DAAT · LEVEL 3 — MAGISTERIAL SYNTHESIS
Siman שע״ד
סימן שע״ד · נסתם בשבת פתח או חלון במקום שעירב בו
Recap & mnemonics for review
📑 Synthesis plan
- The central axiom of the siman
- The key concepts, condensed
- Structure of the siman — from the closed-up opening to the roof
- Decision tree — does the permission to carry remain?
- On Shabbos or before Shabbos — seifim א to ד
- Mnemonic — on Shabbos, before Shabbos
- Pitfalls to avoid
- Practical cases
- Final synthesis table
- The practical commandments
The seif numbers on this page are those of the Shulchan Aruch of the Mechaber (4 seifim). The Shulchan Aruch HaRav, studied in Level 4, also has 4 seifim, and each of its seifim 1 to 4 deals with the case of the Mechaber's seif of the same rank: when it is cited, its name is given next to the number.
1. The central axiom
Siman שע״ד in one sentence.
When the opening through which two courtyards made an eruv is closed up, or a breach opens between two domains, does the permission to carry remain? For the opening closed up on Shabbos, the Mishnah Berurah gives the reason of seif א: « דכיון שהותר בתחלת השבת הותר לכל השבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ג); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes it in its seif 1: « שֶׁשַּׁבָּת כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֻתְּרָה — הֻתְּרָה » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א). The siman sets out the cases, each in its seif: the eruv opening closed up on Shabbos, the eruv made for the year and the view of the Rambam (seif א); the wall between two courtyards breached on Shabbos, and the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis (seif ב); the small courtyard breached before Shabbos onto a large one (seif ג); the small roof breached before Shabbos onto a large one (seif ד).
When the opening through which two courtyards made an eruv is closed up, or a breach opens between two domains, does the permission to carry remain? For the opening closed up on Shabbos, the Mishnah Berurah gives the reason of seif א: « דכיון שהותר בתחלת השבת הותר לכל השבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ג); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes it in its seif 1: « שֶׁשַּׁבָּת כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֻתְּרָה — הֻתְּרָה » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א). The siman sets out the cases, each in its seif: the eruv opening closed up on Shabbos, the eruv made for the year and the view of the Rambam (seif א); the wall between two courtyards breached on Shabbos, and the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis (seif ב); the small courtyard breached before Shabbos onto a large one (seif ג); the small roof breached before Shabbos onto a large one (seif ד).
2. The condensed key concepts
| Concept | Definition | In the seif |
|---|---|---|
| כיון שהותרה הותרה | What was permitted [at the start of Shabbos] remains permitted for the whole of Shabbos (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ג) | The reason of seif א according to the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ג), and of seif ב for the wall between two courtyards (ס״ק ז); it sets it aside for the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis (ס״ק ט). The Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes this reason in its seifim 1 and 2, and writes, for the courtyard breached onto the public domain, that it is not said (seif 2) |
| Bein hashmashos (twilight) | The time at which the eruv is acquired: « וביה״ש שהוא זמן קניית העירוב » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ה) | Seif א: an opening closed up while it was still day remains forbidden even if it reopened on Shabbos, writes the Biur Halachah, « לפי שעדיין לא קנו עירוב מעולם » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד); so too the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1). The eruv made for the year is different (section 5) |
| עירב לשנה | The eruv made for the year: when it was placed, for several Shabbosos or for the year, the doorway was open from one to the other and the eruv took effect (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד) | Seif א: the doorway closed up on a weekday and opened on Shabbos, the eruv returns to its permission; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1) writes it for an eruv made for many Shabbosos, acquired at twilight of the first Shabbos, the doorway being open |
| במזיד | Deliberately, that is, intentionally (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ה) | Seif א: the note in parentheses, in small print, without the word הגה — even if he closed it deliberately (Agur); the Biur Halachah attributes it to the Rema. What the commentators and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav write about it: section 5 |
