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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman שע״ה · 4 seifim of the Shulchan Aruch
The gallery of the upper rooms, and what in the courtyard does not forbid — to discover and understand
סימן שע״ה
מה הם הדברים השרוים בחצר שאינם אוסרים
🌱 Beginner Level · מתחילים
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First approach to Siman שע״ה: complete Hebrew text of the Mechaber, English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, practical cases and synthesis.
Topic: the gallery (mirpeses) of the upper rooms, reached from the courtyard by a ladder, whose residents do not forbid the residents of the courtyard, provided that they make an eruv among themselves; and the places that lie between the courtyard and the gallery — mound, pillar — when the residents did not make an eruv together; the matzeivah in front of the gallery; and the ledges of the walls, between the courtyard and the upper room
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן שע״ה (4 seifim in the Shulchan Aruch, without a gloss opened by הגה — the Taz attributes the first parenthesis of seif ב to the Rema; 5 seifim in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, studied at Level 4)
Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study Plan
1. The Shulchan Aruch text — the 4 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 — no gloss opened by הגה; in seif ב, two parentheses, the first of which the Taz attributes to the Rema
7. Modern practical cases
8. Practical synthesis and rules to remember
9. Comprehension questions
1. The Shulchan Aruch text
Siman שע״ה contains 4 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo). The text served by Sefaria carries no gloss of the Rema marked הגה, neither in the Maginei Eretz edition nor in the Torat Emet edition; seif ב carries two additions printed in small type — in parentheses in the Maginei Eretz edition, without parentheses in the Torat Emet edition —, each followed by the reference (טור) — the Taz attributes the first to the Rema (section 6) —, and one word in parentheses, (להם), which the Torat Emet edition also prints in small type — it is in the Tur's sentence (Level 2, section 6). Topic of the siman, according to its title: what lies in the courtyard and does not forbid — the gallery (mirpeses) of the upper rooms, reached from the courtyard by a ladder (seif א); a mound or a pillar shared by the courtyard and the gallery, when their residents did not make an eruv together (seif ב); a matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery (seif ג); ledges (zizin) projecting from the walls (seif ד). The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (of the Alter Rebbe) has 5 seifim for this siman; his wording is studied at Level 4.
Seif א
מה הם הדברים השרוים בחצר שאינם אוסרים. ובו ד סעיפים:
מרפסת שהוא דרך לעליות הפתוחים לה ועומדת בחצר ועולים לה בסולם ובני העליות יורדים ממנה לחצר ועוברים לרשות הרבים אינם אוסרים על בני החצר דסולם תורת פתח עליו והוי כשתי חצרות ופתח ביניהם שאם רצו מערבים יחד ואם רצו כל א' מערב לעצמו ובלבד שיערבו כל בני מרפסת לעצמן כדי שתהא רגל המותרת במקומה:
Translation: A gallery [mirpeses] that is the way to the upper rooms that open onto it, that stands in the courtyard, that one climbs to by a ladder, and from which the residents of the upper rooms go down to the courtyard and pass [through the courtyard] to the public domain: they do not forbid the residents of the courtyard [when they did not make an eruv together; and the seif speaks of a gallery ten tefachim high above the courtyard, otherwise it forms one courtyard with it — Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק א], since the ladder has the status of an opening, and it is like two courtyards with an opening between them: if they wish, they make the eruv together, and if they wish, each makes the eruv for itself; provided that all the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves, so that it is a foot permitted in its place [regel ha-muteres bi-mekomah].
What this seif says:
- The gallery of the upper rooms, joined to the courtyard by a ladder: its residents do not forbid the residents of the courtyard — מרפסת שהוא דרך לעליות הפתוחים לה ועומדת בחצר ועולים לה בסולם ובני העליות יורדים ממנה לחצר ועוברים לרשות הרבים אינם אוסרים על בני החצר.
