Siman - Eruvin Daf 22
- Hashem delays giving s’char to tzaddikim gemurim
The Gemara discusses the topic of Divine reward. Rebbe Ila expounded on the passuk, לא יאחר לשנאו – He will not delay payment to those that hate Him, that Hashem does not delay payment to those that hate Him, but rather gives them their reward in this world. Whereas he does delay payment to tzadikim gemurim, meaning, He postpones their payment until Olam Habah.
This is in essence what Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi said, מאי דכתיב "אשר אנכי מצוך היום לעשותם" – What is the meaning of that which it is written, “You shall keep the mitzvos which I command you today to do themהיום לעשותם ולא למחר לעשותם ? – Today, (meaning this world), is the time to do mitzvos, and not tomorrow, (meaning the world to come is not the time to do mitzvos). היום לעשותם למחר לקבל שכרם – Today one does mitzvos, and tomorrow, meaning in the world to come, one receives his reward.
- Does traffic through the pasin invalidate them as mechitzos?
The next Mishnah brings a machlokes whether traffic may be allowed to pass through the posts of the enclosure of a well, without disrupting their function as mechitzos. Rebbe Yehudah said, אם היה דרך רשות הרבים מפסקתן – If the path of a reshus harabim cuts between the posts, יסלקנה לצדדין – he must divert the traffic to the side of the enclosure. וחכמים אומרים אינו צריך – And the Chochomim say it is not necessary. In their view, the traffic does not invalidate the mechitzos.
Rebbe Yochanan and Rebbe Elazar both said, כאן הודיעך כוחן של מחיצות – Here, in the ruling of the Chochomim, the Tanna informed you of the power of mechitzos, meaning that the posts are not invalidated by the traffic. This Gemara states that this statement implies that Rebbe Yochanan agrees with this ruling. however it was said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan, ירושלים אלמלא דלתיתיה ננעלות בלילה – Yerushalayim, if it were not for its doors that were closed at night, חייבין עליה משום רשות הרבים – one would be liable for carrying in a reshus harabim. Meaning that even though Yerushalayim is surrounded by walls (and as Tosfos points out, it had a tzuras hapesach at the entranceways), Rebbe Yochanan holds that traffic passing through would have annulled their enclosing power if not for its doors. The Gemara concludes that Rebbe Yochanan was only discussing the statement of the Chachamim, but he follows the view of Rebbe Yehudah.
- Areas that have slopes and difficult to walk through
Rebbe Yitzchak bar Yosef said in the name of Rebbe Yochanan, ארץ ישראל אין חייבין עליה משום רשות הרבים – In Eretz Yisroel, one is not chayav for carrying in a reshus harabim on Shabbos.
According to the Gemara’s final understanding of this statement, certain areas that have slopes and are difficult to walk through, do not have the status of a reshus harabim because it is not similar to the דגלי מדבר - the encampment in the desert where the land was flattened by the ענני הכבוד.
