Monday 29 April 2013

eruvin 52

one foot outside of the shabbat boundary, it is better to be imprecise and not so clearly defined.

Sunday 28 April 2013

eruvin 51

how far one can run is dependent on the place one runs to when seeking shelter.

(the 2000 cubits of movement is derived from the dimensions of the place of the cities of refuge. cities one could go to if one has accidentally killed someone. one is only able to establish residency at a tree 2000 cubits away if one can run to it before it gets dark.)

eruvin 50

from far away, 2000 cubits, under the tree could be quite specific.

but as get closer, that area gets blurred and loses definition.

(naming a specific landmark 2000 cubits away allows one establish residency there, walk there. and from that landmark walk a further 2000 cubits home. but saying under a tree is too vague, as it probably bigger than 4 cubits. has to be a specific point. in the drawing the red under the tree is diluted as the scale is bigger)


Friday 26 April 2013

eruvin 49


sometimes holding on means that you aren't able to carry.

if you are like the residents of Sodom, and don't really want share your food and restrict what people do with their property, then cannot use the eruv and carry.

eruvin 48

can two mis-matched people find common ground and share a picnic?

(subjective measurements for a cubit based on your own body size and when 2 people's 4 cubits of movement overlap, they can come together and share food)

Thursday 25 April 2013

coming to new york






just to let you know that I will be speaking at Lincoln Square Synagogue on the shabbat 4th May.

shabbat morning, after musaf, will be a conversation between myself and the artist and art critic Richard McBee about our art practise and engagement with traditional Jewish texts.

shabbat afternoon, 6:20pm - I will be speaking about this project, Draw Yomi. All of my daf yomi sketchbooks will be on display. These contain my notes and drawings since the beginning of this cycle, from way back in Brachot... So if you have been curious about my learning process and want to see the drawings up close, this is a rare opportunity that they are out of my studio and you can look through the original artwork.

later in the evening (approx 7:40pm), at seudah shelishit - "the third meal", I will speak about my omer drawings. thinking about the journey we make from pesach to shavuot by making an account of the small things we carry with us from day to day, almost without thinking.

hope you can make it. these events are free and there is no need to book, so stop by to say hello.

Lincoln Square Synagogue is on the UWS, Manhattan,  at 180 Amsterdam Ave.




eruvin 47


when deciding the law in the case of the house that has been left,
the pauper without a home,
the woman whose partner has died,
and the priest who leaves the land of Israel.

when things get left behind, the game of rabbinic top trumps is also abandoned.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

eruvin 46

letting go of who trumps who in rabbinic top trumps halacha games.

(discussing the principles of whose Rabbinic authority the halacha follows when in dispute, and if there is a dispute between a singular authority vs several authorities. examples are given of rulings in cases of niddah and of mourning mourning. but perhaps they are different and one can rely on the other opinion to individuals in particular circumstances, but not as public rulings.)

Monday 22 April 2013

eruvin 45

rabbinic cloudbusting

if you don't need to be awake or aware to establish a place. then what about the rain?
where does rain begin?

Sunday 21 April 2013

eruvin 44


taking advantage of the ignorant and unwitting people who aren't going anywhere.

(people can be used to form a partition, so items can be carried from outside the shabbat boundary to inside. as long as they are unaware of the situation. animals can't be used as they may walk away)

Saturday 20 April 2013

eruvin 43

only Elijahu the time-travelling prophet, or Joseph the demon can stride great distances to teach torah on the same shabbat.

Friday 19 April 2013

eruvin 42

walking to extend and establish the limits of one's shabbat residency and carrying.

walking on a boat, limited space but can travel
vs.
walking in a open field


Thursday 18 April 2013

eruvin 41

limiting the afflictions - not completely fasting if it will disturb the shabbat peace or festive joy
to
not having to suffer Gehenna (hell) if one has suffered enough in this world.

but there is the death that can strike without warning. without any preparatory suffering...

eruvin 40

relationship between Rosh Hashana & Rosh Hodesh
(the new year and the new month)

does the new year swallow up acknowledging the new month?

Tuesday 16 April 2013

eruvin 39

binding the two days of Rosh Hashana into one unit.

or keeping them separate

eruvin 38

making an eruv with one's feet

when shabbat and chag are adjacent are they 1 unit

or 2 separate units?