- The reason: the ladder has the status of an opening; they are like two courtyards with an opening between them — דסולם תורת פתח עליו והוי כשתי חצרות ופתח ביניהם; they make the eruv together, or each for itself, as they wish — שאם רצו מערבים יחד ואם רצו כל א׳ מערב לעצמו.
- Provided that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves — ובלבד שיערבו כל בני מרפסת לעצמן כדי שתהא רגל המותרת במקומה. Otherwise, writes the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ג), they also forbid the residents of the courtyard, since they have no other way to the public domain except through the courtyard.
Seif ב
אם לא עירבו יחד ויש בחצר תל או עמוד שהוא משותף בין שניהם אם אינם גבוהים י״ט הרי אלו נחשבי' בין החצר ובין המרפסת ושניהם אסורים להוציא שם כלים שבבתים ואם הם גבוהים מקרקעית החצר י״ט (ובתוך עשרה למרפסת (טור) והם בתוך ד' טפחים למרפסת בני מרפסת מותרים לפי שתשמישו (להם) בנחת מלבני החצר ואם היו רחוקים מהמרפס' ד״ט או יותר אע״פ שגבוהים עשרה (מן החצר לתוך עשרה למרפסת) (טור) הרי אלו בכלל החצר והמרפס' לפי ששניהם אפשר להשתמש בהם על ידי זריקה לפיכך שניהם אסורים להוציא שם כלים ששבתו בבתים עד שיערבו:
Translation: If they did not make an eruv together, and there is in the courtyard a mound or a pillar [tel, amud] that is shared by the two [if it belongs to one of them only, it is in that one's domain, and the other does not forbid him — Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד; and the seif speaks, according to the Biur Halachah, of a mound or a pillar four tefachim wide by four — otherwise it is a makom petur, void for both sides]: if they are not ten tefachim high, they are counted both to the courtyard and to the gallery, and both are forbidden to carry out there the utensils that are in the houses. And if they are ten tefachim high above the floor of the courtyard [parenthesis as printed, with a reference to the Tur: and within ten of the gallery] and they are within four tefachim of the gallery, the residents of the gallery are permitted, since its use [parenthesis as printed: (להם), to them] is easier [be-nachas] than for the residents of the courtyard. And if they were four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even though they are ten high [parenthesis as printed, with a reference to the Tur: above the courtyard, within ten of the gallery], they belong both to the courtyard and to the gallery, since both can use them by throwing [al yedei zerikah]; therefore both are forbidden to carry out there utensils that rested in the houses, until they make an eruv.
What this seif says:
- A shared mound or pillar, when they did not make an eruv together — אם לא עירבו יחד ויש בחצר תל או עמוד שהוא משותף בין שניהם.
- Less than ten tefachim high: they count to the courtyard and to the gallery, and are forbidden to both for the utensils of the houses — אם אינם גבוהים י״ט הרי אלו נחשבי׳ בין החצר ובין המרפסת ושניהם אסורים להוציא שם כלים שבבתים.
- Ten tefachim high above the floor of the courtyard, and within four tefachim of the gallery: the residents of the gallery are permitted, its use being easier for them — ואם הם גבוהים מקרקעית החצר י״ט … והם בתוך ד׳ טפחים למרפסת בני מרפסת מותרים לפי שתשמישו … בנחת מלבני החצר. The parenthesis with a reference to the Tur, skipped after the first extract, adds: within ten of the gallery.
- Four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high: both can use them by throwing, and they are forbidden to both for the utensils of the houses until they make an eruv — ואם היו רחוקים מהמרפס׳ ד״ט או יותר אע״פ שגבוהים עשרה … הרי אלו בכלל החצר והמרפס׳ לפי ששניהם אפשר להשתמש בהם על ידי זריקה לפיכך שניהם אסורים להוציא שם כלים ששבתו בבתים עד שיערבו. The parenthesis with a reference to the Tur, skipped between the two extracts, specifies the case: ten high from the courtyard, within ten of the gallery.
- The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav.
