Eruvin 30: Not Everyone Agrees that the Loopholes Work

Talking Talmud - Een podcast door Yardaena Osband & Anne Gordon

When the eruv meal is made on food that the person using the eruv cannot eat (a Nazir and wine, a Yisrael and terumah). That's acceptable to Beit Hillel, but not to Beit Shammai. And then, for a change, Beit Hillel actively attempts to convince Beit Shammai, making a logical argument about an eruv for an adult on Yom Kippur. But Beit Shammai has an answer why they agree with Beit Hillel for the Yom Kippur case, and not for the Nazir/Yisrael scenarios. Also, Beit Shammai insists that if you are extending your Shabbat residence, with an eruv techumin, you can't do so with a small meal, but move your residence there - as in: move your bed! Their reluctance to accept the figurative symbolism of an eruv is appealing for its straight-shooting, but would make living on Shabbat much more challenging. Another challenging loophole: beit ha-pras, where the kohen cannot walk easily - and yet a kohen can make an eruv in the cemetery, as long as he's in a container or a carriage. Plus, crossing into the Diaspora from the Land of Israel in a carriage - will that protect you from the impure land of the air outside of Israel? Noting that the distinction between Israel and the Diaspora in this way is not comfortable for modern sensibilities...

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