Shulchan Aruch · Orach Chayim
In-depth pilpul
Talmudic sources, the underlying hakira,
shitos of the Rishonim and Acharonim on the non-Jew who comes or dies on Shabbos: renting and renunciation
Subject:
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim siman שפ״ג — 1 seif in the Shulchan Aruch (Mechaber), without a gloss of the Rema; 3 seifim in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (see Level 4)
with, among others, the sources: Gemara Eruvin, Rashi, Rambam, Tur, Beis Yosef, Taz, מג״א, Mishnah Berurah, Biur Halachah
Mishnah Berurah: 8 se‘ifim katanim (ס״ק)
Editing and study:
Rav Yossef Haim Samama · DAAT
📑 Table of contents
- The text of the Shulchan Aruch — 1 seif
- The sugya — renting from the non-Jew who came on Shabbos: Rabbi Yochanan and Shmuel (seif א)
- Having come on Shabbos, he forbids, and the eruv is annulled (seif א)
- Renting on Shabbos (seif א)
- Renting, then renouncing; the eruv does not come back (seif א)
- All the more so if he dies on Shabbos: which case, and renting before Shabbos (seif א)
- Summary of the shitos and halachic conclusion
📜 The text of the Shulchan Aruch — 1 seif
עכו״ם הדר עם שני ישראלים ואין העכו״ם בביתו אינו אוסר (ע״ל סימן שע״א) ויערבו ויהיו מותרים בא עכו״ם בשבת אוסר והעירוב בטל ומיהו יכולים לשכור ממנו בשבת ואח״כ יבטל הא' לחבירו ויהי' היחיד מותר וכ״ש אם מת העכו״ם בשבת שיבטל א' לחבירו ויהי' היחיד מותר:
summary: heading of the siman, then its single seif. A non-Jew who lives with two Jews and is not in his house does not forbid (the seif refers to siman 371): they make the eruv and are permitted. If he comes on Shabbos, he forbids, and the eruv is annulled. However, they may rent from him on Shabbos; afterwards one renounces in favor of the other, and the one who remains alone is permitted. All the more so if he dies on Shabbos: one renounces in favor of the other, and the one who remains alone is permitted.
1. The sugya — renting from the non-Jew who came on Shabbos: Rabbi Yochanan and Shmuel (seif א)
The Beis Yosef gives as the source of this seif the Gemara of chapter הדר (Eruvin 65). Three Amoraim arrive at an inn: « רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר יוֹסֵף וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא וְרַבִּי אַסִּי אִיקְּלַעוּ לְהָהוּא פּוּנְדָּק דַּאֲתָא גּוֹי מָרֵי דְפוּנְדָּק בְּשַׁבְּתָא. אֲמַרוּ: מַהוּ לְמֵיגַר מִינֵּיהּ? שׂוֹכֵר כִּמְעָרֵב דָּמֵי — מָה מְעָרֵב מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם, אַף שׂוֹכֵר מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם. אוֹ דִילְמָא שׂוֹכֵר כִּמְבַטֵּל רְשׁוּת דָּמֵי, מָה מְבַטֵּל רְשׁוּת וַאֲפִילּוּ בְּשַׁבָּת, אַף שׂוֹכֵר וַאֲפִילּוּ בְּשַׁבָּת » (עירובין ס״ה ע״ב) — Rabbi Chanina bar Yosef, Rabbi Chiya bar Abba and Rabbi Assi happened upon an inn whose owner, a non-Jew, came on Shabbos. They said: may we rent from him? Is one who rents like one who makes an eruv — just as the eruv is made while it is still day, so is renting? Or is one who rents like one who renounces his domain — just as renunciation is done even on Shabbos, so is renting, even on Shabbos? « רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר יוֹסֵף אָמַר: נִשְׂכּוֹר, וְרַבִּי אַסִּי אָמַר: לֹא נִשְׂכּוֹר, אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא: נִסְמוֹךְ עַל דִּבְרֵי זָקֵן וְנִשְׂכּוֹר » (עירובין ס״ה ע״ב) — Rabbi Chanina bar Yosef said: let us rent; Rabbi Assi said: let us not rent; Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said to them: let us rely on the words of the elder and rent. They went and asked Rabbi Yochanan, who told them: « יָפֶה עֲשִׂיתֶם שֶׁשְּׂכַרְתֶּם » (עירובין ס״ו ע״א) — you did well to rent.