Seif ג
היתה מצבה ארבע' טפחים לפני המרפס' אין המרפסת אוסר' על בני החצר שהרי נחלקה מהם:
Translation: If there was a matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery [four tefachim in height, according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ב; the seif does not specify], the gallery does not forbid the residents of the courtyard, since it has separated from them [even with regard to the mound and the pillar close to it, within four tefachim, and ten tefachim high: by making a separation in front of the gallery, they showed that they withdrew from the courtyard — Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ג].
What this seif says:
- A matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery: the gallery does not forbid the residents of the courtyard — היתה מצבה ארבע׳ טפחים לפני המרפס׳ אין המרפסת אוסר׳ על בני החצר.
- The reason: it has separated from them — שהרי נחלקה מהם. According to the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק י״ג), this holds even for the mound and the pillar close to it.
Seif ד
זיזים היוצאים מהכתלים כל שהוא למטה מעשרה טפחים הרי זה נחשב מהחצר ובני החצר משתמשין בו וכל שהוא בתוך י״ט העליונים הסמוכים לעלייה אנשי עלייה משתמשין בו והנשאר בין י' התחתונים עד התחלת י' העליונים מן הזיזין היוצאים שניהם אסורים בו ואין משתמשין בהם בכלים ששבתו בבתים אלא אם כן עירבו:
Translation: Ledges [zizin] projecting from the walls [the seif speaks, according to the Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ד, of the case where the residents of the courtyard and those of the upper room each made an eruv for themselves, the ledges belong to them jointly, and they are four tefachim wide — otherwise it is a makom petur, nullified to both, according to Rashi]: whatever is below ten tefachim is counted to the courtyard, and the residents of the courtyard use it; whatever is within the upper ten tefachim, close to the upper room, the people of the upper room use it; and what remains, of the projecting ledges between the lower ten [tefachim] and the beginning of the upper ten, is forbidden to both, and one does not use them with utensils that rested in the houses, unless they made an eruv.
What this seif says:
- Below ten tefachim: the ledge counts to the courtyard — זיזים היוצאים מהכתלים כל שהוא למטה מעשרה טפחים הרי זה נחשב מהחצר ובני החצר משתמשין בו.
- Within the upper ten tefachim, close to the upper room: to the people of the upper room — וכל שהוא בתוך י״ט העליונים הסמוכים לעלייה אנשי עלייה משתמשין בו.
- In between: forbidden to both for the utensils of the houses, unless they made an eruv — והנשאר בין י׳ התחתונים עד התחלת י׳ העליונים מן הזיזין היוצאים שניהם אסורים בו ואין משתמשין בהם בכלים ששבתו בבתים אלא אם כן עירבו.
2. General context
What does this siman discuss?
Siman שע״ה is titled « מה הם הדברים השרוים בחצר שאינם אוסרים » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ה:א). The upper rooms (aliyos) it describes open onto a gallery, and their residents go down from the gallery to the courtyard by a ladder to pass to the public domain (seif א). Do they forbid the residents of the courtyard, like residents of the courtyard who did not give their share to the eruv? Seif א answers that they do not: the ladder has the status of an opening, and they are like two courtyards, provided that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves. Seifim ב to ד then state, when the residents did not make an eruv together, to whom the mound and the pillar between the courtyard and the gallery belong, what a matzeivah in front of the gallery changes, and to whom the ledges of the walls, between the courtyard and the upper room, belong.
The fundamental question: are the residents of the upper rooms, who pass through the courtyard, residents of the courtyard? Seif א answers: « דסולם תורת פתח עליו והוי כשתי חצרות ופתח ביניהם » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ה:א). The Mishnah Berurah explains: « ולא הוי כחצר אחד שעירבו בני חציה לעצמן ובני חציה לעצמן דאסרי אהדדי אלא הוי כשתי חצרות » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק א) — it is not like one courtyard each half of which made its own eruv, which forbid one another. For the mound and the pillar shared by the two (seif ב), the seif itself gives the reason for its last two cases: the use is easier for the residents of the gallery than for those of the courtyard; and, when the mound is away from the gallery, both can use it by throwing. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav.