| The public domain, the karmelis | For the courtyard, a truly different domain: there the Mishnah Berurah does not say that what was permitted remains permitted (ס״ק ט) | Seif ב: a courtyard breached onto one of them on Shabbos is forbidden; seif ד: a roof whose walls are not recognizable is a karmelis, unless a window of four by four opens to it from the house |
| במילוא׳ | Along its full width: the Biur Halachah gives the rule, citing the Pri Megadim, « הכלל מלואה נקרא היכא דלית ליה פס ד׳ בחצר או פס משהו מכאן ומכאן [או טפח לדעה אחת] נקרא מלואה » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד) | Seifim ג and ד: the small courtyard and the small roof breached along their full width; for the small courtyard, the two courtyards were adjacent, separated by a wall, and that whole wall was breached (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״א) |
| גיפופין | The remnants of wall on either side of the breach: « דהא הגדולה יש לה גיפופין ומקום פרצה הכותל של הקטנה הרי היא כפתחה » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק י״ג) | Seif ג: the large courtyard, if it made an eruv by itself, is permitted, and the small one does not forbid it (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ג); the Mishnah gives the reason, « חָצֵר גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁנִּפְרְצָה לִקְטַנָּה — גְּדוֹלָה מוּתֶּרֶת וּקְטַנָּה אֲסוּרָה, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִיא כְּפִתְחָהּ שֶׁל גְּדוֹלָה » (עירובין צ״ב ע״א); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav gives this reason for the large courtyard (seif 3) and for the large roof (seif 4) |
| לבוד | A gap of less than three tefachim, treated as closed: « דאל״ה אמרינן לבוד לאורך הגדולה והוי כאלו לא היה מופלג כלל » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק י״ח) | Seif ג: this is why the walls of the small courtyard must be three tefachim away from the walls of the large one, according to the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק י״ח); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 3) writes here only the reason of the remnants of wall of the large one |
| נראה מבחוץ ושוה מבפנים | Seen from outside and even from inside: from inside the small courtyard, the breach takes up its whole width; seen from inside the large one, remnants of wall appear to it on either side (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ט) | Seif ג: without the conditions of the seif — the walls of the small one entering the large one, three tefachim away — the small one would be permitted by this principle |
| Gud asik mechitzasa | The walls are extended upward, as if the roof were surrounded by walls, when those standing at the edge of the roof see the walls of the house (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ז) | Seif ד: provided that the walls of the house are recognizable to one who stands on the roof; otherwise, for example if the roof juts out, it is a karmelis — according to the Mishnah Berurah, when it juts out four tefachim (ס״ק כ״ח) |
| חלון ארבע על ארבע | A window of four by four [tefachim], opening to the roof from the house: one uses it, and the whole roof counts as the holes of the private domain (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ט) | Seif ד: it removes the karmelis; but bringing up onto that roof utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos remains forbidden as long as no joint eruv was made, the Mishnah Berurah adds (ס״ק כ״ט) |
3. Structure of the siman — from the closed-up opening to the roof
Seif א — the eruv opening closed up on Shabbos: two courtyards that made an eruv through a window or a doorway between them may make use [from one to the other, Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב] by way of the top of the wall and its holes. The eruv made for the year returns to its permission when the doorway, closed up on a weekday, opens on Shabbos; the note in parentheses adds: even if he closed it deliberately (Agur). According to the Rambam, each one by itself only; for the halachah, the main view is the first one, according to the Acharonim (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ו).
↓
Seif ב — the wall between two courtyards breached on Shabbos: if each had made an eruv by itself, each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house; the courtyard breached on Shabbos onto the public domain or onto a karmelis is forbidden.
↓
Seif ג — the small courtyard breached before Shabbos onto a large one: along its full width, by a breach of at most ten amos. The large one, if it made an eruv by itself, may take out into its courtyard utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; the small one may do so only with a joint eruv — when its walls enter the large one and are three tefachim away from the walls of the large one; otherwise, the small one is permitted by the principle of seen from outside and even from inside; the Biur Halachah writes, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, that even one wall set apart three tefachim suffices for the small one to be forbidden.
