Siman שפ״ד · 2 seifim of the Shulchan Aruch
First approach to Siman שפ״ד: complete Hebrew text of the Mechaber, English translation, pedagogical explanations of the halachic concepts, practical cases and synthesis.
Topic: the non-Jew who lodges temporarily (achsenai) — who entered without permission, or with permission, accustomed to come or not — and the men of the king's army who entered the houses of the Jews
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן שפ״ד (2 seifim in the Shulchan Aruch, without a gloss of the Rema; a single seif 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
Siman שפ״ד contains 2 seifim of the Mechaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo), without a gloss of the Rema. Topic of the siman, according to its title: a non-Jewish lodger, whether he prevents. The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe treats this siman in a single seif: its numbering is that of Level 4, not that of this page.
Seif א
עכו״ם אכסנאי אם מעכב. ובו ב סעיפים:
עכו״ם הנכנס לשם אכסנאות אם נכנס שלא ברשות אינו אוסר לעולם ואם נכנס ברשות אם הוא רגיל לבא אוסר מיד ואם אינו רגיל אינו אוסר עד לאחר שלשים יום:
- Entered without permission, he never forbids: עכו״ם הנכנס לשם אכסנאות אם נכנס שלא ברשות אינו אוסר לעולם. "Without permission" is not meant literally: it means that he did not enter with permission (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ב).
- Entered with permission and accustomed to come, he forbids immediately: ואם נכנס ברשות אם הוא רגיל לבא אוסר מיד. With permission: they lent or rented him a room set aside for lodging there; the Mishnah Berurah cites the Magen Avraham that a non-Jew who has a debt owed on the house, and entered without permission on account of his debt, is called "with permission" and forbids — and some are lenient on this (ס״ק ג). Accustomed: he always comes to lodge there; he is thereby counted as fixed, and one must rent his right from him (ס״ק ד).
- Not accustomed, he forbids only after thirty days: ואם אינו רגיל אינו אוסר עד לאחר שלשים יום. Until then he counts as a guest and does not forbid, as above, at the end of siman 370 (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ה). The Biur Halachah explains that this speaks of one who was lent or rented the place to lodge: if he is merely hosted, he never forbids, since he can be sent away at any time (section 6).
Seif ב
אנשי חיל המלך שנכנסו בבתי היהודים בין בחזקה בין ברצון אם יש לבעלי בתים באותם מקומות שנכנסו העכו״ם כלים שאסור לטלטלם בשבת אינם אוסרים עליהם:
- The men of the king's army who entered the houses of the Jews, by force or willingly: אנשי חיל המלך שנכנסו בבתי היהודים בין בחזקה בין ברצון. The Mishnah Berurah (ס״ק ו) reports that the commentators raised a difficulty: in seif א, one who enters without permission does not forbid at all. On the answer, and on those who entered by force, the commentators differ (section 6; Level 2).
- If they have objects there that it is forbidden to move on Shabbos, they do not forbid: אם יש לבעלי בתים באותם מקומות שנכנסו העכו״ם כלים שאסור לטלטלם בשבת אינם אוסרים עליהם. For this non-Jew is then, for him, only a guest for a time, as above in siman 370, seif ב (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ח). When the householders have no such objects in those places, the commentators diverge (Level 2, section 6; Level 3, section 5). On the kind of objects required, see section 6.
2. General context
What does this siman discuss?
Simanim 382 and 383 deal with the non-Jew who lives in the courtyard. Siman שפ״ד deals with one who enters it to lodge temporarily (seif א), then with the men of the king's army who entered the houses of the Jews (seif ב). The Tur writes, in this siman: « כותי הנכנס בחצר לשם אכסנאות » (טור או״ח שפ״ד) — a non-Jew who enters the courtyard to lodge temporarily.