Place in Hilchos Eruvin
In Sefaria's index, the section הלכות עירובין of the Shulchan Aruch begins at siman 345. Siman שע״ה follows siman שע״ד, which deals with the opening or window of the eruv blocked on Shabbos (title: « נסתם בשבת פתח או חלון במקום שעירב בו », שו״ע או״ח שע״ד:א), and precedes siman שע״ו (title: « בור ובאר שבין שתי חצירות », שו״ע או״ח שע״ו:א). On the condition of seif א, the Mishnah Berurah refers to the law of a foot forbidden in its place, « דקיי״ל לקמן בסימן שע״ח » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק ג). And siman ש״ע · 370 already referred to ours for the meaning of the gallery: « פירושה מבואר לקמן בסימן שע״ה » (משנה ברורה ש״ע ס״ק ב).
3. Key halachic concepts
A few notions structure this siman, in the order of the seifim:
The essential notions of siman שע״ה:
- מרפסת — the gallery: seif א describes it as the way of the upper rooms, « שהוא דרך לעליות הפתוחים לה » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ה:א). The residents of the gallery (בני מרפסת, seif ב) are, according to the Mishnah Berurah, « אנשי העליה שבתיהם נפתחים להמרפסת ואיסקופת פתחיהם שוה לה » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק ו).
- סולם תורת פתח עליו — the ladder has the status of an opening (seif א). When each made an eruv for itself, without a joint eruv, each carries, according to the Mishnah Berurah, within his own domain — the utensils of the house to the courtyard, those of the upper room to the gallery —, « אבל כלי הבית למרפסת או כלי עליה לחצר אסור כיון שלא עירבו יחד » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק ב).
- רגל המותרת במקומה — a foot permitted in its place: this is the condition of seif א, that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves. The Mishnah Berurah gives the reverse: if they did not, « והיא אסורה במקומה אוסרת ג״כ על החצר לטלטל בתוכה מכלי הבית » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק ג), since they have no other way to the public domain except through the courtyard (same ס״ק).
- בנחת — easy use, as opposed to difficult use (seif ב): the seif gives the residents of the gallery the mound ten tefachim high above the floor of the courtyard and within four tefachim of the gallery (and, according to a parenthesis with a reference to the Tur, within ten of the gallery), because its use is easier for them than for the residents of the courtyard. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav.
- זריקה — throwing: in seif ב, the mound four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high (and, according to the second parenthesis, within ten of the gallery), belongs to both the courtyard and the gallery, since both can use it by throwing, and it is forbidden to them for the utensils of the houses until they make an eruv (see the table in section 5 of Level 3).
- בור — the shared cistern: the Mechaber does not mention it in this siman; the Mishnah Berurah, on seif ב, writes of a cistern in the courtyard, shared by the residents of the gallery and of the courtyard, surrounded by a rim (chulya) ten tefachim high and close to the gallery: « ומקיפתו חוליא גבוה י׳ טפחים וסמוכה למרפסת בתוך ד״ט אוסרין זה על זה כשלא עירבו יחד » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״א), « ואין נותנין אותו לבני מרפסת הואיל וגם להם תשמישו בקשה » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״א). The Shulchan Aruch HaRav devotes a seif to it, which begins « בּוֹר שֶׁבֶּחָצֵר שֶׁל בְּנֵי הֶחָצֵר וְהַמִּרְפֶּסֶת בְּשֻׁתָּפוּת » (שו״ע הרב שע״ה:ג) (Level 4).
- מצבה — the matzeivah of seif ג: the seif does not describe it further, and does not say whether its four tefachim are height or width; the Mishnah Berurah, among others, writes height (ס״ק י״ב), the text of the Rambam served by Sefaria width (Levels 2 and 4); and it explains why it separates: « שכיון שעשו הפסק לפני המרפסת גילו דעתם שסילקו עצמם מן החצר » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״ג).
