Siman - Eruvin Daf 2

  • Lowering a קורה

The opening Mishnah states that if a mavoi has a korah (crossbeam) placed at the entrance higher than twenty amos, the korah must be lowered. Rebbe Yehudah says it does not need to be lowered.

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav, חכמים לא למדוה אלא מפתחו של היכל – The Chochomim derive their ruling from the entrance of the Heichal, and רבי יהודה לא למדה אלא מפתחו של אולם - Rebbe Yehudah, derived his ruling from the entranceway of the Antechamber, and it is stated in a Mishnah in Middos, פתחו של היכל גבהו עשרים אמה ורחבו עשר אמות – The entranceway to the Heichal was twenty amos high and ten amos wide, ושל אולם גבהו ארבעים אמה ורחבו עשרים – and the entranceway to the antechamber was forty amos high and twenty amos wide.

  • The Mishkan is called Mikdash and vice versa

The Gemara went on to elaborate how both the Chochomim and Rebbe Yehudah derive their rulings from the same passuk, ושחטו פתח אהל מועד – And he shall slaughter [the offering] at the entranceway of the Ohel Moed.

The Gemara questions how the Chochomim and Rebbe Yehudah can base their dispute on a passuk referring to the Ohel Moed whose entranceway was only ten amos high, and answers, אשכחן משכן דאיקרי מקדש ומקדש דאיקרי משכן – We find in the Torah that the Mishkan is sometimes called, “the Mikdash”, and sometimes the Mikdash is called “the Mishkan”, as it says in the passuk, ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם – And they shall make for Me a ‘mikdash’ and I will dwell in their midst. Here we see that the Mishkan is sometimes called a “Mikdash”. Therefore, the passuk which the Chochomim and Rebbe Yehudah base their ruling on can be referring to the entranceway of the Beis HaMikdash which is higher than ten amos.

  • Why an entrance to a mavoi does not require doors

The Gemara asks that if the Chochomim derive their ruling from the entranceway to the Heichal then they should require doors like the Heichal had, yet we know in a later Mishnah that הכשר מבוי, the adjustment of a mavoi according to Beis Shammai requires a lechi and a korah, and according to Beis Hillel a lechi or a korah. Neither one requires a door?

The Gemara answers, דלתות היכל לצניעות בעלמא הוא דעבידן – The doors of the Heichal were made merely for privacy, which means to lend a sense of dignity to the avodah.