↓
Seif ד — the small roof breached before Shabbos onto a large one: along its full width (without a joint eruv, the small roof not being more than ten amos; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ג). One does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; one may bring them up onto the large one — provided that the walls of the house are recognizable to one who stands on the roof; otherwise, for example if the roof juts out, it is a karmelis, unless a window of four by four opens to it from the house; even then, bringing up onto that roof utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos remains forbidden without a joint eruv (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ט).
4. Decision tree — does the permission to carry remain?
Q1: Was the opening through which two courtyards made an eruv closed up? (seif א)
↓ On Shabbos → one may make use from one to the other by way of the top of the wall and its holes (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב and ג). While it was still day → forbidden, even if it reopened on Shabbos, write the Biur Halachah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1) — except for the eruv made for several Shabbosos or for the year, already acquired on an earlier Shabbos while the doorway was open: the doorway closed up on a weekday and opened on Shabbos, the eruv returns to its permission (seif א). Closed up deliberately: see section 5.
Q2: Was a wall breached on Shabbos? (seif ב)
↓ Between two courtyards that each made an eruv by itself → each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house. Onto the public domain or onto a karmelis → forbidden (seif ב); for the four amos, see pitfall 4.
Q3: Had a small courtyard been breached before Shabbos onto a large one? (seif ג)
↓ Along its full width, by a breach of at most ten amos → the large one, which made an eruv by itself, is permitted; the small one is forbidden without a joint eruv, if its walls enter the large one and are three tefachim away from its walls; otherwise, it too is permitted (seif ג); the Biur Halachah writes, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, that even one wall set apart three tefachim suffices for the small one to be forbidden. Beyond ten amos, the Mishnah Berurah writes, one cannot say that the small one is like the doorway of the large one (ס״ק י״ב).
Q4: Had a small roof been breached before Shabbos, along its full width, onto a large one? (seif ד)
↓ Without a joint eruv, the small roof not being more than ten amos (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ג), the walls of the house being recognizable to one who stands on the roof → one does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; onto the large one, it is permitted. They are not, for example if the roof juts out → it is a karmelis, unless a window of four by four opens to it from the house (seif ד); even then, bringing up onto that roof utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos remains forbidden without a joint eruv, the Mishnah Berurah adds (ס״ק כ״ט).
→ At the slightest doubt: consult your Rav.
5. On Shabbos or before Shabbos — seifim א to ד
The first two seifim speak notably of what happens on Shabbos — ונסתם בשבת (seif א), ונפרץ הכותל בשבת (seif ב); seif א also deals with the doorway closed up on a weekday and reopened on Shabbos, for the eruv made for the year —; the last two, of a breach opened before Shabbos — שנפרצ׳ קודם שבת (seif ג), שנפרץ קודם שבת (seif ד). summary: the table condenses these seifim; the full text and its translation are in Level 1.
