Siman - Eruvin Daf 39
- Why non-verbal declaration of eruv is not הכנה
The Gemara on 38b clarified that Rabbah forbids the renewal of an eruv from Shabbos to Yom Tov, or from Yom Tov to Shabbos, if a verbal declaration is involved, because the verbal declaration makes it an act of הכנה. If a declaration is not required for the renewal, such as in the case of establishing the eruv with one’s presence, the renewal is permitted.
Rabbah bar Rav Chanin said to Abaye that if Rabbah would have heard what was taught in a Baraisa, that a person may not walk to the edge of his field on Shabbos or Yom Tov to discern what it requires for after Shabbos, and a person may not stroll on Shabbos or Yom Tov towards the gate of the city in order to enter the bathhouse immediately after Shabbos, he would have retracted his view, since we see that even an activity done with no verbal designation is also forbidden as הכנה.
The Gemara answers that Rabbah did indeed hear this Baraisa and did not retract his view. In the Baraisa’s cases it is obvious to others that he is preparing for tomorrow. In the case of the eruv however, it is not obvious since if it is a Rabbinical student people will think that he got distracted in his studies and ended up there, and if he is an am ha’aretz they will think he ended up there looking for his lost donkey.
- Two days of Rosh Hashanah are two separate kedushos
The next Mishnah addresses the question of whether the two days of Rosh Hashanah are treated as one period of kedushah, or as two separate periods of kedushah which is the opinion of Rebbe Yehudah. The Gemara clarifies that the Chochomin who argued against Rebbe Eliezer in the case of Shabbos and Yom Tov being on consecutive days, and hold that they are one period of kedushah, agree with Rebbe Yehudah here that one may make separate eruvin for the two days of Rosh Hashanah. Rashi explains that since only one of the days is essentially a Yom Tov and the other is a weekday, they are treated as two separate periods.
- Two days of Yom Tov shel Galyus
The Gemara relates an incident in which a deer that was captured by nochrim on the first day of Yom Tov shel galuyos, was brought to the house of the Reish Galusa and slaughtered on the second day of Yom Tov. Rav Nachman and Rav Chisda ate it because they held that only one of the two days was actually Yom Tov, so even if the animal was captured on Yom Tov (and eating it would therefore be forbidden because of amira lakum), the day they ate it was not a Yom Tov. Rav Sheishess did not eat it. Rashi explains that Rav Sheishess views the two days as one continual period of kedushah, making the meat forbidden on both days.