Sunday 14 April 2013

eruvin 37

clarity and ambiguity

clear statements of who said what, and knowing what is what from the beginning
vs.
retroactively designating status and changing authorship

in the discussion if one can retroactively confer status or does everything have to be stated upfront (establishing an eruv dependent on certain conditions, drinking the wine and leaving the remainder to be the tithe etc) a few times the text has to change the authorship of the statements in order for the various Rabbis to have consistent views.

eruvin 36

the different doubts at twilight.

(this page discusses different ambiguous situations that can make an eruv valid or invalid. not knowing a situation at a time of the day which is neither day or night)

Friday 12 April 2013

eruvin 35

go direct

locked wooden cupboard. can't unlock it.
break into it

mountain. don't go over it, don't go round it.
go through it

(if the eruv food is in a locked cupboard, if the cupboard is wooden then it could be dismantled/broken into. as it can be considered as not a 'structure' but a 'utensil.' and when measuring distances to determine the Shabbat boundary, then measure as if can pierce through a mountain)

Thursday 11 April 2013

eruvin 34

when making an eruv with food, it's all about access

on top of the highest pole, or in the deepest pit
as long as the food is accessible, the eruv is valid.

and if it in a locked cupboard...
as long as you still have access to the key

Wednesday 10 April 2013

eruvin 33

placing eruv food in a basket in the trees,
vs.
a basket above a post on the ground, which should be treats as if the basket's sides extend to the ground.

(the hanging basket is drawn from a metal basket, that was used to hold the eruv food. I like how the open filagree design echos the lattice of the tree branches. This basket is being currently exhibited at the excellent 'It's a Thin Line' exhibition about the eruv, the manhattan eruv in particular, at Yeshiva University Museum, NYC)

Tuesday 9 April 2013

eruvin 32

whose hand do you trust?

trustworthy ordinary people, the chaver (but not the ignorant), or only trust specific people in positions of leadership and authority (the courts and priests)?


Monday 8 April 2013

eruvin 31

not everything that is seen is obvious. when to make assumptions and when to dig deeper.

obvious looking cases are taught, because actually they refer to specific not-so obvious cases.
&
a trained elephant (or monkey) can deliver the food, to someone waiting for it, to make the eruv, if you stand and watch, looking at what is going on. but have to assume* that the elephant (or monkey) the food has been received and the mission is fulfilled, even if it is not obvious from so far away.
(after all, who can refuse food from an elephant, or monkey)

*Rav Yehiel has the principle that one has to assume that the messenger will deliver the message. clearly Rav Yehiel never used Royal Mail (or just insert the name of your own local postal service).

Sunday 7 April 2013

eruvin 30


an eruv is made with food for 2 meals....

is the size of 'a meal' subjective to who is eating?

(and never mind about how you get a dead giant out of a house with small doors. how did he get in in the first place, and what was he doing there?)

this page discusses whether the type of food used to make an eruv is dependent on the person who will eat it. it also discusses if a giant dies in a house with small doors, which doorway would need to be extended to remove the corpse and thus become impure)

Saturday 6 April 2013

eruvin 29

how many apples does it take to make a meal?

but for some, why bother with apples when a glass of beer is enough.

(discussion about various foods, and their quantities, that are needed to make an eruv. An eruv has to be enough food for 2 meals. it is mentioned that some people have a glass of beer in the morning, and in the evening, as their meal)

Friday 5 April 2013

eruvin 28


both insect and plant are described as products of the ground

but only the edible produce can by used to make an eruv

Thursday 4 April 2013

eruvin 27

the impossible act of defining the general principles of the law balanced with reality, that has exceptions  and exemptions and just doesn't quite fit.


Wednesday 3 April 2013

eruvin 26

studying torah outside a sick room may help the patient
or it may provoke the Satan.

but salt & water cannot be used to combine domains, and so the two can remain separate.

(discussion about the size of a royal court involves a story of Isaiah setting up torah study outside of King Hezekiah's room when he was ill. but one rabbi comments that this torah study may provoke the Satan, so perhaps is not a good thing. later in the page the next mishna discusses making an eruv, combining domains by sharing food. this can be done with any food other than salt and water. the salt therefore becomes a barrier. like for slugs....)

eruvin 25

when a partition doesn't count

making a gesture to acquire ownerless land by ploughing into it is better than just putting up a partition.

eruvin 24

flooding in an enclosed garden doesn't necessarily mean it is no longer suitable for dwelling.