13th CYCLE DEDICATIONS:

ERUVIN 29 (26 Nisan) - dedicated by Mr. Avi Berger of Queens, N.Y./Passaic, N.J. in memory of his mother, Leah bas Michel Mordechai, in honor of her Yahrzeit.

1)

MAY ONE BE ME'AREV WITH BEETS?

(a)

Version #1 (Rav Hamnuna): One may be Me'arev with raw beets.

(b)

Question: Rav Chisda taught that raw beets kill a healthy person!

(c)

Answer: He means that half-cooked beets kill a healthy person.

(d)

Version #2 (Rav Hamnuna): One may not be Me'arev with raw beets, for Rav Chisda taught that raw beets kill a healthy person.

(e)

Question: We see that people eat them and do not die from them!

(f)

Answer: Rav Hamnuna and Rav Chisda refer to half-cooked beets. (end of Version #2)

(g)

(Rav Chisda): A cooked beet dish is good for the heart and eyes, and all the more so for the intestines;

(h)

(Abaye): This is only if it totally dried out through cooking, to the point that it dissolves and makes noise when it is boiled.

2)

SHI'URIM FOR AN ERUV

(a)

(Rava): [Today] I am ready to answer any question, like Ben Azai in the market of Tiverya. (Normally, one may ask only about the matter being learned.)

(b)

Question: What is the Shi'ur of apples for an Eruv?

1.

Objection (Rava): One may not be Me'arev with apples!

2.

Question (against Rava - Mishnah): All foods join for the following:

i.

To be Metamei [mid'Rabanan] one who eats the volume of a half-loaf (Rashi - two eggs; Rambam - one and a half eggs) of Tamei food;

ii.

To the Shi'ur of two meals for an Eruv;

iii.

To the Shi'ur of an egg for Tum'as Ochlim (to be Metamei other foods. Some hold that it is the Shi'ur to receive Tum'ah mid'Oraisa, or to receive Hechsher. I.e. food is not Mekabel Tum'ah until it is wet through one of the seven liquids.)

iv.

Question: This is not difficult. Even though it says 'all foods', and apples are a food, R. Yochanan taught that we do not learn from a Klal, even if it says 'except'.

v.

Answer: Eruv was taught with Tum'as Ochlim. This implies that it applies to everything that receives Tum'as Ochlim. Apples receive Tum'as Ochlim. (Rava is refuted.)

(c)

Question: [We still did not answer] what is the Shi'ur of apples for an Eruv?

(d)

Answer (Rav Nachman): It is one Kav (about two liters).

(e)

Question (Beraisa - R. Shimon ben Elazar): The minimal Shi'urim of Ma'aser Oni that one may give to an Oni (the amount for two meals) are:

1.

Half a Revi'is (about a 16th of a liter) of spices; a Log (half-liter) of vegetables; 10 nuts; five peaches; two pomegranates; and one Esrog.

2.

(Gursak citing Rav Menasiya citing Rav): The same Shi'urim apply to an Eruv.

3.

The Shi'ur for apples should be the same as for peaches!

(f)

Answer: Peaches are more important than apples. (They are appropriate for dessert. Therefore, the Shi'ur for dessert for two meals suffices.)

(g)

Rav Yosef: May Hash-m forgive Rav Menasiya for his mistake! I taught this to him regarding the following Mishnah, and he repeated it regarding the Beraisa!

1.

(Mishnah): The following are the minimal Shi'urim for Ma'aser Oni - half a Kav of wheat, or a Kav of barley, one and a half Kavim of spelt, a Kav of dried figs, a Maneh (the weight of 9600 barley seeds) of figs pressed into rings, a half Log of wine, and a Revi'is of oil;

2.

R. Meir says, the Shi'ur for barley is half a Kav;

3.

R. Akiva says, the Shi'urim for pressed figs, wine and oil are half a Maneh, a Revi'is, and half a Revi'is, respectively.

4.

Aba Sha'ul says, the Shi'ur for other produce is enough to sell and buy food for two meals.

5.

(Rav): The same applies to Eruv.