| Seif | Case | On Shabbos | Before Shabbos |
|---|---|---|---|
| א | The opening through which two courtyards made an eruv | Closed up on Shabbos: one may make use from one to the other (according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב) by way of the top of the wall and its holes; what was permitted at the start of Shabbos remains permitted for the whole of Shabbos (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ג) | Closed up while it was still day: forbidden, even if it reopened on Shabbos (Biur Halachah; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, seif 1); the eruv made for the year returns to its permission when the doorway, closed up on a weekday, opens on Shabbos (seif א) |
| ב | The wall between two courtyards, each having made an eruv by itself | Breached on Shabbos: each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ז); the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis is forbidden (ס״ק ט) | The seif deals only with a breach opened on Shabbos |
| ג | The small courtyard breached, along its full width, onto a large one | The seif deals only with a breach opened before Shabbos; on Shabbos, the Mishnah Berurah writes, one says that what was permitted remains permitted (ס״ק י) | The case of the seif: the large one, which made an eruv by itself, is permitted; the small one is forbidden without a joint eruv, under the conditions of the seif |
| ד | The small roof breached, along its full width, onto a large one | The seif deals only with a breach opened before Shabbos; on Shabbos, the Mishnah Berurah writes, one says that what was permitted remains permitted (ס״ק כ״ב) | The case of the seif (without a joint eruv, the small roof not being more than ten amos; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ג): one does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; onto the large one it is permitted, provided that the walls of the house are recognizable |
The doorway closed up deliberately (seif א) — what each one writes, and to what degree:
- Seif א: in the case of the eruv made for the year, the note in parentheses, in small print, without the word הגה, « ואפילו סתמה במזיד » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:א), followed by its source, the Agur; the text does not name its author, and the Biur Halachah attributes it to the Rema.
- The Magen Avraham, relying on a responsum of the Maharil, explains that the leniency applies when the doorway was reopened before Shabbos, and that this is what the Agur, who writes in the name of the Maharil, meant; reopened on Shabbos, it is forbidden: « א״כ כשנפתח בשבת אסור דכיון דסתמו במזיד גלי דעתי׳ שאינו חפץ בעירו׳ » (מגן אברהם שע״ד ס״ק א); he ends this point with a צ״ע (it remains to be examined): « ומיהו בסתמא במזיד לא מהני נפתח בשבת וצ״ע » (מגן אברהם שע״ד ס״ק א).
- The Mishnah Berurah: the Magen Avraham and several Acharonim lean towards forbidding, « ודע דמ״א וכמה אחרונים צידדו לאסור בזה כשחזר ונפתח בשבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ה); it writes: « ואין להקל כשסתמו במזיד אלא כשנפתח קודם השבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ה); and if, when he closed it, he intended to close it only for a time and to open it again, it stands to reason, it writes, that it is permitted: « מסתברא דמותר אף כשחזר ונפתח בשבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ה).
- The Biur Halachah: « ומ״מ לענין סתמו במזיד שהמ״א הביא ממהרי״ל שלא התיר אלא דוקא בשנפתח קודם השבת וכן הסכים בא״ר ותו״ש בודאי אין להקל בזה » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד); and: « ואף שיש אחרונים שמיישבין בדוחק את סברת הרמ״א דמתיר בכל גווני מ״מ למעשה נראה שאין להקל » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד).
- The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1), for an eruv made for many Shabbosos: « וַאֲפִלּוּ סְתָמוֹ בְּמֵזִיד » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א); it reports « וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁחוֹשֵׁשׁ לְהַחֲמִיר אִם סְתָמוֹ בְּמֵזִיד » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א), and writes: « וּלְעִנְיַן הֲלָכָה, בְּדִבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים הַלֵּךְ אַחַר הַמֵּקֵל » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א).
What the Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes in addition (its own numbering, Level 4):
- Seif 1 (the Mechaber's seif א): it writes that one may make use מִזֶּה לְזֶה, with the reason; it also writes the opposite case: a doorway closed up while it was still day remains forbidden even if it reopened on Shabbos, « לְפִי שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא קָנוּ עֵרוּב מֵעוֹלָם, שֶׁקְּנִיַּת הָעֵרוּב הוּא בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א), and an eruv made before a past Shabbos does not help. The Biur Halachah, later than the Rav, writes the same rule in very close words, without naming a source (Level 4, point ב). The Rav's seif 1 does not report the view of the Rambam.
- Seif 2 (the Mechaber's seif ב): each one may carry in his courtyard עַד מְקוֹם הַכֹּתֶל; for the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis, it specifies פִּרְצָה הָאוֹסַרְתָּהּ and refers to siman 362. The limit up to the wall, and that for the courtyard breached onto the public domain one does not say that the permitted Shabbos remains permitted, are already found in the Beis Yosef; for the size of the breach, the Beis Yosef for its part refers to siman 360 (Level 4, point ד).
