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A person may not leave a certain area from where he started Shabbat. This boundary of where he cannot leave is called the techum. Every person has a unique techum depending on where he was at the beginning of Shabbat. It is forbidden to walk beyond one's techum on Shabbat, Yom Tov, or Yom Kippur.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 396:1, 495:1, 611:1. [https://ph.yhb.org.il/12-06-04/ Peninei Halacha] discusses why the allowance for ochel nefesh doesn't permit going beyond the techum on Yom Tov.</ref> In general, the techum boundary is 2000 [[amot]] beyond the immediate 4 [[amot]] area around a person.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 397:1, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 95:1. Mishna Brurah 397:1 writes that some hold that walking beyond 12 [[mil]] on shabbat is a biblical prohibition, while others consider it a rabbinic prohibition. Magen Avraham 404:1 quotes a dispute between the Maharalbach 28 and Maharam Elshaker 41 whether 12 mil is deoritta for kelim. Ramban Eruvin 43a clearly hold it is deoritta even for kelim. Biur Halacha 404:1 is lenient to rely on Maharalbach since either way many rishonim hold that 12 mil is not deoritta.</ref> | A person may not leave a certain area from where he started Shabbat. This boundary of where he cannot leave is called the ''techum'' (heb. תחום; lit. border). Every person has a unique techum depending on where he was at the beginning of Shabbat. It is forbidden to walk beyond one's techum on Shabbat, Yom Tov, or Yom Kippur.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 396:1, 495:1, 611:1. [https://ph.yhb.org.il/12-06-04/ Peninei Halacha] discusses why the allowance for ochel nefesh doesn't permit going beyond the techum on Yom Tov.</ref> In general, the techum boundary is 2000 [[amot]] beyond the immediate 4 [[amot]] area around a person.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 397:1, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 95:1. Mishna Brurah 397:1 writes that some hold that walking beyond 12 [[mil]] on shabbat is a biblical prohibition, while others consider it a rabbinic prohibition. Magen Avraham 404:1 quotes a dispute between the Maharalbach 28 and Maharam Elshaker 41 whether 12 mil is deoritta for kelim. Ramban Eruvin 43a clearly hold it is deoritta even for kelim. Biur Halacha 404:1 is lenient to rely on Maharalbach since either way many rishonim hold that 12 mil is not deoritta.</ref> | ||
==Determining the techum== | ==Determining the techum== | ||
===Outside of a City=== | ===Outside of a City=== | ||
# If a person is alone in the desert, the techum extends 2000 [[amot]] beyond the 4 [[amot]] | # If a person is alone in the desert, the techum extends 2000 [[amot]] beyond the 4 [[amot]] around him. If a person is in a house at the beginning of Shabbat, the techum is 2000 [[amot]] from outside the house.<ref>39 Melachos (Rabbi Ribiat, vol 4, pg 1386-7)</ref> | ||
# If a person starts Shabbat outside a city he can determine the directions of his techum and have 2000 amot in each of those directions. He also is allowed to travel until the end of 2800 amot in the direction of the corners of the square he chose. Once he decided his square he cannot change it that Shabbat.<ref>Chazon Ish 110:24 based on Gra 345:1, Mishna Brurah 345:5. This is the opinion of the Rambam. According to the Rabbenu Tam (Eruvin 51a, Yoma 67a a person always can travel until 2800 amot even without choosing the square. However, Rashbam held that one's square is automatically determined to correspond with the north-south directions of the earth and then one can walk until the end of those corners. Tosfot Yoma and Rosh Eruvin reject Rabbenu Tam.</ref> | # If a person starts Shabbat outside a city he can determine the directions of his techum and have 2000 amot in each of those directions. He also is allowed to travel until the end of 2800 amot in the direction of the corners of the square he chose. Once he decided his square he cannot change it that Shabbat.<ref>Chazon Ish 110:24 based on Gra 345:1, Mishna Brurah 345:5. This is the opinion of the Rambam. According to the Rabbenu Tam (Eruvin 51a, Yoma 67a a person always can travel until 2800 amot even without choosing the square. However, Rashbam held that one's square is automatically determined to correspond with the north-south directions of the earth and then one can walk until the end of those corners. Tosfot Yoma and Rosh Eruvin reject Rabbenu Tam.</ref> | ||
# If one starts Shabbat in a city, his techum is the entire city. In fact, the city is considered only 4 [[amot]] and one may walk beyond that city for 2000 [[amot]]. A city is considered like 4 amot whether or not it is a walled city.<ref>Tur 398:9, Bet Meir 398:1, Chayey Adam 76:11, Shaar Hatziyun 408:13</ref> | # If one starts Shabbat in a city, his techum is the entire city. In fact, the city is considered only 4 [[amot]] and one may walk beyond that city for 2000 [[amot]]. A city is considered like 4 amot whether or not it is a walled city.<ref>Tur 398:9, Bet Meir 398:1, Chayey Adam 76:11, Shaar Hatziyun 408:13</ref> | ||
#Additionally, if he starts Shabbat outside a city but his techum entirely includes the city | #Additionally, if he starts Shabbat outside a city but his techum entirely includes a city, the city is only considered 4 amot. For example, if one's dwelling place is 500 [[amot]] from a city and the city is 1000 [[amot]] long, the city is only considered 4 [[amot]]. Therefore, one is able to walk another 1496 [[amot]] after the city. However, if one's techum ends in the middle of the city, the city is not considered 4 [[amot]] and one may not walk beyond one's techum.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 95:12</ref> | ||
