Siman - Eruvin Daf 23
- Carrying in a karpaf
The next Mishnah discusses the laws of a karpaf, an area enclosed for non-residential purposes. Even though on a d’Oraysa level it is a reshus hayachid, since it is a large area that can be confused with a reshus harabim the Rabbonon prohibited using it in certain circumstances.
• Rebbe Yehuda ben Bava said that one may carry in a garden or a karpaf that is not more than seventy amos and a fraction by seventy amos and a fraction, that is surrounded by a fence ten tefachim high, and provided that it has a שומרה - a watchman’s booth, or a בית דירה - a dwelling, or that it is near a city. Rashi explains that when the karpaf is close to the city, the owner comes out regularly to use it and it is as if it is designated for residential use.
• Rebbe Yehudah says that it is permissible to carry in the karpaf even if it only contains a water hole, a ditch or a cave.
• Rebbe Akiva permits carrying in it even if it has none of these, provided that its size does not exceed seventy amos and a fraction by seventy amos and a fraction.
- The source that a karpaf should be square
According to Rebbe Akiva, a karpaf cannot exceed seventy amos and a fraction by seventy amos and a fraction and must be a perfect square. The Gemara seeks a d’Oraysa allusion for this. Rebbe Yehudah answers with the passuk, ארך החצר מאה באמה ורחב חמשים בחמשים – The length of the courtyard is one hundred amos and its width is fifty by fifty. What does the passuk mean “fifty by fifty,” it said that the length is one hundred? The Torah is saying to take fifty and surround fifty, meaning take the fifty amos by which the chatzeir’s length exceeds its width, and distribute it around the perimeter of the other fifty to form a perfect square equaling five thousand square amos. Since the passuk is not coming to teach this square with regards to the chatzeir of the mishkan, it must be coming to teach it regarding another halachah, i.e. the size of a karpaf.
- A rectangular karpaf
In addition to bringing Rebbe Akiva’s opinion that a karpaf must be square, the Mishnah brings the opinions of Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yose regarding the shape of a karpaf. The Gemara revises their opinions based on a Baraisa that states they both hold that a karpaf may be rectangular up to a ratio of 2:1, as the chatzeir of the Mishkan was 50x100, but it may not be longer by even one amah. The difference between them is that Rebbe Yose holds לכתחילה it should be square, whereas Rebbe Eliezer holds that there is no preference for the karpaf to be square.