- Seif 3 (the Mechaber's seif ג): the small one does not forbid the large one, even without an eruv between them, « מִפְּנֵי שֶׁפִּרְצָה זוֹ הִיא לַגְּדוֹלָה כְּפֶתַח שֶׁאֵין לָהּ בְּמִלּוּאָהּ » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ג); Level 4, point ה. For the condition of the walls, it gives the same reason as the Mechaber, נראה מבחוץ ושוה מבפנים (seen from outside and even from inside), and the Beis Yosef brings the three-tefachim gap (lavud) back to that reason: this is not a point where the Rav writes more.
- Seif 4 (the Mechaber's seif ד): it first sets out the case of roofs surrounded by a parapet, « וְכֵן גַּג קָטָן הַמֻּקָּף מַעֲקֶה סְבִיבוֹ גְּבוֹהָה עָלָיו עֲשָׂרָה » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ד), the houses not having made an eruv together, and forbids the small one « אִם מְחִצּוֹתָיו נִכְנָסוֹת לְתוֹךְ הַגָּדוֹל » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ד); then the case without a parapet, when the walls of the house are visible — the very condition of the Mechaber's seif ד, which the Rav makes precise: « לְמִי שֶׁעוֹמֵד עַל שְׂפַת הַגַּג כְּשֶׁמִּסְתַּכֵּל תַּחַת רַגְלָיו » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ד), as the Mishnah Berurah also writes (see Level 1); and, after the karmelis and the window: « אֲבָל מִכָּל מָקוֹם אִם לֹא עֵרְבוּ יַחַד אַף הַגָּדוֹל אָסוּר בְּכֵלִים שֶׁשָּׁבְתוּ בַּבַּיִת » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ד). The sentence on the large roof has its parallel, after the Rav, in the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק כ״ט; Level 4, point ו).
6. Mnemonic — on Shabbos, before Shabbos
The four seifim go in pairs, in their order: the first two speak notably of what happens on Shabbos (seif א also deals with the doorway closed up on a weekday and reopened on Shabbos, for the eruv made for the year), the last two of a breach opened before Shabbos. One letter per seif:
א — ונסתם בשבת: the eruv opening closed up on Shabbos — one may make use from one to the other (according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב) by way of the top of the wall and its holes.
ב — ונפרץ הכותל בשבת: the wall between two courtyards breached on Shabbos — if each had made an eruv by itself, each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house; but the courtyard breached onto the public domain or onto a karmelis is forbidden.
ג — שנפרצ׳ קודם שבת: the small courtyard breached before Shabbos, along its full width, onto a large one — the large one, which made an eruv by itself, is permitted; the small one is forbidden without a joint eruv, under the conditions of the seif.
ד — שנפרץ קודם שבת: the small roof breached before Shabbos, along its full width, onto a large one, without a joint eruv and under the conditions of the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק כ״ג) — one does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; onto the large one it is permitted, if the walls of the house are recognizable.
7. Pitfalls to avoid
Pitfall 1: Thinking that the opening closed up on Shabbos cancels the eruv of that Shabbos. Seif א: « ונסתם בשבת מותרים להשתמש דרך גובה הכותל וחוריו » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:א); although the holes do not have the size of a window, the Mishnah Berurah writes, « לא נתבטל העירוב על שבת זו » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ג). Conversely, do not judge in the same way an opening closed up while it was still day: « אבל אם נסתם מבעוד יום אפילו חזר ונפתח בשבת אסורין לפי שעדיין לא קנו עירוב מעולם » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד) — except for the eruv made for several Shabbosos or for the year, already acquired on an earlier Shabbos while the doorway was open (seif א).
