I had trouble justifying Abaye's reaction as to why he or Rabba didn't make the eruv (68A).... Why is it beneath the dignity of Rabbi (see Rashi) to do a mitzvah that will prevent others from transgressing Shabbos? And if "learning is great because it leads to ma'aseh" - then why couldn't Abaye stop learning to collect the eruv?
Reuven Dembs
The Gemara tells us that a Torah leader must maintain dignity in the eyes of the people. It is not good practice for him to "pass up" on his honor and do manual tasks, for that may lower people's respect of Torah. (Imagine: "Look at the Rabbi -- his students don't even feel the need to take care of... for him, why should we respect him? Still not convinced? Imagine allowing the American president to fix his car himself while on a European tour).
For this reason, we are told that "Once a person is appointed as a temporal leader of a community (Parnas), it is prohibited for him to perform manual labor before three people" (Kidushin 70a; Choshen Mishpat 8:4). Rashi explains: "It is a disgrace and humiliation for the generation to be subject to a person that does not have others to do his work for him."
-Mordecai
Rabbi Kornfeld:
(a) I have a problem with the analogy of Raba and the Eruv with an American
president fixing a car. The Ritva says that making an Eruv is a mitzva.
Therefore this would most likely go into the geder of "Ain Chochmo Vein
T'vuna" (this isn't a Zoken Veino lfi kvodo).
(b) I think the answer to Reuvan's question is that Raba most likely appointed a talmid to take care of the Eruv due to his being busy with the talmidim (Rabbeinu Yehonoson) and therefore did not get involved. This is supported by the fact that Raba was unaware that there was no Eruv (previous daf "Nismoch Aeiruv", "Nismoh Ashituf"). Therefore the "Mar lav Urchee" is not an excuse, rather an explanation why he appointed someone.
(c) However, there's another point on that sugya that bothers me. Abaye
indicates that he could make an Eruv without Bittul Torah by "Akne lehu
pita b'salo". The mishna 79b indicates that you have to be m'zake the
eruv through someone else, not just b'dibur. This would require Abaye to
go out and find someone (Bittul torah?) to be M'zake to, as Abaye did
not yet have family while he was a talmid of Raba (See Seder Hadoros
Abaye Hakohen)
(a) That is correct, we find that the concept of "Zaken v'Eino l'Fi Kevodo" is a principle related only to money matters (Berachos 19b), so it would not apply in this case.
However, the statement of the Gemara in Kidushin cited above was specifically stated with regard to a Mitzvah, that is the Mitzvah of building a Ma'akah (a fence) around a roof. Even though that is a Mitzvas Aseh d'Oraisa, the requirement for a Torah leader to maintain dignity in the eyes of the people overrides the Mitzvah (since it can be built by others), the Gemara teaches. The same applies here. Furthermore, here there is no Mitzvas Aseh d'Oraisa that needed to be done. Rather, making an Eruv is a practical advice for permitting carrying in a Chatzer, and thus a Torah leader who must maintain his dignity is certainly exempt from involving himself in the making of an Eruv.
(b) Rabeinu Yehonasan does not write that Rabah appointed a Talmid to make the Eruv, but rather that Rabah was busy dealing with his Talmidim and thus could not take the time to make an Eruv himself. Certainly, if he would have appointed a Talmid to make the Eruv, the Talmid would have gone straight to it and why, then, was there no Eruv in the Chatzer? It must be, then, that Rabah did not even want to cause his Talmidim to take off time from their learning to be involved with the Eruv, just as Abaye did not want to take off time on his own. This seems to be the intention of the Sugya.
(c) Rabeinu Yehonasan answers your question when he writes that Abaye saw that collecting the Eruv would cause him to be idle from his learning "for the whole day." Being Mezakeh bread by way of a third party, though, would not have taken more than a few minutes at most (he could have even done it through his Chavrusa, perhaps), and therefore the Gemara asks that he should have done that.
Thank you for your comments!
-Mordecai