Si no reconoce [un árbol o una cerca] o si no es experto en la halajá [y no sabe que le servirá decir: "Mi habitación está en ese lugar"] y dice: "Mi habitación está en mi lugar "(es decir, donde sea que se encuentre), su lugar le da habitación, dos mil codos en un círculo por todos lados, [en lo que respecta a las ciudades de refugio de las cuales los dos mil codos del Shabat Shachath se derivan está escrito (Números 35: 5): "Esto será para ellos los espacios abiertos de las ciudades" —Para esto (es decir, para las ciudades de refugio) agrega las esquinas (alrededor del círculo), pero no agrega esquinas para quienes adquieren habitación en Shabat.] Estas son las palabras de R. Chanina b. Antignos Los sabios dicen: (dos mil codos en un) cuadrado, como en una tableta cuadrada, para que se ganen las esquinas. [Los rabinos exponen "Esto" (arriba) como inclusivo, es decir, Como esto será (la regla para) todos los que adquieren habitación en Shabat. La halajá está de acuerdo con los sabios. ("como en una tableta cuadrada" :) Rambam explica que debido a que es imposible hacer un cuadrado exacto, se enseña: "como en una tableta cuadrada". Es decir, de la manera en que los hombres acostumbran a cuadrar, aunque no sea exacto. ("para que se ganen las esquinas" :) las cuatro esquinas de la diagonal, que son una adición al círculo en medio del cuadrado.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
ואם אינו מכיר – a tree or a fence.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
Introduction
In this mishnah we learn of a debate concerning the measuring of the 2000 cubits which a person may walk on Shabbat.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
או אינו בקי בהלכה – but he doesn’t know that it will benefit him when he says, that my Sabbath resting place is in a certain place, but he said “my Sabbath resting place is in its place,” he has acquired his place.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
If he does not recognize [any tree or fence], or if he is not familiar with the halakhah, and said, “Let my present position be my Shabbat place”, his position acquires for him the right of movement two thousand cubits in any direction. In a circle, the words of Rabbi Hanina ben Antigonus. But the sages say: the distances are square, in the shape of a square tablet, so that he may gain the area of the corners. The mishnah deals with a person who is traveling on the road and doesn’t recognize anything in the distance (as the person did in yesterday’s mishnah) or with a person who doesn’t know that the halakhah allows him to establish his Shabbat place at a distance by making an oral statement. He thinks that because he is far away from the point he recognizes that he can’t set up his 2000 cubit ring from there. The person then says that his present position is where he will spend Shabbat. He now has 2000 cubits within which to move in all directions. This halakhah is actually obvious; even if he didn’t make any statement he still has 2000 cubits in which to move. The halakhah is probably here as an introduction to the next section.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
עגולות – that regarding the Cities of Refuge, when we appoint them, we derive two thousand cubits of the Sabbath limit, as it is written (Numbers 35:5): “[You shall measure off two thousand cubits outside the town on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west side, and two thousand on the north side, with the town in the center.] That shall be the pasture for their towns.” To this one you give corners (see Talmud Eruvin 51a) which are corner-pieces, but you don’t give corner-pieces to those who set up Sabbath resting places, but the Rabbis who required square expound upon this to include like this (i.e., square) it will be for all Sabbath resting places, and the Halakha is according to the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Eruvin
According to Rabbi Hanina ben Antigonus, the 2000 cubits form a circle. That is to say one simply draws a circle with a 2000 cubit radius around the person and that is the area within which he may walk. The Sages hold that this area is actually a square, drawn around the 2000 cubit radius circle. The advantage to the sages’ position is that the corners of the square increase the area. The square’s total area is 4004 x 4004=16,032,016 cubits. Note that the additional four cubits takes into account the person’s personal four cubits which his body occupies. In contrast the circle’s area is 10022 (radius, including 2 for his own body) x 3.14 (pi)= 12,585,132 (approximately).
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
כטבלא מרובעת – Maimonides wrote that because it is impossible to make an exactly defined quadrangular, the Mishnah purposely taught "כטבלא מרובעת"/a square board, that is to say, as people are accustomed to make something square, even though it is not an exactly defined quadrangular.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Eruvin
נשכר את הזויות – four corners in its diameter of the quadrangular which is greater than the circle that is within it.
