They may fence it [a caravan that encamped in a valley] around with three ropes [tied to stakes]; the second above the first, and the third above the second, so long as between rope and rope there are not three tefachim. [From the bottom rope to the ground there are fewer than three tefachim, so that it is like a standing (partition). For any space less than three (tefachim) is considered a solid. And from there to the middle rope there are fewer than three, making a "standing" of six tefachim less two small measures for the two spaces. And from the middle to the top, fewer than three tefachim, making nine tefachim less three small measures of "standing" in the three spaces.] The (combined) thickness of the ropes must be [three small measures] more than a tefach, so that the whole be ten tefachim.
Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
מקיפין שלשה חבלים – it refers to a caravan that camped in the valley
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
Introduction
In yesterday’s mishnah we learned that a caravan that finds itself on Shabbat in a valley (which really just means any uninhabited area) may surround themselves with their cattle instruments to form a makeshift fence which allows them to carry within the fenced-in area. One condition for this fence to be effective was that the closed part would be larger than the open gaps in this “fence”. Our mishnah discusses another way of making a fence, one that requires even less material.
In order to understand this mishnah we need to understand the principle of “levud”. This principle means that an open area of less than three handbreadths can be treated as if it was actually closed. We shall see below how this works in our context. When we learn Sukkah, we shall see that one can hang the sukkah’s walls down from the top and as long as they fall to within three handbreadths of the ground the sukkah is valid because a less than three handbreadth gap is treated as if it legally does not exist.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
זה למעלה מזה – on top of pegs surrounding from the lowest rope to the ground less than three [handbreadths] and behold it is like all of it is standing, for everything less than three [handbreadths] is considered like a “labud” (something solid/compact)/a legal fiction of considering separate parts as united, if the gap is less than three handbreadths (see Talmud Sukkah 16b), and from it to the middle [rope] is less than three [handbreadths], you have it that it stands as six handbreadths less the two small amounts in the two airspaces, and from the middle [rope] to the upper [rope], which is less than three [handbreadths], you have nine handbreadths standing in three airspaces less than three small amounts.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
They may surround [the caravan] by three ropes, this one above this one, and this one above this one, provided that [the space] between the one rope and the other is less than three handbreadths. The size of the ropes [must be such] that their [total] thickness is more than a handbreadth, so that the total height is ten handbreadths. The mishnah says that they may encircle their encampment with three ropes, one above the other, to form a fence. Each rope should not be more than three handbreadths apart from the rope on top of it. This way there is no gap in the fence of three handbreadths or more, and as we learned above, a gap of less than three handbreadths can legally be considered to be closed. The total thickness of the ropes must be greater than one handbreadth, so that the caravan is left with a “fence” ten handbreadths high. To summarize, the caravan has a ten handbreadths high wall, up to nine of which is in reality empty space and a little over one of which is made up of rope. Even though in this fence the gaps are certainly greater than the closed part, it is effective because all of gaps are less than three handbreadths and therefore don’t legally exist.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
שיעור עובי החבלים יותר על טפח – three small amounts in orde that there can be between everything ten handbreadths.