Rabbi Elazar's difficulty. The Gemara then relates the astonishment of the sages of Nehardea, who cite another statement of Rabbi Yochanan, and answers it; then, that Rabbi Elazar wondered at it; Rav Sheshes explains that the difficulty came from Shmuel, his teacher: « דְּאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: כׇּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאוֹסְרִין וּמְעָרְבִין — מְבַטְּלִין. מְעָרְבִין וְאֵין אוֹסְרִין, אוֹסְרִין וְאֵין מְעָרְבִין — אֵין מְבַטְּלִין. » (עירובין ס״ו ע״א) — wherever [the residents] forbid [one another] and can make an eruv, one renounces; where they can make an eruv but do not forbid, or forbid but cannot make an eruv, one does not renounce. « לְאֵתוֹיֵי מַאי, לָאו לְאֵתוֹיֵי גּוֹי? וְאִי דַּאֲתָא מֵאֶתְמוֹל — לוֹגַר מֵאֶתְמוֹל » (עירובין ס״ו ע״א) — what does this come to include? Is it not the non-Jew? And if he came the day before, let them rent the day before! « אֶלָּא לָאו, דַּאֲתָא בְּשַׁבְּתָא, וְקָתָנֵי: אוֹסְרִין וְאֵין מְעָרְבִין, אֵין מְבַטְּלִין. שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ » (עירובין ס״ו ע״ב) — is it not, then, that he came on Shabbos, and [Shmuel] teaches: they forbid but cannot make an eruv, one does not renounce; conclude [so] from it. Rashi: « אלמא ביטול רשות לא תקון אלא היכא דחזו לערובי מאתמול » (רש״י עירובין ס״ו ע״ב) — we see that renunciation was instituted only where they could have made the eruv the day before.
2. Having come on Shabbos, he forbids, and the eruv is annulled (seif א)
The seif writes: « בא עכו״ם בשבת אוסר והעירוב בטל » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ג:א) — if the non-Jew comes on Shabbos, he forbids, and the eruv is annulled; the seif continues: however, they may rent from him on Shabbos (section 3).
יסוד — why does the eruv, which permitted at the start of Shabbos, not permit for all of Shabbos? The Magen Avraham: « ולא שייך לו׳ כאן שבת הואיל והותרה הותרה ולא יתבטל כשיבא העכו״ם דהא בין השמשות עמד לאיסור » (מגן אברהם שפ״ג ס״ק א) — one cannot say here: Shabbos, since it was permitted, remains permitted, and [the eruv] will not be annulled when the non-Jew comes; for at twilight [the courtyard] stood to be forbidden. He gives as his sources the Rosh, the Mordechai and Tosafos, and continues: « ואפי׳ הוא רחוק מ״מ יכול לילך ממקומו בחול ולבוא בשבת כנ״ל דלא כע״ש » (מגן אברהם שפ״ג ס״ק א) — even if he is far away, he can leave his place on a weekday and come on Shabbos, as above, and not as [the] ע״ש [writes]. The Mishnah Berurah writes that the eruv is annulled « משום דהעירוב נתבטל תיכף בבוא העכו״ם לביתו » (משנה ברורה שפ״ג ס״ק ה) — because the eruv is annulled as soon as the non-Jew arrives at his house.
And one who forgot to make the eruv? The Beis Yosef reports the comparison with the case where one of the residents of the courtyard forgot to make the eruv: « ואע״ג דהיכא דשכח אחד מבני חצר ולא עירב אין עירובו בטל אלא מבטל היחיד רשותו לאותן שעירבו ומותרין להכניס ולהוציא שאני התם דחזו כולהו לאיערובי מאתמול לפיכך אין בטל העירוב שלהם כלל וגם אין שייך לומר כלל שבת הואיל והותרה הותרה » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — although, where one of the residents of the courtyard forgot and did not make the eruv, their eruv is not annulled, but the one who remained alone renounces his domain in favor of those who made the eruv, and they are permitted to bring in and take out, there it is different: all of them could have made the eruv the day before; therefore their eruv is not annulled at all, and there is also no room at all to say: Shabbos, since it was permitted, remains permitted.
