Healing the rift that divides us TB Eruvin 81

Today’s daf TB Eruvin 81 teaches us why sometimes style wins over substance. The Mishnah on the previous page TB Eruvin 80b reiterates that one may use any kind of food or drink except water and salt to make an eruv tekhumim and a shituf meva-ot, but only a contribution of bread is acceptable for an eruv hatzerot. Rabbi Yehoshua qualifies what type of contribution bread is acceptable. “Rabbi Yehoshua says that a different limitation applies: A whole loaf may be used for an eiruv. With regard to a baked product even the size of a se’a, if it consists of pieces, one may not join courtyards with it. However, with regard to a loaf, even one the size of an issar, if it is whole, one may join courtyards with it.” (Sefari.org translation) A copper Roman issar was the smallest coin in circulation whose worth was approximately eight prtutot and had a circumference of 1.125 inches. As you can plainly see a whole bread roll that was a small as a Roman issar could be a contribution to eruv hatzerot the but not a slice of bread from a gigantic wedding hallah! (See Shulkhan Arukh, Orukh Hayyim, 366:6)

The Gemara asks the question why a slice of bread can’t be the contribution to the eruv hatzerot. “The Gemara analyzes Rabbi Yehoshua’s position itself: And with regard to a broken loaf of bread, what is the reason that it may not be used for an eiruv? Rabbi Yosei ben Shaul said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: The reason is due to potential enmity between neighbors. To avoid a situation where one person says to the other: You contributed a mere slice of bread, while I donated an entire loaf, the Sages instituted that each person should provide a whole loaf.” (Sefari.org translation) The purpose of the eruv hatzerot is to create peace amongst the residents of the courtyard and not enmity.

Peace is a fundamental Jewish value. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel used to say: on three things does the world stand- in truth, justice, and peace…” (Avot 1:18) Of all the mitzvot, peace is unique. “Ḥizkiyah said: Great is peace, for all the commandments are written this way: "When you see" (Exodus 23:5), "when you encounter" (Exodus 23:4), "when you come across" (Deuteronomy 22:6). If a commandment comes to you are bound to do it, but if not you are not bound to do it. But here it says "Seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:15) – seek it for your place, and pursue it for other places.” (Sefari.org translation) Consequently, I’m not surprised that style wins over substance for the sake of peace in the case of the loaf of bread for an eruv hatzerot.

The 2020 elections are only five days away. I’ve read article after article how divided we Americans are and how great is the enmity that separates us. Family members can’t speak to one another. Americans think the worse of each other. Political signs for Trump or for Biden on private property are vandalized or destroyed. For the sake of peace how can we heal this divide and enmity between neighbors?

John Meacham said in the HBO documentary “The Soul of America” we need to cultivate three qualities. The first quality is curiosity. We have to listen to the other side with the understanding that we can learn something. We have to be able to say, “hmmm, I’ve learned something.” The second quality is humility. We have to be able to admit a mistake and learn from it. The third quality is empathy. We need to see life in the world through the other sides’ eyes. We don’t have to agree, but we can understand their pain, concerns, and worries. If we can cultivate those three qualities our better angels will defeat our worst instincts and we can heal the rift that divides us!