Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 3, scan section 78

in the legal limits which have been combined by its mother." An objection was made based upon a Boraitha stating: " A child still dependent upon its mother may go out in the limits com- 198 TRACT ERUBIN. 199 bined by its mother; but if it is no longer dependent upon its mother it must not." Said R. Jehoshua the son of R. Idi : " R. Assi means to say still more, that even if the father had combined him in his Erub towards the north and his mother com- bined an Erub for herself towards the south, a child even six years old prefers to go with its mother." Another objection was made : We have learned in another Boraitha : A child which is dependent upon its mother may go out with her in the limits which she has combined until it reaches the age of six years. (Hence when it is six years old it must not ?) R. Assi might say that until six years includes six years. We have learned in a Boraitha: A man should not combine an Erub for his adult son or daughter or for his Hebrew man or maid servant, or for his w^ife, unless he notifies them to that effect. He may however combine an Erub for his Canaanitish bond-man or bond-woman or for his minor son or daughter even without their consent because their hand is virtually the same as his. If, however, all those mentioned in the Boraitha have com- bined an Erub for themselves in one direction, and the master combined an Erub for them in another, they must all make use of the one which the master combined, excepting only his wife, because she can object. Why should the wife only be excepted ? Cannot the other persons mentioned in the first clause of the Mishna also object ? Said Rabba: " The wife and those equal to her (mentioned with her) are meant to be excepted, and by 'all those mentioned in the Boraitha ' is meant the persons enumerated in the latter clause of the Boraitha." The master said: "Excepting only his wife, because she can object." Shall we say, that only if sh». objects she may use her own limits, but if she does not, she may go out in the limits combined by her husband ? Does not the Boraitha mean to state that he must notify them and obtain their consent ? (Then why must she object if she previously did not give her consent ?) Nay; the Boraitha means to state that he must merely notify them, and if they make no answer it is the same as if they agreed to it. The Boraitha states again, however, that if they made an Erub for themselves and the master made another one for them they must utilize that of the master; this must have been the case where they did not object when notified that the master would combine the Erub for them. " Excepting only the wife 200 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. who can object ? " How is this consistent ? Said Rabha: " Is the fact of their making a separate Erub not sufBcient objec- tion ? " MISHNA: How much is the legal quantity (of food required to effect the combination of limits) ? Sufificient food for two meals for everyone who joins therein ; for work-day meals but not for Sabbath-meals. Such is the dictum of R. Meir; but R. Jehudah said: For Sabbath-meals, but not for work-day meals. Both (sages), however, intend to render the observance of this regulation more lenient. R. Johanan ben Berokah said : It is sufificient to effect the combination if the loaf used therefor be worth a Pundian, when the price of flour is one selah for four saah. R. Simeon said : Two-thirds of a loaf (is sufilicient), such as go three to one kahb of flour. (The time it takes to eat) half (of such a loaf, is the prescribed time for remaining) in the house of a leper,* and the half of a half of such a loaf (which were it it unclean) would make the body unclean. f GEMARA: How much food constitutes food for two mea4s ? Said R. Jehudah in the name of Rabh : " Two loaves as used by the peasants in the field." R. Ada bar Ahabha said : " Two loaves as baked by the inhabitants of N'har Pepitha (Papa)." R. Joseph said to R. Joseph the son of Rabha: " In accord- ance with whose opinion does thy father hold concerning the two meals. Doubtless with that of R. Meir ? I also hold with R. Meir; for if the opinion of R. Jehudah were accepted, why do people say, that the stomach always has room for sweet things ? ' ' " R. Johanan ben Berokah said,'' etc. We have learned in a Boraitha, that there is not much difference between the quantity prescribed by R. Johanan and that prescribed by R. Simeon. How can this be said ? According to R. Johanan one kabh will provide four meals, and according to R. Simeon one kabh will produce nine meals ? Said R. Hisda: " Deduct one-third as the profit of the dealer." Then according to R. Johanan one kabh will provide six meals and according to R. Simeon nine. Say in accordance with the dictum of R. Hisda at another time, that one half should be deducted as the profit of the dealer. Then * One who remains in the house of a leper the length of time required to eat half of such a loaf, renders his clothes unclean and must wash them (as explained in Tract Negayim). f One who eats a fourth of such a loaf which has become unclean, renders him- self unclean and cannot partake of any consecrated thing until he has bathed (as will be explained in Tract Oholeth). TRACT ERUBIN. 201 according to one a kabh contains sufficient for eight meals and according to the other, nine.* Hence we have already heard that there was not much difference between R. Simeon and R. Johanan. Now there is a contradiction in two of R. Hisda's state- ments ? This presents no difficulty. One of his statements referred to a case where the wood for the baking was furnished while the other refers to a case where the purchaser had to fur- nish it himself. The Rabbis taught: It is written [Numbers xv. 20]: "As the fruit of your doughs shall ye set aside a cake for a heave- offering," which signifies, that the first of the doughs that were prepared at that time should be set aside. How much was the dough prepared in the desert ? It is written [Exodus xvi. 36]: " But the omer is a tenth of an ephah." They usually prepared an omer for each person (and an ephah is three saahs), whence they adduced that three saahs being equal to seventy- two lugs, an omer is equal to seven and one-fifth lugs, and when dough measures that quantity it is subject to the first dough offer- ing. These seven and one-fifth lugs, according to Babylonian measure, are only six lugs in Jerusalem, and five in Sepphoris. From this it was also adduced that one who eats that much in a day is healthy and blessed. One who eats more than this is a glutton and one who eats less than that has a weak stomach. MISHNA: If the inhabitants of a court and the inhabi- tants of a balcony should have forgotten to combine an Erub,