Study Eruvin folio 2A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Mishnah: If an alleyway is enclosed on 3 sides with courtyards opening into it from 3 sides, and the 4th side opens into a public domain, it is prohibited by rabbinic law to carry objects in it on Shabbat. However, carrying in an alleyway under those circumstances is permitted if a cross beam is pl
If the entrance to the alleyway is wider than 10 cubits, one must diminish its width. However, if the entrance to the alleyway has the form of a doorway, i.e., two vertical posts on the two sides, and a horizontal beam spanning the space between them, even if it is wider than 10 cubits, he need not
Talmud: We learned in a Mishnah there, in tractate Sukka: A sukka that is more than 20 cubits high is unfit, and R' Yehuda deems it fit. The halakhot are similar in substance but differ in formulation, and accordingly the Talmud asks: What is the difference that with regard to a sukka the Mishnah
The Talmud answers: With regard to sukka, since it is a mitzva by Torah law, the Mishnah teaches that it is unfit, as if it is not constructed in the proper manner, no mitzva is fulfilled. Whereas with regard to an alleyway, where the entire prohibition of carrying is only by rabbinic law, the
The Talmud suggests an alternative explanation: And if you wish, say instead that even with regard to matters prohibited by Torah law, it would have been appropriate for the Mishnah to teach a method of rectification. However, with regard to sukka, whose matters are numerous, it categorically teac