More Discussions for this daf
1. Water on top of water 2. Mavuy 3. Ten Tefachim is Reshus ha'Rabim
4. Pshat in the Gemara 5. Hoshatah 6. Do I live in a Reshus ha'Rabim or a Reshus ha'Yachid?
7. One Chatas for Melachah on Shabbos 8. Rashi Reshus ha'Rabim d'Oraisa 9. Water on top of water
10. ב' בתים בשני צדי רה''ר 11. שיטת איסי בן יהודה
DAF DISCUSSIONS - SHABBOS 6

Binyamin Samuels asked:

I have been trying to find why ten tefachim is the ceiling height of a reshus harabim and how to understand the scenarios on the first several dapim of Shabbos in this light -- havara mei-rishus le-reshus

The Kollel replies:

RASHI (7a, DH Chayav) writes that the reason why the area above ten Tefachim is not considered Reshus ha'Rabim is because "the public do not dominate there." It seems that Rashi's intention is to say that since Reshus ha'Rabim is defined as the place where public activity takes place, since the bulk of public activity occurs within ten Tefachim of the ground (people only rest their loads and perform their other activities within ten Tefachim of the ground; in addition, as one's hands are the center of his activity, and the average height from the ground to a person's hands at his side is ten Tefachim), this height is the extent of Reshus ha'Rabim. (Even though people walk and their upper bodies are higher than ten Tefachim, nevertheless they do not place their objects above ten Tefachim, and therefore above ten Tefachim is not an area in which the public dominate.