716. Houses on Opposite Sides of the Street

Shabbos 15:8

Let’s say that there are two houses on opposite sides of a public domain. If someone throws an object from one house to the other ten handbreadths above the ground (about 30”), he is not liable, provided that he owns both houses or that the two houses are joined by an eiruv. In such a case, one may even throw articles of clothing and metal utensils (which won’t break if they fall to the ground). If one house was higher than the other, it is prohibited to throw unbreakable things out of concern that if they fall, one may go down, retrieve them and bring them into the house. In such a case, one may still throw earthenware utensils vessels and other breakable things.

Shabbos 15:9

If a well in the public domain opens to a house above it, then the well and its embankment are measured together to see if they are ten handbreadths high (about 30”). If they are, a person in the house may draw water from the well on Shabbos. This is only when the well is within four handbreadths of the house’s wall (about a foot) so that one cannot pass between them. If the well is farther away than this, one may not draw water from it unless the embankment is ten handbreadths tall so that when the bucket is drawn above the embankment, it enters a makom patur (exempt area).