- זיזים — the ledges of seif ד; the Mishnah Berurah sets their conditions, « וגם מיירי שהזיזין היו רחבים ד״ט דאל״ה הוי מקום פטור ובטיל להכא ולהכא » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״ד), in the name of Rashi.
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
| Seif | Content |
|---|---|
| א | The gallery that serves the upper rooms, in the courtyard, reached by a ladder, from which its residents go down to the courtyard to pass to the public domain: they do not forbid the residents of the courtyard; the ladder has the status of an opening, and they are like two courtyards with an opening between them — they make the eruv together, or each for itself, as they wish —, provided that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves. |
| ב | Without a joint eruv, for carrying out there the utensils of the houses, a mound or a pillar shared by the two: less than ten tefachim high, the seif counts them to the courtyard and to the gallery and forbids them to both; ten tefachim high above the floor of the courtyard (and, according to a parenthesis with a reference to the Tur, within ten of the gallery), and within four tefachim of the gallery, it permits them to the residents of the gallery, whose use is easier; four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high (and, according to the second parenthesis, within ten of the gallery), it says they belong to both, who can use them by throwing, and forbids them to both until they make an eruv. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav. |
| ג | A matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery: the gallery does not forbid the residents of the courtyard, since it has separated from them. |
| ד | Ledges projecting from the walls: below ten tefachim, they count to the courtyard; within the upper ten tefachim, close to the upper room, they belong to the people of the upper room; in between, they are forbidden to both for utensils that rested in the houses, unless they made an eruv. |
Heart of the siman: the residents of the upper rooms who go down to the courtyard by the ladder of their gallery do not count as residents of the courtyard: they are like two courtyards with an opening between them, provided that they make an eruv among themselves (seif א). Seif ב, as printed, writes three cases of a shared mound or pillar, when the residents did not make an eruv together, for carrying out there the utensils of the houses: less than ten tefachim high, forbidden to both; ten high above the courtyard and within four tefachim of the gallery, to the residents of the gallery, whose use is easier; four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high, forbidden to both, who can use them by throwing, until they make an eruv. Two parentheses of the printed text, with a reference to the Tur, add to the last two cases: within ten of the gallery. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav. A matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery separates it from the courtyard (seif ג); the ledges of the walls are divided according to their height (seif ד).
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan (Chofetz Chaim) contains 15 entries on this siman. Here are the first three — those on seif א:
משנה ברורה (א) — (א) אינן אוסרין על בני החצר - כשלא עירבו יחד אלא בני העליות לעצמן ובני החצר לעצמן ולא הוי כחצר אחד שעירבו בני חציה לעצמן ובני חציה לעצמן דאסרי אהדדי אלא הוי כשתי חצרות. ומיירי כשהמרפסת גבוה י״ט מן החצר דאי לא היה גבוה י״ט הוי ליה עם החצר כחצר אחת [אחרונים]:
משנה ברורה (ב) — (ב) לעצמו - ר״ל ומותר לטלטל אפילו כלי הבית לחצר וכן כלי עליה למרפסת אבל כלי הבית למרפסת או כלי עליה לחצר אסור כיון שלא עירבו יחד:
משנה ברורה (ג) — (ג) ובלבד שיערבו וכו' - ר״ל דאם לא עירבו בפני עצמן והיא אסורה במקומה אוסרת ג״כ על החצר לטלטל בתוכה מכלי הבית דמרפסת כיון שאין לו דרך אחר לר״ה כ״א ע״י חצר הו״ל כחצר זה לפנים מזה שאין לו דרך אחר כ״א ע״י חצר החיצונה דקיי״ל לקמן בסימן שע״ח דאם בני חצר הפנימי לא עירבו לעצמן דהו״ל רגל האסורה במקומה אוסרין על החיצונה:
For the full text of the 15 entries, see Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 375.