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav also writes that one does not say שבת הואיל והותרה הותרה, and adds an exception: « אִם לֹא שֶׁיָּדוּעַ בְּבֵרוּר מִדַּעַת הַנָּכְרִי בִּכְנִיסַת שַׁבָּת שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה אָז בְּדַעְתּוֹ לַחֲזוֹר לְבֵיתוֹ בְּשַׁבָּת, וְנִמְלַךְ אַחַר כָּךְ » (שו״ע הרב שפ״ג:א) — unless it is clearly known, from the non-Jew's intention at the onset of Shabbos, that he did not then intend to return home on Shabbos, and he changed his mind afterwards; see Level 4, point ב.
3. Renting on Shabbos (seif א)
The seif writes: « ומיהו יכולים לשכור ממנו בשבת » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ג:א) — however, they may rent from him on Shabbos; and the seif continues: afterwards one renounces in favor of the other (section 4). It writes that one may rent on Shabbos, as Rabbi Yochanan answered the three Amoraim (section 1). The Beis Yosef reports who rules like Shmuel and who like Rabbi Yochanan:
« וכתבו התוספות והרמ״ה וסמ״ג שר״י פוסק כשמואל ונראה מדברי סמ״ק שדעתו לפסוק כן אבל הרי״ף והרא״ש פסקו כרבי יוחנן וכ״ד הרמב״ם בפ״ב מה״ע » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — Tosafos, the Ramah and the Smag write that the Ri rules like Shmuel, and it appears from the words of the Smak that he means to rule so; but the Rif and the Rosh ruled like Rabbi Yochanan, and this is the view of the Rambam in chapter 2 of Hilchos Eruvin.
The Taz gives the reason why one rents on Shabbos: « דאין זה אלא משום היכר להתיר טלטול » (ט״ז או״ח שפ״ג ס״ק א) — for it is only a sign to permit carrying; the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ו) writes it in the same words.
4. Renting, then renouncing; the eruv does not come back (seif א)
The seif writes: « ואח״כ יבטל הא׳ לחבירו ויהי׳ היחיד מותר » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ג:א) — afterwards one renounces in favor of the other, and the one who remains alone is permitted. The Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ז) explains: the one in whose favor the domain was renounced; the one who renounced remains forbidden, unless the second renounces in turn in his favor (see Level 1). The Tur also writes, after the renunciation: « ולא אמרינן שיחזור העירוב לקדמותו אחר ששכרו להיות שניהן מותרין » (טור או״ח שפ״ג) — one does not say that the eruv returns to its former state after the rental, so that both would be permitted; the Mechaber's seif does not take up this sentence.
Why rent, if renunciation suffices? The Beis Yosef reports the question of Tosafos and the Rosh: « וא״ת ולמה הוצרכו לשכור בביטול לחודיה סגי כיון דביטלו רשותייהו לגביה ה״ל יחיד במקום כותי » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — and if you ask: why did they need to rent? Renunciation alone suffices: since they renounced their domain in his favor, he is a single [Jew] alongside a non-Jew.
A first answer: « וי״ל דהני אמוראי סברי כר״מ דאסר יחיד במקום כותי אבל לדידן דקי״ל כראב״י סגי בביטול לחודיה ולא בעי שכירות » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — one may answer that these Amoraim hold like Rabbi Meir, who forbids [a Jew] alone alongside a non-Jew; but for us, who hold like Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov, renunciation alone suffices, and renting is not needed. Another answer: « א״נ י״ל כיון שאם לא היה הכותי מתרצה לשכור לא היה מועיל הביטול אין לחלק בין מתרצה לשאינו מתרצה דאטו אמירת הכותי תגרום לביטול שיועיל כשיאמר אתרצה לשכור ולא יועיל כשיאמר לא אתרצה הלכך תרתי בעינן לעולם » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — or: since, had the non-Jew not agreed to rent, the renunciation would not have helped, one does not distinguish between one who agrees and one who does not — would the non-Jew's word make the renunciation work when he says "I agree to rent," and not work when he says "I do not agree"? Therefore both are always needed. The Beis Yosef adds: « ונראה מדברי הרא״ש שתירוץ זה שכתב אחרון עיקר » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — it seems, from the Rosh's words, that this answer, written last, is the main one. The seif writes both: renting, then renouncing.