(h)

Version #1 (Rashi) Question: What difference does it make if Rav said this about the Mishnah or the Beraisa? (Presumably, it applies to both!)

(i)

Version #2 (Tosfos) Question: (Rav Yosef did not explicitly hear that Rav said this about the Mishnah.) Why was he so sure that Rav discusses the Mishnah, and not the Beraisa! (end of Version #2)

1.

Suggestion: The Beraisa discusses spices, which are not eaten [by themselves. Rav Yosef holds that they are invalid for an Eruv.]

2.

Rejection: Likewise, the Mishnah discusses wheat and barley, which are not eaten [until they are cooked or baked]!

(j)

Answer: Rav explicitly said that half a Log of wine is the Shi'ur for Eruv. If he requires so much (Ritva - even though a Revi'is is an important Shi'ur), surely, he learned this from the Mishnah!

(k)

(Mishnah): All foods join... to the Shi'ur of two meals for an Eruv.

(l)

(Rav Yosef): There must be a meal of each [of two foods. Many foods do not join.]

(m)

(Rabah): There can even be a half, third or quarter [meal of a food. Many different foods join.]

(n)

(Rav): Half a Log of wine is the Shi'ur for Eruv.

(o)

Question: We do not need so much!

1.

(Beraisa - R. Shimon ben Elazar): The Shi'urim for an Eruv are:

i.

Wine - enough to accompany his food (i.e. to soak bread for two meals). Vinegar - enough to dip [for two meals, i.e. a Revi'is]. Olives or onions - the amount to accompany bread [for two meals].

(p)

Answer: The Beraisa refers to cooked wine. (It is a good accompaniment for bread.)

(q)

(Beraisa): The Shi'ur for vinegar is enough to dip.

(r)

Version #1 (Rav Gidal): This means enough to dip for two meals consisting of vegetables.

(s)

Version #2 (Rav Gidal): This means enough to dip vegetables eaten in two [bread] meals. (end of Version #2)

3)

EATING ONIONS

(a)

(Beraisa): The Shi'ur for olives or onions is the amount to accompany bread [for two meals].

(b)

Question: One may not be Me'arev with onions!

1.

(Beraisa - R. Shimon ben Elazar): Once, I spent Shabbos with R. Meir. A man said that he relied on an Eruv Techumim of onions to come from another city. R. Meir ruled that he may not leave the four Amos he stands in (the Eruv was invalid).

(c)

Answer: An Eruv with onion leaves is invalid (one may not eat them), but an Eruv with onion bulbs is valid.

1.

(Beraisa): If one ate onions and died the next morning, surely they killed him.

2.

(Shmuel): This refers to onion leaves. There is no problem with bulbs.

(d)

Even the leaves are problematic only if the leaves did not grow to be a Zeres (the distance one can separate his pinky and thumb). If they did, they are fine.

29b----------------------------------------29b

(e)

(Rav Papa): It is a problem only if he did not drink beer. If he did, this is no problem. (Presumably, one may be Me'arev with the leaves and beer, for one may consume both. Surely, the Eruv R. Meir disqualified consisted only of leaves - PF.)

(f)

(Beraisa): One may not eat onions because it has Nachash (Rashi - venom; R. Chananel - a stalk whose end looks like a snake's head) inside;

(g)

A case occurred in which R. Chanina ate half an onion with half the Nachash inside. He fell sick and was about to die;

1.

His colleagues prayed for him (Ritva - even though he was Chayav Misah for transgressing Divrei Chachamim) and he recovered, because he was needed.

4)

SHI'URIM FOR VARIOUS FOODS

(a)

(R. Zeira): One may be Me'arev with beer. If three Lugim of beer fall into an [incomplete] Mikveh, they disqualify it [like Mayim She'uvim, i.e. water that was in a Kli].

(b)

Question (Rav Kahana): Obviously, they disqualify a Mikveh! Why should it be different than dye water?

1.

(Mishnah - R. Yosi): If three Lugim of dye water fell into a Mikveh, they disqualify it.

(c)

Answer: Since it is called dye water, the decree of Mayim She'uvim applies. One might have thought that beer does not Posel, since it is not called water. Rav Kahana teaches that this is not so.