Pitfall 2: Reading the note in parentheses of seif א as a permission without reservation. « ואפילו סתמה במזיד » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:א) is not introduced by הגה, and the Biur Halachah attributes it to the Rema. The Mishnah Berurah: « ואין להקל כשסתמו במזיד אלא כשנפתח קודם השבת » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ה) (and if he closed it only for a time, it holds that it stands to reason that it is permitted); the Biur Halachah: « מ״מ למעשה נראה שאין להקל » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1): « וּלְעִנְיַן הֲלָכָה, בְּדִבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים הַלֵּךְ אַחַר הַמֵּקֵל » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:א). Consult your Rav.
Pitfall 3: Taking the view of the Rambam as the ruling. Seif א reports it at its end: « ולהרמב״ם אין מותר לטלטל אלא כל אחת לעצמה אבל מזו לזו לא » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:א). The Mishnah Berurah relates it to the beginning of the seif, the doorway closed up on Shabbos; if it reopened, « ומ״מ אם חזר ונפתח לכו״ע מותר לטלטל מזו לזו כמו מתחלה » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ו); and « ולענין הלכה העיקר כסברא הראשונה כ״כ האחרונים » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ו).
Pitfall 4: Extending to the courtyard breached onto the public domain the permission given for the wall between two courtyards. Seif ב: « אבל חצר שנפרצה בשבת לרשו׳ הרבים או לכרמלית אסור » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:ב); here, the Mishnah Berurah writes, « אבל זה שנפרץ לרשות אחרת ממש לא אמרינן ביה הואיל והותרה הותרה » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק ט). On what the Beis Yosef permits within four amos, even towards the karmelis, the Biur Halachah reports the doubt of the Magen Avraham and views in both directions, and concludes: « וע״כ נראה שאין להקל » (ביאור הלכה שע״ד).
Pitfall 5: Judging the small courtyard like the large one. Seif ג: « גדול׳ מותרת להוציא כלי׳ ששבתו בבית לחצרה אם עירבה לעצמה » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:ג), but « וקטנה אסור׳ להוציא כלים ששבתו בבית לחצירה אלא אם כן עירבו יחד » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:ג) — and this « כשנכנסין כותלי קטנה לגדולה וכשכתלי קטנה מופלגים ג״ט מכותלי אורך הגדולה » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:ג); otherwise, the small one too is permitted — but the Biur Halachah writes, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, that even one wall set apart three tefachim suffices for the small one to be forbidden. The seif speaks of a breach opened before Shabbos, along the full width of the small one, not exceeding ten amos.
Pitfall 6: Thinking that a window of four by four permits everything on the roof. Seif ד: « אבל אם אינם ניכרות כגון שהגג בולט עליהם הוי כרמלית אלא אם כן פתוח לו מהבית חלון ארבע על ארבע » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:ד); the Mishnah Berurah adds: « אבל להעלות עליו כלים ששבתו בבית אסור כ״ז שלא עירבו יחד כיון שאין המחיצות ניכרות עליו » (משנה ברורה שע״ד ס״ק כ״ט). And the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 4), after the window: « אֲבָל מִכָּל מָקוֹם אִם לֹא עֵרְבוּ יַחַד אַף הַגָּדוֹל אָסוּר בְּכֵלִים שֶׁשָּׁבְתוּ בַּבַּיִת » (שו״ע הרב שע״ד:ד).
Pitfall 7: Mixing up the two numberings, or reading into the Mechaber's seif what the Rav writes and that seif does not. Levels 1 to 3 follow the Shulchan Aruch of the Mechaber; Level 4 follows the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, which also has 4 seifim, of the same rank. But its seifim write more — among other things, the doorway closed up while it was still day (seif 1) and the parapet of the roofs (seif 4) — and its seif 1 does not report the view of the Rambam: see section 5.
