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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman שס"ד · 5 Seifim
Mavoy hamefulash and mavoy nadal — to discover and understand
סימן שס"ד
דִּין מָבוֹי הַמְּפֻלָּשׁ וְעָשׂוּי כְּנָדָל
🌱 Beginner Level · מתחילים
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First approach to Siman שס"ד: complete Hebrew text of the Mechaber, fluent English translation, pedagogical explanations of halachic concepts, modern practical cases and synthesis.
Topic: Mavoy hamefulash and mavoy nadal
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן שס"ד (5 seifim)
Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study Plan
1. The Shulchan Aruch text — the 5 seifim of the Mechaber
2. General context: why this siman, what is the question?
3. Key halachic concepts of this siman
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
6. Position of the Rema — Ashkenazi vs Sephardi differences
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The Shulchan Aruch text
Siman שס"ד contains 5 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) codifying the halachos regarding mavoy hamefulash and mavoy nadal.
Seif א
דין מבוי המפולש ועשוי כנדל. ובו ה סעיפים:
מבוי המפולש בשני ראשיו לרה"ר או צד א' לרה"ר וצדו השני לכרמלית הגה או שני ראשיו פתוחין לכרמלית (ריב"ש סימן ת"ה) צריך צורת הפתח מכאן ולחי או קורה מכאן אבל אם צדו א' פתוח לרה"ר וצדו השני לחצר שאינה מעורבת אין צריך אלא לחי או קורה בשני ראשיו: הגה וכל זה יש לו תנאים המבוארים לעיל סי' שס"ג סכ"ז בדין מבוי אבל אם אינו רק בחצר צריך תיקון חצר משני צדדיו:
Translation: A mavoy hamefulash (מָבוֹי הַמְּפֻלָּשׁ — alleyway open on both ends) open at both ends to reshus harabbim, or open on one side to reshus harabbim and on the other to a karmelis — gloss of the Rema: or open on both sides to a karmelis — requires a tzuras hapesach (צוּרַת הַפֶּתַח — form of a doorway) on one side, and a lechi (post) or a korah (crossbeam) on the other. But if one side is open to reshus harabbim and the other to a chatzer not included in the eruv, a lechi or korah suffices on both ends. Gloss of the Rema: all this is subject to the conditions set forth in siman 363, seif 27, regarding the mavoy; but if it is merely a chatzer, one needs chatzer-style enclosure on both sides.
Seif ב
רשות הרבים עצמה אינה ניתרת אלא בדלתות והוא שננעלות בלילה ויש אומרים אע"פ שאינן ננעלות אבל צריך שיהו ראויות לינעל שאם משוקעות בעפר מפנה אותן ומתקנן שיהיו ראויות לינעל ואחר שעשה לה תיקון דלתות חשיבא כולה כחצר אחד ואין מבואותיה צריכים תיקון:
Translation: Reshus harabbim itself is not made mutar [for carrying] except through doors (דְּלָתוֹת), provided they are closed at night. Some say that even if they are not actually closed [it suffices], but they must be fit to be closed: if they are sunken in dirt, one clears them out and repairs them so they are fit to close. Once this tikun of doors has been made, the entirety is considered one chatzer, and its mavoyot no longer need any tikun.
Seif ג
מבוי עקום כמין דלי"ת דינו כאילו היה מפולש בעקמימות וצריך צורת פתח בעקמימותו ובשני ראשיו לכל א' לחי או קורה או צורת פתח בכל א' משני ראשיו ולחי או קורה בעקמימות ואם עשוי כמין חי"ת צריך צורת פתח בשני עקמימותו ולחי או קורה בשני ראשיו:
Translation: A bent mavoy in the shape of a dalet (ד) — its din is as if it were mefulash at its bend. One needs a tzuras hapesach at the bend, plus a lechi or korah at each of its two ends; or alternatively a tzuras hapesach at each of the two ends and a lechi or korah at the bend. And if it is shaped like a ches (ח) [two bends], one needs a tzuras hapesach at each of the two bends and a lechi or korah at each of the two ends.
Seif ד
מבואות הפתוחי' אלו לאלו ואין העיקום של א' מהם נוטה לרה"ר כיון שפתיחת המבוי החיצון לר"ה הרי אותו מבוי שפתוח אליו בעקמימותו חשיב כפתוח לרשות הרבים וכן מבוי הפתוח לאותו מבוי וכן כולם:
Translation: Mavoyot that are open one into another, where the bend of one of them does not turn toward reshus harabbim: since the opening of the outer mavoy faces reshus harabbim, the mavoy that opens into it at its bend is considered as if it were open to reshus harabbim; and likewise the mavoy that opens into that mavoy, and so on for all of them.
