One or two? Eruvin 38

This year the holiday of Sukkot and Shabbat are contiguous. The first day of Sukkot is Saturday and the second day of Sukkot is Sunday. Now the holiness of a holiday and Shabbat are almost identical. The two major differences where the holiday is different from Shabbat are cooking and carrying is permitted. Consequently, one may still not go beyond the 2000 amot limit on Yom Tov unless a person makes an eruv tekhumim. Today’s daf Eruvin 38 discusses when Shabbat and a holiday are contiguous whether we treat both days as one period of sanctity and a person only needs to make one eruv tekhumim or we treat each holiday as a separate period of sanctity in a person needs to make two arvei tekhumim (plural of erev tekhumim).

The Gemara stakes out three distinct positions. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka hold that there is only one periods of sanctity. Rabbi Eliezer holds that there are two periods of sanctity when Shabbat and Yom Tov are contiguous. The rabbis are in doubt about this issue and decide Jewish law stringently in the two cases cited where they seem to hold contradictory views.

What’s the halakha? “Rav said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of these four Elders and in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who said: When Shabbat and a Festival occur on consecutive days, they constitute two distinct sanctities. And these are the four Elders: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel; Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka; Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Shimon; and Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda, the one whose opinions were often recorded as unattributed mishnayot. And there are those who say: One of them is Rabbi Elazar, and remove from the list Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda, the one whose statements were often recorded as unattributed mishnayot.” And that’s how the Shulkhan Arukh decides as well. (Orekh Hayyim, 416:2)

 What’s interesting to note is the fact that Rabbi Eliezer followed Beit Shammai and we don’t usually decide Jewish law according to Beit Shammai’s opinion. Since the sanctity of a holiday because we can cook and carry is not exactly the same as Shabbat, perhaps the rabbis want to remind us to keep these days special in our eyes by the holiday having a distinct sanctity apart from Shabbat.