=== | ===Techum of a City=== | ||
# If one is in a village, town, or city, one may have 2000 [[amot]] from the outer bounds of the city, depending on the density of the houses.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 95:2</ref> If there are 6 homes each within 70.66 [[amot]] of another home are considered a city and the techum would begin from 2000 [[amot]] outside the group of houses. Any home that is within 70.66 [[amot]] of the established city is included in the city | # If one is in a village, town, or city, one may have 2000 [[amot]] from the outer bounds of the city, depending on the density of the houses.<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 95:2</ref> If there are 6 homes each within 70.66 [[amot]] of another home, they are considered a city and the techum would begin from 2000 [[amot]] outside the group of houses. Any home that is within 70.66 [[amot]] of the established city is included in the city. However, a house which is more than 70.66 [[amot]] from the other houses is not included in the city. The techum for residents of that house is 2000 [[amot]] from the edge of that house. Therefore, a suburban area with houses separated more than 70.66 [[amot]] are not considered part of a city and residents of a house only have 2000 [[amot]] from that house.<ref>39 Melachos (Rabbi Ribiat, vol 4, pg 1387-9). Rabbi Ribiat quotes the Minchat Shabbat who explicitly writes that we do have the halachic category of chatzerot nowadays in order to form a city. We still require that there's 2 houses to create a chetzer but if there's 6 houses we have a city. Torat Shlomo Eruvin 19:19 p. 144 explicitly writes that even though we don't use the chatzerot today like rooms you can create a city without chatzerot. See Chazon Ish OC 110:20 who supports this. However, Rav Hershel Schachter ([https://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecture.cfm/814168/rabbi-hershel-schachter/shiur-99-shabbos-dechiya/ Shabbat Shiur 99 (very end)] and [https://www.yutorah.org/sidebar/lecture.cfm/814233/rabbi-hershel-schachter/shiur-100-shabbos-chazer-vs-mavui/ Shabbat Shiur 100 (beginning)]) holds that nowadays we don't have a city for techum since we don't use our chatzerot today like a room of the house. Therefore, since we need 3 chatzerot to form a city (S"A 398:10) we can't have a city today. This is based on the Rama, Chazon Ish OC 65:52, and is discussed by Imrei Baruch Eruvin 40-41.</ref> | ||
# Many cities have 2000 amot from the edges of the city. Generaly, the techum is drawn as a rectangle around the outermost extremities of the city along the directions of a compass; that is, the techum of the city is 2000 amot from the edge of the northern most house, eastern most house, southern most house, and western most house. However, if the city is already rectangle, L-shaped, or arc shaped may not have this extension of squaring off the city.<ref>39 Melachos (Rabbi Ribiat, vol 4, pg 1391-2)</ref> See [[#Squaring Off a City]] for details. | |||
# Many cities have 2000 from the | |||
# Because the laws of establishing a techum and extending the techum with a Eruv techumin are complicated one should consult a local Orthodox Rabbi. <ref>39 Melachos (Rabbi Ribiat, vol 4, pg 1393)</ref> | # Because the laws of establishing a techum and extending the techum with a Eruv techumin are complicated one should consult a local Orthodox Rabbi. <ref>39 Melachos (Rabbi Ribiat, vol 4, pg 1393)</ref> | ||
===Squaring Off a City=== | ===Squaring Off a City=== | ||
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# A city that is a square or rectangle is not squared off because it already has corners, even though its corners do not align with the cardinal directions.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:1</ref> | # A city that is a square or rectangle is not squared off because it already has corners, even though its corners do not align with the cardinal directions.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:1</ref> | ||