Seif ה
מבוי העשוי כנדל דהיינו מבוי גדול שהרבה מבואות קטנים פתוחים לו וראשי השניים פתוחים לרה"ר אפילו אין פתחי הקטנים שמכאן ומכאן מכוונים זה כנגד זה עושה לכל א' במקום פתיחתו למבוי גדול צורת פתח ובראשו השני הפתוח לרה"ר לחי או קורה ובמבוי הגדול אם הוא מפולש עושה צורת פתח מצד א' ומצד השני לחי או קורה ואם הוא סתום עושה לחי או קורה בראשו:
Translation: A mavoy made like a nadal (כְּנָדָל — a centipede): meaning a large mavoy into which many small mavoyot open, whose second ends face reshus harabbim. Even if the entrances of the small mavoyot on this side and that side are not aligned opposite each other, one makes for each, at its point of opening to the large mavoy, a tzuras hapesach; and at its second end facing reshus harabbim, a lechi or korah. And for the large mavoy: if it is mefulash, one makes a tzuras hapesach on one side and a lechi or korah on the other; and if it is closed [at one end], one makes a lechi or korah at its end.
Complete text: these 5 seifim constitute the entirety of the Mechaber's pesak on this topic. Each specifies a case, a tenai, or an exception.
2. General context
What does this siman discuss?
Siman שס"ד deals with the mavoy hamefulash (מָבוֹי הַמְּפֻלָּשׁ) and the mavoy nadal (centipede-shaped). A mavoy is an alleyway lined with houses and chatzeros; in order to carry objects within it on Shabbos, one must set it up with a tikun. The previous siman (363) explained the ordinary mavoy, closed at one end and open to reshus harabbim at the other: there a simple lechi (post) or korah (beam) suffices. Our siman addresses more demanding cases: the alleyway open at both ends.
The fundamental question: an ordinary mavoy, having only one opening, is nearly entirely enclosed — a simple lechi suffices to symbolically "close" it. But a mefulash mavoy, open at both ends, resembles a public thoroughfare: a simple lechi no longer suffices. A stronger tikun is needed — at minimum a tzuras hapesach (צוּרַת הַפֶּתַח — form of a doorway) on one side. The whole siman elaborates this requirement according to the configuration of the alleyway.
Place in Hilchos Shabbos
Siman שס"ד belongs to the series of simanim devoted to the eruv and the tikun of the mavoy (363-365). It directly continues siman 363 (the mavoy and its basic tikun) and specifies particular cases: alleyway open on both ends, bent alleyway, interlocking alleyways, centipede-shaped alleyway, and the status of reshus harabbim itself.
3. Key halachic concepts
Five notions structure this siman:
The essential concepts of siman שס"ד:
- מָבוֹי — an alleyway lined with chatzeros and houses, which becomes mutar for carrying after the tikun is set up.
- מָבוֹי הַמְּפֻלָּשׁ — a mefulash mavoy, open on both ends; requires more than a simple lechi.
- לֶחִי / קוֹרָה — the lechi (vertical post) and the korah (horizontal beam): basic tikun of a simple mavoy.
- צוּרַת הַפֶּתַח — the "form of a doorway" (two posts surmounted by a crossbeam); it counts as a full mechitzah, and therefore "closes" the mefulash side.
- נָדָל — centipede: image of a large mavoy with many small mavoyot grafted onto both its sides.
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
| Seif | Content |
|---|---|
| א | Mavoy hamefulash open at both ends to reshus harabbim (or to a karmelis): tzuras hapesach on one side, lechi/korah on the other. If one end opens to a chatzer not in the eruv: lechi/korah suffices at both ends. Rema: all this follows the conditions of siman 363:27. |
| ב | Reshus harabbim itself becomes mutar only through real doors, closed at night (or at least fit to be). Once the doors are set up, the entirety becomes "one chatzer" and its mavoyot no longer need any tikun. |
| ג | Bent mavoy in the shape of a dalet (ד): treated as mefulash at its bend. Tzuras hapesach at the bend + lechi/korah at both ends; or the reverse. In the shape of a ches (ח), two bends: tzuras hapesach at both bends + lechi/korah at both ends. |
| ד | Mavoyot opening one into another: as soon as the outer mavoy opens to reshus harabbim, the mavoy opening into it is treated as open to reshus harabbim — and so on, by chain, for all. |
| ה | Nadal-shaped mavoy: a large mavoy with many small mavoyot grafted onto both sides. Tzuras hapesach at each small/large mavoy junction; lechi/korah at each small-mavoy end facing reshus harabbim; the large mavoy: tzuras hapesach + lechi/korah if mefulash, simple lechi/korah if closed. |
Heart of the siman: the more an alleyway resembles an open thoroughfare, the stronger its tikun must be. A simple lechi suffices for an alleyway closed at one end; the mavoy hamefulash requires a tzuras hapesach, which counts as a mechitzah; and a true reshus harabbim is saved only by real doors.
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan (Chofetz Chaim) contains 19 entries on this siman. Here are the first ones — to better understand the meaning of the seifim:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) מבוי המפולש וכו' - ומיירי שאותו המבוי לא היה ברחבו שיעור ר"ה ועיין לעיל סימן שמ"ה ס"ח וטי"ת ובמ"ב שם:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) צריך צורת הפתח וכו' - והטעם דע"י צורת הפתח נעשה כסתום במחיצה מההוא צד והוי כמבוי סתום מג' צדדין וסגי בצד השני בלחי או קורה:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) וצדו השני לחצר וכו' - דכיון דהחצר יש לו מחיצות הרי אין המבוי מפולש וא"צ צורת הפתח אלא לחי או קורה כדי לחלק בין דיורי החצר למבוי שלא יאסרו אלו על אלו ויש מחמירין דדוקא לחי לצד החצר בעינן ולא קורה וכ"ז כשהחצר אינה רגילה במבוי זה כגון שיש לה פתח למבוי אחר אבל אם היא רגילה בו מכבר אפילו צורת הפתח ודלתות אינן מועילות להתיר שם אם לא נשתתפה מבוי זה עם שארי החצרות הפתוחות לו ואם נשתתפה בו א"צ לערב כלל…
For the complete text of all 19 entries, consult Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 364.
6. Position of the Rema
The Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) intervenes twice in seif א, with two glosses (הגה) that supplement the Mechaber without contradicting him.
The Rema's two glosses (seif א):
- First gloss — the Mechaber had only mentioned the mavoy open on one side to reshus harabbim and on the other to a karmelis. The Rema adds the case in which both ends open to a karmelis (in the name of the Rivash siman 405): even then, one needs a tzuras hapesach on one side and a lechi/korah on the other.
- Second gloss — all these halachos assume a true mavoy and remain subject to the conditions of siman 363:27. If it is merely a plain chatzer, the pilush (the fact of being mefulash) does not aggravate anything: the chatzer-style tikun on both sides suffices.
- Chabad → follow the Shulchan Aruch HaRav of the Alter Rebbe, siman שס"ד (see Level 4).
7. Practical cases
Siman שס"ד is relevant to setting up the alleyways of a Jewish neighborhood to permit carrying on Shabbos. Here are some typical configurations:
| Situation | Quick analysis |
|---|---|
| Alleyway closed at one end, open to the street at the other | Ordinary mavoy (siman 363): a simple lechi or korah suffices. |
| Alleyway open on both ends to the street or to a karmelis | Mavoy hamefulash: tzuras hapesach on one side, lechi/korah on the other (seif א). |
| Alleyway open on one side to the street, on the other to a chatzer not in the eruv | The chatzer has its own mechitzos: a lechi/korah suffices on both ends (seif א). |
| L-shaped or S-shaped (bent) alleyway | The bend counts as an open end: tzuras hapesach at the bend and lechi/korah at the ends (seif ג). |
| Network of alleyways grafted onto a central artery ("nadal") | Tzuras hapesach at each junction, lechi/korah where each opens to the street (seif ה). |
For precise practical cases: setting up a neighborhood eruv requires exact measurement of openings, widths and bends. For halacha lemaaseh, consult your Rav.
8. Practical synthesis of the Siman
Teachings of Siman שס"ד:
- Mavoy hamefulash (open on both ends): a simple lechi is no longer sufficient — one needs a tzuras hapesach on one side, lechi/korah on the other.
- The tzuras hapesach counts as a mechitzah: it "closes" the mefulash side and restores the mavoy to the status of an alleyway closed at one end.
- True reshus harabbim becomes mutar only through real doors, fit to be closed at night.
- Bent mavoy (ד or ח): each bend is treated as an open end.
- Nadal-shaped mavoy: tzuras hapesach at each junction of the small alleyways with the large artery.
- For halacha lemaaseh, and for any eruv project, consult your Rav.
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What is the general topic of Siman שס"ד?
- How many seifim does this siman contain? What is the theme of each?
- What is the difference between the Mechaber and the Rema?
- What structuring halachic concepts appear in this siman?
- What is the practice to retain for daily life?
- In what borderline cases should one consult a Rav?
To go further
If you want to deepen this siman:
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