943. Houses Between Courtyards

Eiruvin 4:10

Let’s discuss the case of two courtyards with three houses in between them. The houses open one to the next and the two houses on the outside each open to one of the courtyards. The residents of each courtyard bring their eiruv through the house that opens to them and they place it in the middle house. In such a case, the occupants of these three houses need not contribute bread to the eiruv. Since the middle house is where eiruv was placed, the two outer houses are considered like gatehouses for the residents of the courtyards.

Eiruvin 4:11

Let’s say, however, that there are two courtyards with two houses in between them, each opening to the other. The residents of each courtyard bring their eiruv through the house that opens to them and place it in the other house, which opens to the other courtyard. In this scenario, neither courtyard has made a valid eiruv. Rather, each has placed its eiruv in the gatehouse of a different courtyard.