# A city that is a circle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, or more sides are squared off.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:2</ref> | # A city that is a circle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, or more sides are squared off.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:2</ref> | ||
# A city with two parallel sides, | # A city with two parallel sides, one side which is wider and one side that is shorter, such as a trapezoid, is squared off by making the shorter side as long as the longer side.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:4</ref> | ||
# A city which has houses within 70.6 amot jutting out on one side, when squaring off the city, the city is measured by the furthest house in that direction.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:6</ref> | # A city which has houses within 70.6 amot jutting out on one side, when squaring off the city, the city is measured by the furthest house in that direction.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:6</ref> | ||
# A city that is shaped like an L or a semicircle, if the ends are within 4000 amot, it is all considered one city and the area between its two ends is considered as though it was filled in with houses. If the ends are 4000 amot or more between the ends of the city, each branch of the city are considered separate and the area between them is not considered part of the city.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:4</ref> Some are lenient to consider that area part of the city if from the line drawn between the two ends | # A city that is shaped like an L or a semicircle, if the ends are within 4000 amot, it is all considered one city and the area between its two ends is considered as though it was filled in with houses. If the ends are 4000 amot or more between the ends of the city, each branch of the city are considered separate and the area between them is not considered part of the city.<ref>Eruvin 55a, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:4</ref> Some are lenient to consider that area part of the city if from the line drawn between the two ends of the city and the middle of the city is less than 2000 amot. Additionally, some are lenient that if the ends gradually spread apart to consider the section of the ends where they are less than 4000 amot apart to be considered filled in.<ref>Rama 398:4</ref> | ||
#There is a dispute whether a L shaped or triangular shaped city is squared off according to the cardinal directions or by the side that is straight.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Harav 398:3 and Chayei Adam 68:14 hold that a city that is a triangle or L shaped city is squared off by the cardinal directions. However, Chazon Ish 80 s.v. tos 54a and 110:23 maintains that a city which has one side that is straight is squared off in accordance with that side and not according to the cardinal directions.</ref> | #There is a dispute whether a L shaped or triangular shaped city is squared off according to the cardinal directions or by the side that is straight.<ref>Shulchan Aruch Harav 398:3 and Chayei Adam 68:14 hold that a city that is a triangle or L shaped city is squared off by the cardinal directions. However, Chazon Ish 80 s.v. tos 54a and 110:23 maintains that a city which has one side that is straight is squared off in accordance with that side and not according to the cardinal directions.</ref> | ||
===Joining Cities=== | ===Joining Cities=== | ||
# If two cities are within 141.3 amot of each other they are considered like one city and the techum is drawn around both of them.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:7</ref> | # If two cities are within 141.3 amot of each other they are considered like one city and the techum is drawn around both of them.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 398:7</ref> | ||
# If when drawing the square around a city that would include another city the two cities are considered one large city and the techum is drawn around both of them.<ref>Minchat Yitzchak 8:33 explains that since the squaring of a city is taken into account before we add the 70 amot of the city if the squaring off of a city includes another city everything should be considered one large city. His proof is the concept of Eruvin 55a that the arms of a bow-shaped city join as long as they are within 4000 amot of each other. The Chazon Ish 110:16 wasn't sure whether or not the cities join when the squaring off of each other join. Rav Chaim Kanievsky in [http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49174&st=&pgnum=383 Shoneh Halachot 398:19 and 21] writes that Chazon Ish held that they do join but left it unresolved (הדבר צריך הכרע). Zecher Tzvi (techum Shabbat p. 21) holds that one can be lenient based on Chazon Ish. Dirshu 398:21 quotes Rav Dovid Landau who holds that since Chazon Ish left this unresolved one must be strict. Dirshu 398:21 cites Rav Wosner (Kitzur Hilchot Medidat techumin) as holding that one can be lenient, but Rav Elyashiv as holding that one should be strict. [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21547&st=&pgnum=250 Mechzeh Eliyahu 1:74] and 77 is lenient. Machneh Yisrael of Rabbi Dimitrovsky p. 19-22 writes that one who is lenient has what to rely upon and supports this from the Rambam and Meiri. He also cites Rav Elyashiv as being strict. </ref> | # If when drawing the square around a city that would include part of another city, some poskim hold that the two cities are considered one large city and the techum is drawn around both of them.