8. Practical cases
| Situation | Analysis | Conduct |
|---|---|---|
| The opening between two courtyards joined by an eruv is closed up on Shabbos | Seif א: one may make use from one to the other (according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב) by way of the top of the wall and its holes; according to Rashi as reported by the Mishnah Berurah, for example when rubble fell in front of it (ס״ק א) | One may make use by way of the top of the wall and its holes; according to the Rambam, each one by itself only, but for the halachah the main view is the first one (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ו) |
| The opening was closed up on Friday, while it was still day, and reopens on Shabbos | The Biur Halachah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1): forbidden, since the eruv was not acquired at twilight; both add that an eruv made before a past Shabbos does not help. The eruv made for the year returns to its permission when the doorway, closed up on a weekday, opens on Shabbos (seif א) | Without an eruv made from the outset for several Shabbosos or for the year, it is forbidden; with such an eruv, already acquired on an earlier Shabbos while the doorway was open, the eruv returns (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד; Biur Halachah; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, seif 1). Consult your Rav |
| The doorway closed up on purpose on a weekday, reopened on Shabbos, the eruv having been made for the year | Seif א: the note in parentheses — even deliberately; the Mishnah Berurah is lenient only if it reopened before Shabbos, and holds that it stands to reason to permit if he closed it only for a time (ס״ק ה); the Biur Halachah: in practice, it seems one should not be lenient; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 1): in the words of the Sofrim, follow the lenient view | Consult your Rav (section 5) |
| The wall between two courtyards, each having made an eruv by itself, is breached on Shabbos | Seif ב: each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house; breached, according to the Biur Halachah, along its full width or over more than ten amos; the utensils of the courtyard may be carried even from one courtyard to another (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ח); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 2): up to the place of the wall | Each one may carry in his courtyard |
| A courtyard is breached on Shabbos onto the public domain or onto a karmelis | Seif ב: forbidden; here one does not say that what was permitted remains permitted (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ט); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 2): by a breach that forbids it, with a reference to siman 362 | Forbidden; the Biur Halachah concludes that it seems one should not be lenient to carry from the courtyard to the karmelis within four amos (pitfall 4). Consult your Rav |
| A small courtyard had been breached before Shabbos, along its full width, onto a large one | Seif ג: the large one, which made an eruv by itself, is permitted; the small one is forbidden without a joint eruv, if its walls enter the large one and are three tefachim away from its walls; otherwise, it is permitted by the principle of seen from outside and even from inside; the Biur Halachah writes, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, that even one wall set apart three tefachim suffices for the small one to be forbidden; utensils that were in the courtyard at the start of Shabbos may be taken out even into another courtyard without a joint eruv (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ד) | For the small one, a joint eruv with the large one (seif ג); consult your Rav |
| Two neighbouring roofs, one small and one large, whose owners did not make an eruv together | Seif ד: if the small one is open onto the large one along its full width, one does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos; onto the large one it is permitted, provided that the walls of the house are recognizable, the small roof not being more than ten amos (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ג); if the two roofs are equal, they forbid each other (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ׳); a roof that juts out is a karmelis — according to the Mishnah Berurah, when it juts out four tefachim (ס״ק כ״ח) —, unless a window of four by four opens to it from the house (seif ד); even then, bringing up onto that roof utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos remains forbidden without a joint eruv (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ט) | Consult your Rav; for the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 4), see Level 4 |
9. Final synthesis table
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject of the siman | The doorway or window closed up on Shabbos, at the place through which the eruv was made (נסתם בשבת פתח או חלון במקום שעירב בו); seifim ב, ג and ד also deal with breaches: the wall between two courtyards, the small courtyard breached onto a large one, the small roof breached onto a large one |
| Place | In Sefaria's index, the section הלכות עירובין of the Shulchan Aruch begins at siman 345 |
