They may fence it with reeds [stuck in the ground and standing straight (a perpendicular partition; that of ropes, being a horizontal one)], so long as there not be more than three tefachim between one reed and the next. This was stated in respect to a caravan. [They were lenient with them, requiring either a perpendicular arrangement, as with reeds, or a horizontal one, as with ropes; but they were not lenient with an individual, requiring both perpendicular and horizontal. (Three men are considered a "caravan.")] These are the words of R. Yehudah. The sages said: They spoke of a "caravan" only as being the common instance, (but it is permitted even with an individual.) Any partition which is not (both) perpendicular and horizontal is no partition. These are the words of R. Yossi b. R. Yehudah. [R. Yossi b. R. Yehudah differs with his father, saying that even a caravan requires perpendicular and horizontal.] The difference between the first rabbis and the second: The first rabbis permitted it to an individual only in an instance like that of a caravan, i.e., when he is on the road and cannot make a regular partition, but not when he is in the settlement. And the second rabbis say: Either way (perpendicular or horizontal), whether for an individual or for many; whether on the road or in a settlement. And the halachah is in accordance with them. But one man or two who camped in the desert may not make a partition larger than beth sa'atayim, one hundred cubits in length by fifty in width, as per the tabernacle court. And three or more men constitute a "caravan," and they may make a large partition, even several mil, as may be required by them, their belongings, and their beasts, so long as there be no empty space larger than a beth sa'atayim in the partition. Those who go out to war [even a sanctioned war (milchemeth reshuth, as opposed to milchemeth mitzvah)] were exempt from four things: They may bring wood from anywhere, [with no concern over theft, even if it were cut and piled by the owners]; they are exempt from washing their hands [before a meal. (But they are required to wash after the meal, that washing having been prescribed by reason of Sodomite salt, which causes blindness. A risk (to life) is of greater stringency than a prohibition.)]; (they are exempt) from demai [They are not required to separate terumath ma'aser from demai (suspect produce), as when they bought produce from an am ha'aretz]; (and they are exempt) from making an eruv [an eruv of courts, such as from tent to tent within the camp surrounded by partitions; but they are required to make an eruv of (Sabbath) bounds.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
מקיפין בקנים – wedged in and standing and this is a partition of warp but of ropes it would be a partition of woof.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
Introduction
This mishnah continues to deal with setting up a partition around an encampment so that one may carry within the encampment.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
בשיירא דברו – they were lenient regarding them since they don’t need anything other either a warp such as reeds or a woof, such as ropes, but for an individual, they were not lenient , but rather until it has [both] warp and woof and three people [in it], they are like a caravan.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
They may also surround [the camp] with reeds, provided there is no [gap of] three handbreadths between one reed and the next. Yesterday we learned that they can set up a partition around the encampment by encircling it with three ropes, so long as there are no more than three handbreadths between each rope. Today we see how a partition can be set up horizontally. This is done by setting up reeds (poles) around the encampment. Between each reed there can be no more than three handbreadths, for less than three handbreadths is an amount that is legally considered as if it doesn’t exist.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
כל מחיצה שאינה של שתי וערב כו' - Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Yehuda disputes on that of his father, and states that even for a caravan, it requires warp and woof.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
[The rabbis] spoke only of a caravan, the words of Rabbi Judah. But the sages say that they only spoke of a caravan because it is a usual occurrence. So far these mishnayot have only been speaking about surrounding a caravan with a partition. The rabbis now debate whether the same type of partition may be used in other cases as well. According to Rabbi Judah, the previous mishnayot relate only to the situation of a caravan. An individual stuck out in an uninhabited place for Shabbat would have to make a partition of both horizontal and vertical pieces in order to carry within. The other sages disagree and rule that the previous mishnayot mentioned the encamped caravan only because that was a normal situation. The same rules would apply to other situations as well.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
אחד משני דברים – either warp or woof and there is [a difference] between the earlier Rabbis and the latter Rabbis, for the earlier Rabbis did not permit for an individual other than something similar to a caravan on the way, since it cannot make an appropriate partition and it is not in a settlement, but the latter Rabbis stated that one of two things, whether for an individual or a group, whether on the road or in a settlement, and the Halakha is according to them, but that one person or two that dwelled in the wilderness are not able to make a partition larger than field requiring two Se’ah of seed which is one-hundred cubits long by fifty cubits wide like the courtyard of the Tabernacle and three people or ore are a caravan and they are able to make a large partition and even several miles according what they need and for the utensils that they use and for their animals, as long as there not remain a free space within the partition greater than the field requiring two Se’ah of seed.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
Any partition that is not [made up of] both vertical and horizontal [pieces] is not a valid partition, the words of Rabbi Yose bar Judah. But the sages say: one of the two [is sufficient]. Rabbi Yose disagrees with his father who held that for the caravan a partition of either horizontal ropes or vertical reeds is sufficient. Rabbi Yose holds that a partition that does not have both is not a valid partition, neither for an individual nor for a caravan. The sages continue to rule that a partition can be set up with either vertical or horizontal pieces, as we learned in the previous mishnayot. Both are not necessary.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
פטרו במחנה – for those who go out to war and even to an optional war [to gain territory outside the Land of Israel].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
They exempted four obligations [to soldiers] in an encampment: They may bring wood from anywhere; they are exempt from the washing of the hands, and from [separating tithes from] doubtfully tithed produce ( and from the setting up an eruv. There are four ways in which the rabbis were lenient with regard to the rules governing soldiers in an encampment. Note that these rules do not apply specifically to Shabbat; only the last one refers to Shabbat. First of all, they may bring wood from anywhere they find it and it is not considered stealing. Second, they need not wash their hands before eating. Third, if they are eating doubtfully tithed produce (demai), they need not tithe it. Tithing demai is only a rabbinic obligation and hence there is space to be lenient. Fourth, to carry from tent to tent within the encampment, they do not need to set up an eruv (a communal meal). A partition surrounding the encampment is sufficient, as we have learned.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
מביאין עצים – and we don’t suspect them of theft, and even if their owners cut them and made of them packages.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
ופטורים מרחיצת ידים – [exempt from washing the hands] before the meal, but for the water [for washing] after the meal, they are obligated, since it was established on account of the danger of the Sodomite salt that blinds the eye, the danger is graver than the prohibition.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
ומדמאי – that they don’t have to separate the tenth of a tenth of doubtfully tithed produce such as if they took grain from an ignoramus [who does not observe the laws of tithing properly].
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
ומלערב – The Eruvim of courtyards such as from tent to tent in the camp surrounded by partitions, but the Eruvim of borders/limits they are required to make [those Eruvim].