6. Position of the Rema
In the four seifim of the text served by Sefaria, no gloss of the Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) is opened by הגה, neither in the Maginei Eretz edition nor in the Torat Emet edition. But seif ב carries two additions printed in small type (in parentheses in the Maginei Eretz edition; the Torat Emet edition prints them without parentheses), and the Taz attributes the first to the Rema: « ורמ״א הכניס לתוך דברי הרמב״ם מן שיטת הטור דהיינו ובתוך י׳ למרפסת בבבא דגבוהים י׳ » (ט״ז או״ח שע״ה ס״ק ב) ; he also distinguishes, in this seif, the language of the Shulchan Aruch from what he calls, in the plural, the glosses of the Rema: « ומבואר מלשונו דהיינו לשון הש״ע שבסעיף זה זולת הגהות רמ״א » (ט״ז או״ח שע״ה ס״ק ב) .
What the printed text carries in parentheses:
- Seif ב — two additions followed by the reference (טור): « ובתוך עשרה למרפסת » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ה:ב), after the height of ten tefachim above the courtyard, and « מן החצר לתוך עשרה למרפסת » (שו״ע או״ח שע״ה:ב), in the case of the mound far from the gallery; and, between them, the word (להם), which the Torat Emet edition also prints in small type, and which is in the Tur's sentence (Level 2, section 6). The printed text does not say who added them; the Taz attributes the first to the Rema (above) and does not single out the second. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav.
- Chabad → follow the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, siman שע״ה (see Level 4 — Daat HaRav).
7. Modern practical cases
The situations below are applications of the site: the seif does not name them, and each is tied to the seif it involves.
| Situation | Quick analysis |
|---|---|
| Upper-floor apartments served by a shared walkway, from which a staircase goes down to the courtyard | Application by the site, seif א: the seif speaks of a gallery that serves the upper rooms and that a ladder joins to the courtyard; its residents do not forbid the residents of the courtyard, provided that they make an eruv among themselves. According to the Mishnah Berurah, the seif speaks of a gallery ten tefachim high above the courtyard (ס״ק א); and, without a joint eruv, one carries neither the utensils of the house to the gallery nor those of the upper room to the courtyard (ס״ק ב). The seif speaks of a ladder (סולם); whether a staircase is judged likewise, it does not say. Consult your Rav. |
| A shared low wall, or a built planter, in the courtyard near the walkway | Application by the site, seif ב: it depends, among other things, on its width — the Biur Halachah writes that the seif speaks of a mound or a pillar four tefachim wide by four, otherwise it is a makom petur: « מיירי שהוא רחב דע״ד דאל״ה הוי מקום פטור ובטל להכא ולהכא » (ביאור הלכה שע״ה) —, on its height above the floor of the courtyard (ten tefachim) and below the gallery (seif ב, with its parentheses), on its distance from the gallery (four tefachim), and on whom it belongs to; if it belongs to one of them only, it is in his domain (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד). Seif ב, as printed, writes three cases of a shared mound or pillar, when the residents did not make an eruv together, for carrying out there the utensils of the houses: less than ten tefachim high, forbidden to both; ten high above the courtyard and within four tefachim of the gallery, to the residents of the gallery, whose use is easier; four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high, forbidden to both, who can use them by throwing, until they make an eruv. Two parentheses of the printed text, with a reference to the Tur, add to the last two cases: within ten of the gallery. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav. |
| A shared pit or cistern in the courtyard, surrounded by a rim | Application by the site, Mishnah Berurah on seif ב: when the rim is ten tefachim high and close to the gallery, the residents of the courtyard and of the gallery forbid one another to draw water with a bucket that rested in the house or in the upper rooms, and to bring the water into their houses, when they did not make an eruv together (ס״ק י״א); even when the pit is full of water up to the rim, « אסור משום גזירה שמא יחסרו המים בשבת וישתמשו בו כבתחלה » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״א); then: « אבל אם היה הבור מלא בדבר שאין ניטל בשבת הרי הוא כעמוד או תל גבוה י׳ מחצר ותוך עשרה למרפסת שנותנין אותו לבני מרפסת [כשאינו מופלג מכנגדה ד״ט וכנ״ל] להשתמש על גבה » (משנה ברורה שע״ה ס״ק י״א) — when it is full of something that is not taken on Shabbos, it is like the mound ten high above the courtyard and within ten of the gallery, which is given to the residents of the gallery, when it is not four tefachim away from it. Consult your Rav. |
