> But did not R'Huna once lay down such a ruling, as we learned: