DAAT · LEVEL 3 — MAGISTERIAL SYNTHESIS
Siman שס״ח
סימן שס״ח · דין אם אחר שעירבו נתקלקל העירוב
Recap & mnemonics for review
📑 Synthesis plan
- The central axiom of the siman
- The key concepts, condensed
- Informing the residents — the cases of seifim א and ב, in their order
- Decision tree — a spoiled or diminished eruv
- The Mechaber and the Alter Rebbe — what the comparison of the texts shows
- Mnemonic מכם · שמע
- Pitfalls to avoid
- Practical cases
- Final synthesis table
- The practical commandments
1. The central axiom
Siman שס״ח in one sentence.
Once the eruv has been made, it may be spoiled, diminish or become moldy: the siman says when the residents must be informed in order to redo or complete it (seifim א and ב), how much food the eruv must contain at its outset (seif ג), and what becomes of a diminished eruv (seif ד) and of moldy eruv bread (seif ה). Beneath seifim א and ב, one notion recurs in the Mishnah Berurah: what is redone or added can count as an eruv made from the outset. For a consumed eruv redone from another kind, « דכיון שכבר כלה המין הראשון הו״ל כמערב לכתחלה » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ד); for residents who were added, « דהוספה זו ג״כ כתחלת עירוב הוא » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט).
Once the eruv has been made, it may be spoiled, diminish or become moldy: the siman says when the residents must be informed in order to redo or complete it (seifim א and ב), how much food the eruv must contain at its outset (seif ג), and what becomes of a diminished eruv (seif ד) and of moldy eruv bread (seif ה). Beneath seifim א and ב, one notion recurs in the Mishnah Berurah: what is redone or added can count as an eruv made from the outset. For a consumed eruv redone from another kind, « דכיון שכבר כלה המין הראשון הו״ל כמערב לכתחלה » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ד); for residents who were added, « דהוספה זו ג״כ כתחלת עירוב הוא » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט).
2. The condensed key concepts
| Concept | Definition | In the seif |
|---|---|---|
| מין הראשון · מין אחר | The kind of food in the eruv; the Mishnah Berurah's example: « כגון שהיה מתחלה פת חטים ועכשיו רוצה לערב מפת שעורים » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ג) | From the same kind, no need to inform; from another kind, it depends on the state of the first and on who supplies the food (seif א) |
| כלה · נתמעט | An eruv that is consumed, and one that is only diminished | From another kind: consumed, one must inform if one uses what is theirs; the Mishnah Berurah reports the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim: only a house that opens onto two courtyards (ס״ק ד), and it also reports poskim for whom an eruv without the residents' consent is made only from one's own (ס״ק ט) — on the general rule, without applying it to this case; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav says: those whom one informs at the start of an eruv, and gives as an example, in that seif, one whose house opens onto two courtyards (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1); only diminished, no need (seif א) |
| להודיע | To inform the residents, that is « לשאלם אם יתרצו לזה » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ב) | Seifim א and ב |
| משלהם · משלו | From what belongs to the residents, or from one's own; for one's own, the reason according to the Mishnah Berurah: « כיון שהם אינם נותנים כלום » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ה) | From another kind, the first being consumed: from one's own, no need to inform (seif א) |
| נתוספו דיורים בחצר | Residents « שלא היו בעת הנחת העירוב » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ח) | If the house opens onto two courtyards, one must inform (seif ב) |
| הבית פתוח לשתי חצרות | For such a house, the eruv is not made without his knowledge: « דשמא אינו חפץ כלל לערב בחצר זו עם אנשים אלו אלא בחצר אחרת » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט) | The condition of seif ב |
| שיעור העירוב בתחלתו | The measure of the eruv at its outset | Seif ג |
| שיעורו כגרוגרות · מזון שתי סעודות | A dried fig per participant up to eighteen; beyond that, two meals, which are « שיעור היותר גדול » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק י) | Six eggs, and another opinion: eight (seif ג) |
| כל שהוא | Any amount at all | Suffices after the first Shabbos has begun, for the following Shabbosos (seif ד; with the Mishnah Berurah's reservation, ס״ק ט״ז: see Pitfall 5) |
| נתעפש | Eruv bread that became moldy and unfit to eat: « היינו כשנתעפש כולו » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק י״ט) | As if consumed: the eruv must be made anew (seif ה) |
| חלת מצה | A matzah loaf, which does not quickly become moldy | The custom the Rema's gloss reports (seif ה) |
3. Informing the residents — the cases of seifim א and ב, in their order
The setting → according to the Mishnah Berurah, seif א speaks of the first Shabbos: « זה מיירי בשבת ראשון ונתקלקל קודם שנכנס השבת » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק א).
↓
Redone from the same kind → no need to inform: « אם בא לערב ממין הראשון אפי כלה א״צ להודיע ואפי׳ מערב עליהם משלהם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א).
↓
From another kind, the first being consumed → inform if one uses what is theirs: « צריך להודיע להם אם מערב משלהם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א); from one's own: « ואם משלו א״צ להודיעם כלל » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א). Whom to inform: the Mishnah Berurah reports the Maamar Mordechai, who limits this duty to a house that opens onto two courtyards, and adds that other Acharonim write the same (ס״ק ד); it also reports that the starting rule is itself disputed: « יש פוסקים דסברי דדוקא אם מערב משלו » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav: « צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לְכָל מִי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לוֹ בִּתְחִלַּת עֵרוּב » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:א), and earlier in the same seif he gives as an example « כְּגוֹן שֶׁבֵּיתוֹ פָּתוּחַ לִשְׁתֵּי חֲצֵרוֹת » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:א).
↓
The first only diminished → no need to inform: « ואם לא כלה הראשון אלא נתמעט אע״פ שמערב משלהם א״צ להודיעם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א).
↓
Residents were added → « אם הבית פתוח לשתי חצרות צריך להודיעם מפני שאולי אינם רוצים לערב עם אלו » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:ב).
4. Decision tree — a spoiled or diminished eruv
Q1: Was the eruv spoiled, or did it diminish, after the first Shabbos had begun?
↓ YES → for this Shabbos, « א״צ שום תיקון לשבת זו » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק א); for the following ones, any remnant suffices (seif ד); when the eruv and the shituf are made together, the Magen Avraham, reported by the Mishnah Berurah, declares such a remnant invalid, and the Biur Halachah concludes that one may be lenient in a time of need (בשעת הדחק); in the first place, complete the measure (ס״ק ט״ז); if residents were added after it diminished below its measure, one must add for them (שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ט); if it is entirely consumed, it must be made anew for the following ones (ס״ק א), and likewise if it became moldy and unfit to eat (seif ה; entirely moldy, according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ט). NO, it was before Shabbos began ↓
Q2: Is it redone from the same kind?
↓ YES → no need to inform, even if the first is consumed and even from what is theirs (seif א); NO ↓
Q3: Is the first consumed?
↓ NO, only diminished → no need to inform, even from what is theirs (seif א); YES ↓
Q4: Does one use what belongs to the residents?
↓ YES → they must be informed; the Mishnah Berurah reports the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim: only a house that opens onto two courtyards (ס״ק ד), and it also reports poskim for whom an eruv without the residents' consent is made only from one's own (ס״ק ט) — on the general rule, without applying it to this case; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav says: those whom one informs at the start of an eruv, and gives as an example, in that seif, one whose house opens onto two courtyards (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1); NO, from one's own → no need to inform (seif א)
And if residents were added → if the house opens onto two courtyards, one must inform (seif ב).
→ The layout of the houses and courtyards also decides: consult your Rav.
5. The Mechaber and the Alter Rebbe — what the comparison of the texts shows
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (of the Alter Rebbe) has 4 seifim for this siman, the Shulchan Aruch of the Mechaber 5: the Rav's seif 3 carries what the Mechaber says in his seifim ג and ד, and his seif 4 corresponds to seif ה and the Rema's gloss. The table sets side by side, point by point, the text of the Mechaber and the Rema and that of the Rav; it does not examine the commentators one by one, whom Level 2 studies. Not everything the Rav writes is a difference: when the Rav names, among those who need not be informed, one who must be informed at the start of the eruv, for example one whose house opens onto two courtyards (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1), he spells out the Mechaber's seif א, which makes no distinction between people; and that an eruv which diminished below its measure before Shabbos began is invalid even if a small whole loaf remains (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:3) already follows from the Mechaber (שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ו; שס״ח:ד). When a commentator already has a point, he is named — the Mishnah Berurah, later than the Rav, too —, as in Level 4. For the condition on the residents' bread, for the added residents and for remnants that are a piece, some commentators already read what the Rav writes into the Mechaber's words, and others hold otherwise. For a loaf broken before Shabbos began, the Mishnah Berurah reads in the Mechaber that the ban on a piece concerns only a loaf already broken when it is deposited, and reports a stricter view; the Maharil, reported by the Magen Avraham, validates such a broken loaf without naming the condition of the measure, and the Magen Avraham at once sets, for us, a condition of measure (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק ג), whose exact scope this page does not decide. For whom to inform when redoing from another kind, the Mishnah Berurah reports for this case the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim; the Magen Avraham draws another distinction for added residents, and the Mishnah Berurah reports, on the general rule of an eruv made without the residents' consent, that the poskim are divided — this page does not derive from them the answer for this case. On each of these points, this page does not decide whether it is a difference from the Mechaber or a reading of his text.
| Point | Mechaber and Rema | Shulchan Aruch HaRav |
|---|---|---|
| Redoing from the same kind, from what is the residents' | « אם בא לערב ממין הראשון אפי כלה א״צ להודיע ואפי׳ מערב עליהם משלהם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א); in the previous siman, the Mechaber lays down the rule: « אבל בני החצר אין יכולים ליקח פתו מביתו לערב שלא מדעת אחד מבני הבית » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ז:א) | The same rule; the Rav writes the condition in the seif itself: « וּבִלְבָד שֶׁלֹּא יִטּוֹל פִּתָּם מִבָּתֵּיהֶם שֶׁלֹּא מִדַּעְתָּם, אֶלָּא בְּנֵי הַבַּיִת יִתְּנוּ לוֹ » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:א) — the Taz connects the rule the Mechaber lays down in שס״ז:א to seif א (ט״ז או״ח שס״ח ס״ק ב), and the Biur Halachah writes that many Acharonim contested him: « עיין בט״ז ולא העתקתיו במ״ב משום שהשיגו עליו הרבה אחרונים » (ביאור הלכה שס״ח); the Rav also writes that the exemption from informing applies to one who must be informed at the start of the eruv, for example one whose house opens onto two courtyards: « אֵין צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לוֹ כְּשֶׁנִּתְקַלְקֵל וְחוֹזֵר וּמְתַקְּנִים אוֹתוֹ » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:א) — which spells out the Mechaber's seif א, which makes no distinction between people (see the introduction) |
| Redoing from another kind, the first consumed, from what is the residents' | « ואם בא לערב ממין אחר אם כלה הראשון צריך להודיע להם אם מערב משלהם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א); the seif makes no distinction among the residents | « צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לְכָל מִי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ לוֹ בִּתְחִלַּת עֵרוּב » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:א). The Mishnah Berurah reports the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim: only a house that opens onto two courtyards (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ד); the Magen Avraham requires informing added residents who are in a single mavoy when one makes the eruv from what is theirs (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק א) |
| Residents who were added | « אם הבית פתוח לשתי חצרות צריך להודיעם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:ב); the seif does not say whether one uses one's own or theirs | « אֲפִלּוּ אִם מְזַכֶּה לָהֶם מִשֶּׁלּוֹ — צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ב), to each of them whose house opens onto two courtyards. The Magen Avraham writes it before him (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק א); the Mishnah Berurah, later than the Rav, writes likewise and reports a more lenient opinion: « ויש מקילין שיכול לערב משלו בכל גווני » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט) |
| The remnants of the eruv | « נתמעט מכשיעורו אחר שנכנס שבת ראשונ׳ ונשתייר בו אפי׳ כל שהוא כשר אף לשאר שבתות » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:ד) | Even a piece: « וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם הַמְּשֻׁיָּר אֵינוֹ כִּכָּר שָׁלֵם אֶלָּא פְּרוּסָה » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ג) — the Taz (ט״ז או״ח שס״ח ס״ק ג) and the Magen Avraham already read it into the כל שהוא of seif ד, and the Magen Avraham sets aside the responsum רמ״מ, for which it is good to make another, and whose text, as he quotes it, proposes reading this כל שהוא as a whole loaf (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק ג) — he adds that, for us, a remnant that no longer has its measure is invalid (see Pitfall 5); broken before Shabbos began, it remains valid — the Magen Avraham already reports from the Maharil that it is valid, then sets the reservation of the measure mentioned above (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק ג) —, on condition, the Rav writes, that its measure remains: « אִם שִׁעוּרוֹ קַיָּם עַד כְּנִיסַת הַשַּׁבָּת » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ג); and, if it diminished below its measure before Shabbos began, « אַף אִם הַמְּשֻׁיָּר הוּא כִּכָּר קָטָן שָׁלֵם — פָּסוּל » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ג). The limit itself, the onset of the first Shabbos, is already in the Mechaber's seif ד |
| The matzah, or the eruv every Erev Shabbos | « וזה טוב יותר מלערב כל שבת ושבת שלא ישכחו מלערב » (רמ״א או״ח שס״ח:ה); « מיהו אם רוצים לערב כל ע״ש ולאכול העירוב כל שבת הרשות בידם » (רמ״א או״ח שס״ח:ה) | « אֲבָל בֶּאֱמֶת יוֹתֵר טוֹב לְעָרֵב כָּל עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ד); and for one who wants to do best, « יְעָרֵב מִשֶּׁלּוֹ בְּכָל עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת, וִיזַכֵּהוּ לְכָל הַקָּהָל עַל יְדֵי אַחֵר » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ד), « וְלֹא יְבָרֵךְ עַל שֶׁלּוֹ » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ד). The Taz already writes both the preference and this way of doing it (ט״ז או״ח שס״ח ס״ק ד) |
6. Mnemonic מכם · שמע
The three distinctions of seif א, in the order the seif introduces them, form מכם (from you) — and that is the question: does one use what belongs to the residents?
מ — מין הראשון: from the same kind, no need to inform (seif א).
כ — כלה: from another kind, the first being consumed, one must inform if one uses what is theirs (see ם); only diminished, no (seif א).
ם — משלהם (final mem): one informs them if one uses what is theirs; from one's own, no (seif א).
Then, for seifim ג, ד and ה, שמע:
A device of the site: each letter is taken from the key word of the distinction, and is not always its initial (the final ם of משלהם, the ע of נתעפש).
ש — שיעור העירוב בתחלתו: the measure required at the beginning of the eruv (seif ג).
מ — נתמעט מכשיעורו: after the first Shabbos has begun, any remnant suffices (seif ד; see Pitfall 5).
ע — נתעפש פת העירוב: as if consumed, the eruv must be made anew (seif ה).
Seif ב, the added residents, stands apart: the house that opens onto two courtyards.
7. Pitfalls to avoid
Pitfall 1: Extending the exemption from informing to every redone eruv. Seif א gives it notably for the same kind and for an eruv that is only diminished; but from another kind, the first being consumed, « צריך להודיע להם אם מערב משלהם » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א).
Pitfall 2: Conversely, requiring that they be informed for a consumed eruv redone from another kind when one uses one's own: « ואם משלו א״צ להודיעם כלל » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א); according to the Mishnah Berurah, because the residents give nothing (ס״ק ה).
Pitfall 3: Forgetting that seif ג reports another view, eight eggs, which the Mishnah Berurah considers proper to follow in the first place. The seif gives six without attribution, then eight under וי״א: « שהם כששה ביצים וי״א שהם כשמונה ביצים » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:ג); and the Mishnah Berurah: « ולכתחלה נכון לנהוג כן ובדיעבד די כששה ביצים » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק י״ב). The site does not convert these measures into present-day units: consult your Rav for their equivalent.
Pitfall 4: Applying seif ד to an eruv that diminished before the first Shabbos began. The seif says « נתמעט מכשיעורו אחר שנכנס שבת ראשונ׳ ונשתייר » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:ד); and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav: « אֲבָל אִם נִתְמַעֵט מִשִּׁעוּרוֹ קֹדֶם כְּנִיסַת הַשַּׁבָּת, אַף אִם הַמְּשֻׁיָּר הוּא כִּכָּר קָטָן שָׁלֵם — פָּסוּל » (שו״ע הרב שס״ח:ג).
Pitfall 5: Presenting the any-remnant rule of seif ד without the Mishnah Berurah's reservation. It reports the Magen Avraham, according to whom this rule held when the courtyard eruv and the alley shituf were each made separately, and not when they are made together; it notes that the Biur Halachah reports dissenting views, and concludes: « ולכתחלה בודאי צריך ליזהר להוסיף עד כשיעור » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט״ז).
Pitfall 6: Ascribing to the Rema a preference for the eruv every Erev Shabbos. The Rema considers the matzah better, « שלא ישכחו מלערב » (רמ״א או״ח שס״ח:ה), and leaves free whoever wants to make the eruv every week. The opposite view is that of the Taz (ט״ז או״ח שס״ח ס״ק ד), of the Acharonim reported by the Mishnah Berurah, « והאחרונים כתבו דיותר טוב לערב כל ע״ש » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק כ״א), and that of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:4).
Pitfall 7: Mixing the two numberings. The Mechaber has 5 seifim, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav 4: a reference 368:3 to the Rav covers the measure and the remnants, which are the Mechaber's seifim ג and ד; 368:4 to the Rav corresponds to seif ה and the Rema's gloss.
8. Practical cases
These situations are applications by the site: the seif does not name them; each is tied to the seif it involves.
| Situation | Analysis | Conduct |
|---|---|---|
| The communal eruv was consumed before the first Shabbos began; a resident remakes it with his own bread | Application by the site, seif א, which according to the Mishnah Berurah speaks of an eruv spoiled before the first Shabbos began (ס״ק א): from the same kind, no need to inform; from another kind, « ואם משלו א״צ להודיעם כלל » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ח:א) | According to seif א he need not inform, whether his bread is of the same kind as the first or of another — having it acquired for them through another person: « ובלבד שיזכנו להם על ידי אחר » (שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ט). Consult your Rav |
| New families move into the courtyard after the eruv was made | Application by the site, seif ב: if the house opens onto two courtyards, one must inform; the Mishnah Berurah: « ואפילו אם מערב עתה משלו » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט) | When one adds to the eruv for them, inform — according to the Mishnah Berurah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:2), each of the new residents whose house opens onto two courtyards. According to the Magen Avraham, when they are in a single alley and one makes the eruv from what is theirs, they must also be informed (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק א). For when such an addition is required, see שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ט, which deals with it; this page does not decide it here. The Mishnah Berurah also reports a more lenient opinion (ס״ק ט). Consult your Rav |
| The eruv of a large community: how much? | Application by the site, seif ג: more than eighteen participants, even a thousand or more, food for two meals | Six eggs, and another opinion says eight (seif ג); according to the Mishnah Berurah, it is proper in the first place to follow eight; six suffice after the fact (ס״ק י״ב). No conversion into present-day units: for their equivalent, consult your Rav |
| The eruv matzah, eaten into after the first Shabbos, has fallen below its measure | Application by the site, seif ד: any remnant is valid for the following Shabbosos; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav: even a piece (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:3) | According to seif ד, valid. When the eruv and the shituf are made together, the Magen Avraham, reported by the Mishnah Berurah, declares it invalid (ס״ק ט״ז); the Biur Halachah concludes that one may be lenient in a time of need (בשעת הדחק); in the first place, complete the measure (ס״ק ט״ז). If new residents were added since it fell below its measure, one must add for them (שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ט; Shulchan Aruch HaRav 366:12). Consult your Rav |
| The matzah of the communal eruv, kept since Pesach, is found moldy | Application by the site, seif ה: moldy eruv bread unfit to eat is as if consumed; « היינו כשנתעפש כולו » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק י״ט) | Make the eruv anew (seif ה). Discovered on Shabbos without knowing when it became moldy: « תלינן לקולא ואמרינן דמקרוב נתעפש » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק כ) |
9. Final synthesis table
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject of the siman | A courtyard eruv that is spoiled, diminished or moldy after it was made, and how much it must contain |
| Place | Hilchos Eruvin, after Siman 367, which asks whether a wife may make the eruv for her husband |
| Number of seifim | 5 seifim (Mechaber, with a gloss of the Rema in seif ה) — 4 seifim in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav |
| Mishnah Berurah | 22 ס״ק |
| Talmudic source | Eruvin 80b-81b, studied in Level 2 |
| Informing the residents | The Mishnah Berurah ranks some of these cases with the start of an eruv: a consumed eruv redone from another kind, « הו״ל כמערב לכתחלה » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ד), and the addition for new residents, « דהוספה זו ג״כ כתחלת עירוב הוא » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט). Yet in seif א one who uses his own need not inform, « כיון שהם אינם נותנים כלום וכבר נתרצו לערב יחד » (משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ה). In seif א, for a consumed eruv redone from another kind, one informs if one uses what is theirs — according to the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim reported by the Mishnah Berurah, only a house that opens onto two courtyards (ס״ק ד), and the Mishnah Berurah also reports poskim for whom an eruv without the residents' consent is made only from one's own (ס״ק ט) — on the general rule, without applying it to this case; in seif ב, a house that opens onto two courtyards — according to the Mishnah Berurah, even if one makes the eruv from one's own, and it also reports a more lenient opinion (ס״ק ט) |
| Measure and remnants | The measure required at the beginning of the eruv (seif ג); after the first Shabbos has begun, any remnant (seif ד), with the Mishnah Berurah's reservation (ס״ק ט״ז) |
| Practical ruling | Seif ג reports two opinions on the measure; for an eruv diminished after the first Shabbos began, the Mishnah Berurah reports the Magen Avraham, who invalidates it when the eruv and the shituf are made together; it notes that the Biur Halachah reports dissenting views — the Biur Halachah concludes that one may be lenient in a time of need (בשעת הדחק) —, and the Mishnah Berurah itself asks that it be completed in the first place (ס״ק ט״ז): consult your Rav |
10. The practical commandments of Siman שס״ח
For daily conduct
- A spoiled eruv redone from the same kind: without informing the residents, even if the first is consumed and even from what is theirs (seif א). The Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes in this seif that one does not take their bread from their houses without their knowledge: the members of the household give it (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1); the Mechaber lays down the same rule in the previous siman, without attaching it to this case (שו״ע או״ח שס״ז:א); the Taz connects it to seif א, and the Biur Halachah notes that many Acharonim contested him (ביאור הלכה שס״ח).
- From another kind, the first being consumed: inform if one uses what is theirs; from one's own, no (seif א). Whom to inform: the Mishnah Berurah reports the Maamar Mordechai and other Acharonim: only a house that opens onto two courtyards (ס״ק ד), and it also reports poskim for whom an eruv without the residents' consent is made only from one's own (ס״ק ט) — on the general rule, without applying it to this case; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav says: those whom one informs at the start of an eruv, and gives as an example, in that seif, one whose house opens onto two courtyards (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1).
- The first only diminished: without informing, even from what is theirs (seif א).
- Residents added to the courtyard: if the house opens onto two courtyards, inform (seif ב); according to the Magen Avraham, the Mishnah Berurah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, even if one grants them a share of one's own (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק א; משנה ברורה שס״ח ס״ק ט; Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:2); the Mishnah Berurah also reports a more lenient opinion (ס״ק ט); and according to the Magen Avraham, when they are in a single alley and one makes the eruv from what is theirs, they must also be informed (מגן אברהם שס״ח ס״ק א).
- The measure at the outset: a dried fig per person up to eighteen; beyond that, two meals — six eggs, and another opinion says eight (seif ג); the Mishnah Berurah: it is proper in the first place to follow eight; six suffice after the fact (ס״ק י״ב).
- After the first Shabbos has begun, any remnant suffices for the following Shabbosos (seif ד); when the eruv and the shituf are made together, the Magen Avraham, reported by the Mishnah Berurah, declares it invalid, and the Biur Halachah concludes that one may be lenient in a time of need (בשעת הדחק); in the first place, complete the measure (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ט״ז). Consult your Rav. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav: even a piece; a loaf broken before Shabbos began remains valid if its measure remains until Shabbos begins, and for this case the Mishnah Berurah reports stricter authorities (ס״ק י״ז); but if it diminished below its measure before Shabbos began, it is invalid as it stands (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:3): one completes it up to its measure before Shabbos begins (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:1). If residents were added after the eruv diminished below its measure, one must add for them (שו״ע או״ח שס״ו:ט; Shulchan Aruch HaRav 366:12).
- Moldy eruv bread is as if consumed: make the eruv anew (seif ה); when it is entirely moldy (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ט).
- The matzah or the eruv every Erev Shabbos: the Rema considers the matzah better and leaves the eruv every Erev Shabbos to whoever wants it (seif ה); the Taz (ט״ז או״ח שס״ח ס״ק ד), the Acharonim reported by the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק כ״א) and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 368:4) prefer making the eruv every Erev Shabbos.
- In case of doubt — about the state of the eruv, the measure or the layout of the courtyards: consult your Rav.
- In-depth pilpul — Level 2; Chabad shitah — Level 4.
📚 Recap of the study path
You have studied Siman שס״ח in 3 levels:
You have studied Siman שס״ח in 3 levels:
- 🌱 Level 1 — Base: the Mechaber's 5 seifim with the Rema's gloss, English translation, halachic concepts
- ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan: the sugya of Eruvin 80b-81b, Rashi and the Rambam, the measure, the remnants, the broken loaf, the Rema's gloss
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: axiom, mnemonic, decision tree, practical commandments