For seif א, the Beis Yosef gives as source the Jerusalem Talmud, cited by Tosafos and the Rosh in the chapter Ha-dar: « ירוש׳ כתבוה התוס׳ והרא״ש בפ׳ הדר » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ד). For seif ב, he reports a responsum of the Rashba: « השיב הרשב״א על שר א׳ ששלחו המלך עם פרשים לשמור העיר והפרשים נכנסו בבתי היהודים מהם בחזקה ומהם ברצון הבעלים » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ד) — about an officer whom the king had sent with horsemen to guard the city, and the horsemen who entered the houses of the Jews, some by force and some with the owners' consent. The reason, as the Beis Yosef reports it: « דקי״ל כר׳ יהודה דאמר אם יש שם תפיסת יד של בע״ה אינו אוסר » (בית יוסף או״ח שפ״ד) — for we hold like Rabbi Yehudah, who says: if there is a tefisas yad of the householder there, [the non-Jew] does not forbid.
Place in Hilchos Eruvin
In Sefaria's index, the section הלכות עירובין of the Shulchan Aruch begins at siman 345. Siman שפ״ד follows siman שפ״ג · 383, whose title, at the head of its seif א, is « כשאין העכו״ם בבית אינו מעכב » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ג:א), and precedes siman שפ״ה · 385, whose title, at the head of its seif א, is « דין צדוקי ומומר בעירוב » (שו״ע או״ח שפ״ה:א). The Mishnah Berurah refers here to siman 370 (ס״ק ה and ח).
3. Key halachic concepts
A few notions structure this siman, in the order of the seifim:
- לשם אכסנאות — to lodge temporarily: « ר״ל שלא נכנס לשם לקבוע שם דירתו אלא לפי שעה להתאכסן שם » (משנה ברורה שפ״ד ס״ק א) — he did not enter to establish his dwelling there, but for a time, to lodge there.
- נכנס ברשות — entered with permission: « ר״ל שהשאילו או השכירו חדר מיוחד להתאכסן שם » (משנה ברורה שפ״ד ס״ק ג) — they lent or rented him a room set aside for lodging there.
- רגיל לבא — accustomed to come: « היינו שרגיל לבוא תמיד להתאכסן שם ועי״ז חשוב כקבוע וצריך לשכור ממנו הרשות » (משנה ברורה שפ״ד ס״ק ד) — he always comes to lodge there; he is thereby counted as fixed, and one must rent his right from him.
- שלשים יום — thirty days: « דעד זמן זה חשוב כאורח ואינו אוסר » (משנה ברורה שפ״ד ס״ק ה) — until then he counts as a guest and does not forbid.
- כלים שאסור לטלטלם — the objects it is forbidden to move, in seif ב: « דתו הו״ל האי עכו״ם אצלו רק כאורח לפי שעה » (משנה ברורה שפ״ד ס״ק ח) — this non-Jew is then, for him, only a guest for a time; when the householders have no such objects in those places, the commentators diverge (Level 2, section 6; Level 3, section 5).
4. Detail of the seifim — one by one
| Seif | Content |
|---|---|
| א | A non-Jew who enters to lodge temporarily: entered without permission, he never forbids; entered with permission, if he is accustomed to come, he forbids immediately; if not, he forbids only after thirty days. |
| ב | The men of the king's army who entered the houses of the Jews, by force or willingly: if the householders have, in those places, objects that it is forbidden to move on Shabbos, they do not forbid. |
5. The Mishnah Berurah — first entries
The Mishnah Berurah of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) has 9 entries on this siman. Here they all are, in order: the first five on seif א, the next four on seif ב.
For the text on Sefaria: Mishnah Berurah 384.
6. Position of the Rema
In the text Sefaria serves (Maginei Eretz edition), the Rema (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) adds no gloss (הגה) to this siman. The commentators discuss the two seifim of the Mechaber; here are several of their points, seif by seif.