| Number of seifim | 4 seifim (Mechaber) — 4 seifim also in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, of the same rank |
| Mishnah Berurah | 29 ס״ק on this siman |
| Glosses of the Rema | No gloss introduced by the word הגה; in seif א, a note in parentheses, in small print, followed by its source (אגור), whose author the text does not name; the Biur Halachah attributes it to the Rema |
| Cross-references | The Mishnah Berurah refers, among others, to siman 372 (ס״ק ח and כ״ה); the Shulchan Aruch HaRav refers, in its seif 2, to siman 362; in its seif 3, to siman 360; in its seif 4, to siman 345 |
| Talmudic sources and Rishonim | עירובין י״ז ע״א and צ״ב ע״א (Level 1, section 2); the detail in Level 2 |
| Golden rule | What was permitted at the start of Shabbos remains permitted for the whole of Shabbos (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ג and ז; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, seifim 1 and 2), except for a courtyard breached onto a truly different domain (ס״ק ט). When the breach opened before Shabbos, the ruling depends, among other things, on the width of the breach and on what remains of the walls (seifim ג and ד) |
| Practical ruling | For each case, the ruling of its seif; the Mishnah Berurah and the Biur Halachah add reservations, notably in seif א for the doorway closed up deliberately and in seif ב for the four amos (Level 1, section 6), and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav its own details (Level 4); consult your Rav |
10. The practical commandments of Siman שע״ד
For daily conduct
- The eruv opening closed up on Shabbos: one may make use from one to the other by way of the top of the wall and its holes (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב and ג). Closed up while it was still day, it remains forbidden even if it reopened on Shabbos (Biur Halachah; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, seif 1), except for the eruv made for several Shabbosos or for the year, already acquired on an earlier Shabbos while the doorway was open.
- The eruv made for the year: the doorway closed up on a weekday and opened on Shabbos, the eruv returns to its permission (seif א). Closed up deliberately: the note in parentheses includes it; the Mishnah Berurah is lenient only if it reopened before Shabbos, and holds that it stands to reason to permit if he closed it only for a time (ס״ק ה); the Biur Halachah concludes that in practice it seems one should not be lenient; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes that, in the words of the Sofrim, one follows the lenient view (seif 1). Consult your Rav.
- The view of the Rambam: when the opening is closed up on Shabbos, each one by itself only (seif א); for the halachah, the main view is the first one, according to the Acharonim (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ו).
- The wall between two courtyards breached on Shabbos: if each had made an eruv by itself, each one may carry in his courtyard, even the utensils of the house (seif ב) — up to the place of the wall, writes the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (seif 2).
- The courtyard breached on Shabbos onto the public domain or onto a karmelis is forbidden (seif ב); the Biur Halachah concludes that it seems one should not be lenient to carry from the courtyard to the karmelis within four amos.
- The small courtyard breached before Shabbos onto a large one, along its full width, by a breach of at most ten amos: the large one, which made an eruv by itself, is permitted; the small one is forbidden without a joint eruv, when its walls enter the large one and are three tefachim away from its walls; otherwise, it too is permitted (seif ג); the Biur Halachah writes, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, that even one wall set apart three tefachim suffices for the small one to be forbidden.
- The small roof breached before Shabbos, along its full width, onto a large one (without a joint eruv, the small roof not being more than ten amos; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ג): one does not bring up onto the small one utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos, one may bring them up onto the large one, provided that the walls of the house are recognizable; otherwise, for example if the roof juts out, it is a karmelis, unless a window of four by four opens to it from the house (seif ד); even then, bringing up onto that roof utensils that were in the house at the start of Shabbos remains forbidden without a joint eruv (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק כ״ט).
- In case of doubt — consult your Rav. In-depth pilpul — Level 2; Chabad shitah — Level 4.
📚 Recap of the study path
You have studied Siman שע״ד in 3 levels:
You have studied Siman שע״ד in 3 levels:
- 🌱 Level 1 — Foundations: the text of the Mechaber seif by seif, with the note in parentheses of seif א, English translation, halakhic concepts
- ⚡ Level 2 — Lamdan: Gemara sources, shittos of the Rishonim, machlokesim, nafka minos
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: axiom, mnemonic, decision tree, practical commandments