What is Talmud Tweets?

What is Talmud Tweets? A short, personal take on a page of Talmud - every day!

For several years now, I have been following the tradition of "Daf Yomi" - reading a set page of Talmud daily. With the start of a new 7 1/2 year cycle, I thought I would share a taste of what the Talmud offers, with a bit of personal commentary included. The idea is not to give a scholarly explanation. Rather, it is for those new to Talmud to give a little taste - a tweet, as it were - of the richness of this text and dialogue it contains. The Talmud is a window into a style of thinking as well as the world as it changed over the centuries of its compilation.

These are not literal "tweets" - I don't limit myself to 140 characters. Rather, these are intended to be short, quick takes - focusing in on one part of a much richer discussion. Hopefully, I will pique your interest. As Hillel says: "Go and study it!" (Shabbat 31a)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Eruvin 75 – Association For Good

The Mishnah discusses the instance of one courtyard inside another and the households associated with each. If someone from the inner courtyard or someone from the outer courtyard forgot to contribute to the eruv, or is a non-Jew who does not contribute, how does it affect the others? And what about issues of right-of-way?
“The eruv causes them to be associated” 
so that one cannot claim exemption from the others. That is usually to everyone’s advantage. But what if it is not?

The tenants can say: ‘We have associated with you in order to improve our position but not to make it worse’.

These associations should be for the benefit of all – not an advantage to one and disadvantage to another.

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