חקירה — once they have rented, does the eruv made the day before come back, like that of boats tied to one another? The Beis Yosef reports: « וכי הדר שכר לא יחזיר העירוב לקדמותו. ואע״ג דאמרינן בהזורק (קא:) ספינות קשורות זו בזו וכו׳ חזרו להיתרן הראשון שאני הכא דמתחלה כשעשה העירוב אין סופו להתקיים כל השבת שעתיד כותי לבא אבל התם אין הספינות עומדות להפסק » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — when one rents again, the eruv does not return to its former state; and although we say in chapter הזורק (101b) that boats tied to one another… returned to their original permission, here it is different: from the start, when the eruv was made, it was not destined to last all of Shabbos, since the non-Jew was going to come; there, the boats are not destined to come apart. The Taz (ס״ק ב) writes the same distinction in the name of Tosafos, and the Magen Avraham (ס״ק א) too, with the Rosh, the Mordechai and Tosafos as his sources.
5. All the more so if he dies on Shabbos: which case, and renting before Shabbos (seif א)
The seif ends: « וכ״ש אם מת העכו״ם בשבת שיבטל א׳ לחבירו ויהי׳ היחיד מותר » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ג:א) — and all the more so if the non-Jew died on Shabbos: one renounces in favor of the other, and the one who remains alone is permitted. The Beis Yosef: « ומ״ש וכ״ש אם מת כותי בשבת פשוט הוא לדעת ר״י דקי״ל כוותיה וגם הרמב״ם כתבו בפ״ב » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ג) — what he writes, "all the more so if he died on Shabbos," is simple according to ר״י, whom we follow; and the Rambam too writes it in chapter 2 (section 3). Which case does this sentence speak of, and what if they had rented before Shabbos? Each commentator, in his own text:
They had rented and made the eruv before Shabbos, and the non-Jew dies on Shabbos. On this case, what the Taz, the Mishnah Berurah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav write (the Magen Avraham, above, speaks of a non-Jew present since the day before, with no rental before Shabbos):
- the Taz (ס״ק ב): [the courtyard] became forbidden; if they rent from the heir on that Shabbos, no renunciation is needed, and the eruv made at first suffices (כנלע״ד);
- the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ח): the eruv is not annulled, even if he has heirs, and even before they have rented from the heir;
- the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (383:3), the non-Jew being in his house: if they rent from the heir that same day, the eruv revives.
This page does not decide: consult your Rav.
6. Summary of the shitos and halachic conclusion
The foundation — the Gemara of Eruvin 65b-66b on renting on Shabbos, which Rabbi Yochanan approves and with which Shmuel's rule raises a difficulty; in the order of the seif:
- the non-Jew who is not in his house does not forbid, and they make the eruv (seif א; the seif refers to siman 371);
- having come on Shabbos, he forbids, and the eruv is annulled (seif א); the Magen Avraham (ס״ק א) writes that one does not say שבת הואיל והותרה הותרה, for at twilight [the courtyard] stood to be forbidden; the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ה), that the eruv is annulled as soon as he arrives at his house; the Beis Yosef distinguishes it from one who forgot to make the eruv; the Shulchan Aruch HaRav adds an exception, when it is clearly known that at the onset of Shabbos the non-Jew did not intend to return (383:1);
- they may rent from him on Shabbos (seif א), as Rabbi Yochanan answered; the Beis Yosef reports who rules like Shmuel and who like Rabbi Yochanan; the Rambam writes that the rental is only a sign, and the Taz (ס״ק א) and the Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ו), that it is only a sign to permit carrying;
- afterwards one renounces in favor of the other, and the one in whose favor it was renounced is permitted (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ז); the Beis Yosef reports from Tosafos and the Rosh why one must rent and renounce, and that it seems to him, from the Rosh, that the main answer is the last one: both are always needed; the eruv does not come back after the rental, unlike the boats (Beis Yosef; Taz, ס״ק ב, in the name of Tosafos; Magen Avraham, ס״ק א, citing the Rosh, the Mordechai and Tosafos), which the Tur also writes;
- all the more so, if he dies on Shabbos, one renounces in favor of the other (seif א); on which case this sentence refers to and on renting before Shabbos, the commentators differ: see section 5, where each is given in his own text.
For halachah lema'aseh, consult your Rav; the custom of the community also counts.
Going further
Level 3 — Synthesis: a structured recap, memory aids, decision trees and practical rules.
Level 4 — Daat HaRav: the shitah of the Alter Rebbe (Shulchan Aruch HaRav, 3 seifim on this siman).