| Sills or cornices along the wall of the courtyard, under the windows of the upper floor | Application by the site, seif ד: below ten tefachim, to the courtyard; within the upper ten tefachim, close to the upper room, to the people of the upper room; in between, forbidden to both for utensils that rested in the houses, unless they made an eruv. According to the Mishnah Berurah, the seif speaks of shared ledges, four tefachim wide, when each made an eruv for itself (ס״ק י״ד); and it explains that the seif speaks of more than twenty tefachim between the upper room and the floor of the courtyard, and that the same applies below twenty, when the ledge is in the middle, less than ten tefachim from either (ס״ק ט״ו). Consult your Rav. |
For precise practical cases: the conduct depends, among other things, on the height and distance of the places relative to the courtyard, the gallery and the upper room, on their width, on whom they belong to, and on the eruv the residents made, together or each for itself. For halachah lema'aseh, consult your Rav.
8. Practical synthesis of the Siman
The teachings of Siman שע״ה:
- The gallery of the upper rooms: those who live on it and go down to the courtyard by a ladder do not forbid the residents of the courtyard; the ladder has the status of an opening, and they are like two courtyards, which make the eruv together or each for itself, as they wish, provided that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves (seif א).
- The condition: that the residents of the gallery make an eruv among themselves (seif א); otherwise, according to the Mishnah Berurah, they also forbid the residents of the courtyard (ס״ק ג).
- A shared mound or pillar: Seif ב, as printed, writes three cases of a shared mound or pillar, when the residents did not make an eruv together, for carrying out there the utensils of the houses: less than ten tefachim high, forbidden to both; ten high above the courtyard and within four tefachim of the gallery, to the residents of the gallery, whose use is easier; four tefachim or more away from the gallery, even ten high, forbidden to both, who can use them by throwing, until they make an eruv. Two parentheses of the printed text, with a reference to the Tur, add to the last two cases: within ten of the gallery. The commentators read the scope of these words differently and disagree on several of the cases these words do not write; the Rav deals with them in seif 2 of his Shulchan Aruch. See the table in section 5 of Level 3; Level 2 studies sources on them; consult your Rav.
- The matzeivah of four tefachim in front of the gallery: the gallery does not forbid the residents of the courtyard (seif ג).
- The ledges of the walls: below ten tefachim, to the courtyard; within the upper ten, to the upper room; in between, forbidden to both for the utensils of the houses, without an eruv (seif ד) — according to the Mishnah Berurah, the seif speaks of shared ledges, four tefachim wide, when each made an eruv for itself (ס״ק י״ד), and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav writes that they belong to both in partnership (seif 5).
- For halachah lema'aseh, consult your Rav.
9. Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Why do the residents of the gallery not forbid the residents of the courtyard (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק א)?
- What condition does seif א set, and what happens, according to the Mishnah Berurah, when it is not met (ס״ק ג)?
- When does the shared mound go to the residents of the gallery, and when is it forbidden to both (seif ב)?
- Why is the mound four tefachim away from the gallery, even if ten high (and, according to the second parenthesis, within ten of the gallery), forbidden to both (seif ב)?
- What does the matzeivah placed in front of the gallery change (seif ג; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק י״ג)?
- How are the ledges of the walls divided between the courtyard and the upper room (seif ד)?
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