We learned three days ago how the rabbis decided the four amot limitation. “As it was taught in a baraita: The verse “Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day” (Exodus 16:29), means one must restrict his movement to an area equal to his place. And how much is the area of his place? A person’s body typically measures three cubits, and an additional cubit is needed in order to allow him to spread out his hands and feet, this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: A person’s body measures three cubits, and an additional cubit is needed in order to allow him to pick up an object from under his feet and place it under his head, meaning, to give him room to maneuver.” TB Eruvin 48a, Sefaria.org translation)
Today’s daf Eruvin 51 reveals how the rabbis reached the extent of a tekhum as 2000 amot in all directions. To understand the rabbis’ methodology in our case, one has to know what a gezara shava is. It is an inference by similar expression used in two different texts. A law found in one text applies also to the other text. For the rabbis to learn that the length of a tekhum is 2000 amot, they needed a gezara shava of six steps!
“The Gemara raises a fundamental question: These two thousand cubits, where are they written in the Torah? The Gemara answers that it is as it was taught in a baraita: “Remain every man in his place” (Exodus 16:29); these are the four cubits, which constitute the minimum Shabbat limit, e.g., for one who ventured beyond his prescribed limit. “Let no man go out of his place” (Exodus 16:29); these are the two thousand cubits of the Shabbat limit for one who remains in his place. Unless otherwise specified, the measure of one’s place is two thousand cubits.
“The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that this is the measure of one’s place? Rav Ḥisda said: We derive this by means of a verbal analogy between the term place written here: “Let no man go out of his place,” and from the term place written with regard to an unwitting murderer: “Then I will appoint you a place to where he shall flee” (Exodus 21:13). This last verse mentions both place and fleeing, and the term place is derived from the term fleeing. And the term fleeing is derived from the term fleeing, written in a different verse with regard to the unwitting murderer: “But if the slayer shall at any time come outside the border of the city of his refuge, whither he has fled” (Numbers 35:26). And the term fleeing is derived from the term border, which appears in the same verse. And the term border is derived from the term border, as it states there: “And the avenger of blood find him outside [miḥutz] the borders of the city of his refuge” (Numbers 35:27). Since this verse mentions both the term border and the term outside, the term border is derived from the term outside. And the term outside is derived from the term outside, as it is written with regard to the Levite cities, which also served as cities of refuge: “And you shall measure from outside [miḥutz] the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits” (Numbers 35:5). From this chain of identical terms, the meaning of the term place stated in connection with Shabbat is derived from the two thousand cubits mentioned with regard to the Levite cities. (מַר רַב חִסְדָּא: לָמַדְנוּ 'מָקוֹם' מִ'מָּקוֹם', וּ'מָקוֹם' מִ'נִּיסָה', וְ'נִיסָּה' מִ'נִּיסָה', וְ'נִיסָּה' מִ'גְּבוּל', וּ'גְבוּל' מִ'גְּבוּל', וּ'גְבוּל' מִ'חוּץ', וְ'חוּץ' מִ'חוּץ'. דִּכְתִיב: "וּמַדּוֹתֶם מִחוּץ לָעִיר אֶת פְּאַת קֵדְמָה אַלְפַּיִם בָּאַמָּה וְגוֹ'".)” (Sefaria.org translation)
So far in our studies only Rabbi Akiva holds that the 2000 amot limit is of Torah origin, (דאורייתא). Most commentaries and poskim, deciders of Jewish law, hold that the 2000 amot limit of a tekhum is of rabbinic origin (דרבנן). Even though the general purpose of a gezara shava is to show that a particular law is of Torah in origin, here it is just to show the thought process how the rabbis came up with the number 2000. (Ritba)
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