- Seif א, one who is merely hosted — the Biur Halachah, on "he does not forbid until after thirty days", explains that this speaks of one who was lent or rented the place to lodge: « דאם נתארח אצלו בעלמא מבלי שאלה או שכירות בודאי אינו אוסר לעולם מדיכול לסלוקי בכל עת ובכל שעה » (ביאור הלכה שפ״ד) — if he is merely hosted, without a loan or rental, he surely never forbids, since he can be sent away at any time. He then discusses a difficulty the Acharonim raise from the gloss of the Rema at the beginning of siman 382.
- Seif ב, "by force" — the Magen Avraham: « צ״ע דבס״א כ׳ דשלא ברשות אינו אוסר » (מגן אברהם שפ״ד ס״ק ב) — this requires examination, since in seif א he writes that one who enters without permission does not forbid. On the answer, the commentators differ (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ו; Magen Avraham, ibid.; Level 2).
- Seif ב, the condition of the objects — the Taz: « ותמה אני דדברי הרשב״א סתרי אהדדי » (ט״ז או״ח שפ״ד ס״ק א), for the Maggid Mishneh writes in his name « דאם השאיל לו או השכיר ביתו לעכו״ם אינו אוסר דלא השאיל לו אדעתא דליאסר עליו » (ט״ז או״ח שפ״ד ס״ק א) — if one lent or rented his house to a non-Jew, the latter does not forbid, since it was not lent to him with the intention that he forbid; why then would the men of the army forbid when the householders have no objects in those places? He concludes: « וצ״ע רב » (ט״ז או״ח שפ״ד ס״ק א). On the nature of the objects required, the commentators differ (Level 2).
- Chabad → the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, siman שפ״ד, in a single seif, with its own numbering; for "with permission", he writes « שֶׁהִשְׂכִּירוּ אוֹ הִשְׁאִילוּ לוֹ חֶדֶר מְיֻחָד לַאֲכִילָה » (שו״ע הרב שפ״ד:א) — that they rented or lent him a room set aside for eating (see Level 4 — Daat HaRav).
7. Modern practical cases
The situations below are the site's applications: the seif does not name them; each is tied to the proposition of the seif it involves.
| Situation | Quick analysis |
|---|---|
| A non-Jew lodges a few nights with one of the Jews of the courtyard | The site's application, seif א: if he entered without permission, he never forbids; if he entered with permission — they lent or rented him a room set aside for lodging there (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ג) — and is not accustomed to come, he forbids only after thirty days. Merely hosted, without a loan or rental, he does not forbid, according to the Biur Halachah (section 6). Consult your Rav. |
| The same non-Jew comes to lodge each time he passes through | The site's application, seif א: entered with permission and accustomed to come, he forbids immediately; one must then rent his right from him (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד). Consult your Rav. |
8. Practical synthesis of the Siman
- The non-Jew who entered without permission to lodge temporarily never forbids (seif א).
- Entered with permission: accustomed to come, he forbids immediately; if not, he forbids only after thirty days (seif א).
- The men of the king's army, entered by force or willingly, do not forbid if the householders have, in those places, objects that it is forbidden to move on Shabbos (seif ב); on "by force", the commentators differ (section 6).
- For halachah lema'aseh, consult your Rav.
9. Comprehension questions
- What does "entering to lodge temporarily" mean, and what is "entering with permission" (seif א; Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק א and ג)?
- Why does one who is accustomed to come forbid immediately (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ד)?
- Why does one who is not accustomed forbid only after thirty days (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ה)?
- In seif ב, why do objects that it is forbidden to move mean that the men of the army do not forbid (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ח)?
- What difficulty do the commentators raise about "by force", in light of seif א (Mishnah Berurah, ס״ק ו; Magen Avraham, ס״ק ב)?
To go further
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for pilpul, the שיטות ראשונים, the חקירות יסודיות, and the nuances of the Acharonim
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and rapid memorization with mnemonics
- 📜 Level 4 — Daat HaRav: the Shitah of the Alter Rebbe (Shulchan Aruch HaRav siman שפ״ד)