(d)

Question: How much beer is needed for an Eruv?

(e)

Answer #1 (Rav Acha brei d'Rav Yosef): Two Lugim are required:

1.

(Mishnah): On Shabbos, if one was Motzi any of the following [from Reshus ha'Yachid to Reshus ha'Rabim, he is liable] - enough [raw, i.e. undiluted] wine to mix [with water] to fill a cup...

2.

(Beraisa): This is the amount of wine to mix a nice cup.

3.

Question: What is this?

4.

Answer: It is the Kos of Berachah [over which we say Birkas ha'Mazon].

5.

(Rav Nachman): One must put a quarter Revi'is of [raw] wine in the Kos of Berachah, so that after it is mixed there will be a Revi'is.

6.

(Rava): If one measure of [raw] wine cannot be mixed with three measures of water (the mixture will be too weak), the wine is substandard.

7.

(Seifa of Mishnah): The Shi'ur for all other liquids, including wastewater, is a Revi'is.

8.

Inference: Just like the Shi'ur for Hotza'ah of beer is [a Revi'is,] four times the Shi'ur for wine, also the Shi'ur for an Eruv of beer is four times that of wine!

(f)

Rejection: No, the Shi'ur Hotza'ah of beer is a Revi'is, because less is unimportant. The Shi'ur for an Eruv is less than two Lugim, since one cup (a Revi'is) in the morning and one in the evening sustain a person! (This is like two meals.)

(g)

Question: What is the Shi'ur of dates for an Eruv?

(h)

Answer (Rav Yosef): It is a Kav.

(i)

Rav Yosef: A Beraisa shows that the Shi'ur is [at most] a Kav:

1.

(Beraisa): If a non-Kohen ate dry figs [of Terumah, b'Shogeg] and paid with dates, he will be blessed!

2.

Question: What is the case? (Tana'im argue about whether the payment is according to the volume of what he ate or its value.)

i.

If [the Tana holds that] he pays according to the value, why is he blessed? (He was obligated to pay this much!)

3.

Answer #1: [The Tana holds that] he pays according to volume. [He is blessed for choosing to give] dates [because they] are worth four times as much!

4.

This shows that dates are better than dried figs. (Since a Kav suffices for dried figs (Beraisa 29a), all the more so it suffices for dates!)

(j)

Rejection (and Answer #2 to Question (1) - Abaye): Really, he pays according to the value;

1.

He is blessed because he ate something that people are not eager to buy, and paid with something that people are eager to buy.

(k)

(Rav Acha bar Pinchas): The Shi'ur for Shesisa (it is made with flour ground from parched grain; honey is added) is two spoonfuls;

(l)

(Abaye): The Shi'ur for parched grain is two Bunim (a certain measure) of Pumbadisa.

(m)

(Abaye): My [surrogate] mother told me that parched grain is good for the heart and removes worry.

(n)

(Abaye): My mother told me that if one's heart is weak, he should take meat from the right thigh of a ram, and eat it roasted in coals of cattle excrement [or willow twigs], and drink mixed wine afterwards.

5)

THE SHI'UR FOR A CONDIMENT

(a)

(Rav Yehudah): The Shi'ur for any condiment that is eaten with bread is enough to accompany bread for two meals. The Shi'ur for anything else is enough to eat two meals of it;

(b)

The Shi'ur for Chai (raw) meat is enough to eat two meals of it. (Rashba - it is salted (Yerushalmi), for if not, most people would not eat it. Ritva - alternatively, Chai means half-cooked, like we say regarding Ben Sorer u'Moreh.)

(c)

(Rabah): The Shi'ur for roasted meat is enough to eat with two meals of bread. (He holds that it is an accompaniment);

(d)

(Rav Yosef): The Shi'ur is enough to eat two meals of it.

(e)

Support (Rav Yosef, for himself): Persians eat roasted meat without bread. (Ritva - if above, Chai means raw salted meat, here we discuss half-roasted meat.)

OTHER D.A.F. RESOURCES
ON THIS DAF