<ref>Minchat Yitzchak 8:33 explains that since the squaring of a city is taken into account before we add the 70 amot of the city if the squaring off of a city includes another city everything should be considered one large city. His proof is the concept of Eruvin 55a that the arms of a bow-shaped city join as long as they are within 4000 amot of each other. The Chazon Ish 110:16 wasn't sure whether or not the cities join when the squaring off of each other join. Rav Chaim Kanievsky in [http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49174&st=&pgnum=383 Shoneh Halachot 398:19 and 21] writes that Chazon Ish held that they do join but left it unresolved (הדבר צריך הכרע). Zecher Tzvi (techum Shabbat p. 21) holds that one can be lenient based on Chazon Ish. Dirshu 398:21 quotes Rav Dovid Landau who holds that since Chazon Ish left this unresolved one must be strict. Dirshu 398:21 cites Rav Wosner (Kitzur Hilchot Medidat techumin) as holding that one can be lenient, but Rav Elyashiv as holding that one should be strict. [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21547&st=&pgnum=250 Mechzeh Eliyahu 1:74] and 77 is lenient. Machneh Yisrael of Rabbi Dimitrovsky p. 19-22 writes that one who is lenient has what to rely upon and supports this from the Rambam and Meiri. He also cites Rav Elyashiv as being strict. Mdarkei Hatechum p. 18 quotes Rav Dovid Feinstein, Rav Belsky, Rav Elyashiv, and Rav Nissim Karelitz as holding that we cannot cities based on the squaring off of the city.</ref> | ||
#This dispute directly impacts if one may walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan. If one is lenient about the above question, if someone starts Shabbat in Manhattan he can walk to Brooklyn and vice versa. If one is strict about the above dispute he may not.<Ref>Mdarkei Hatechum p. 19</ref> | |||
#Nontheless, even those who are strict not to consider both cities to be like one large city agree that if someone starts Shabbat within the squaring off of the techum of one city he may walk throughout that city. For example, if he starts Shabbat in a specific section of Manhattan that is within the squaring off of the techum of Brooklyn, he may walk throughout Brooklyn on Shabbat.<ref>Mdarkei Hatechum p. 19</ref> | |||
==Techum of Specific Cities== | |||
===Techum of Manhattan=== | |||
==Moving Packages Received on Shabbat== | ==Moving Packages Received on Shabbat== | ||
# If one isn't sure if an item was brought from beyond the techum one has to be strict not to move beyond 4 amot even though techum is rabbinic.<Ref>Beitzah 24b, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 515:1</ref> | # If one isn't sure if an item was brought from beyond the techum one has to be strict not to move it beyond 4 amot even though techum is rabbinic.<Ref>Beitzah 24b, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 515:1</ref> | ||
# Even if the package was delivered from outside of the techum if the package was placed in a house or building then it can be moved within the house since the house walls are considered 4 amot.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 405:1 writes that people who leave the techum only have 4 amot. Shulchan Aruch 405:9 applies these laws to objects as well. Shulchan Aruch 405:6 writes that if a person left the techum accidentally or was forcibly was moved by non-Jews and ended up beyond the techum within a walled area the entire walled area is considered like 4 amot. However, if a Jew left the techum intentionally he only has 4 amot. However, with respect to objects that left the techum, Mishna Brurah 405:50 writes that if the objects left the techum and entered a walled area they can be moved within the entire walled area whether they were moved there intentionally or unintentionally.</ref> | # Even if the package was delivered from outside of the techum if the package was placed in a house or building then it can be moved within the house since the house walls are considered 4 amot.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 405:1 writes that people who leave the techum only have 4 amot. Shulchan Aruch 405:9 applies these laws to objects as well. Shulchan Aruch 405:6 writes that if a person left the techum accidentally or was forcibly was moved by non-Jews and ended up beyond the techum within a walled area the entire walled area is considered like 4 amot. However, if a Jew left the techum intentionally he only has 4 amot. However, with respect to objects that left the techum, Mishna Brurah 405:50 writes that if the objects left the techum and entered a walled area they can be moved within the entire walled area whether they were moved there intentionally or unintentionally.</ref> | ||
#If a package was delivered from outside the techum on Shabbat for a Jew he cannot benefit from it on Shabbat or even after Shabbat the time it would take to bring it from beyond the techum. He is allowed to move the package up within 4 amot or if it is in a building within the walls of the building.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 325:8. Shulchan Aruch quotes two opinions about whether he must wait until the time it takes to bring it from beyond the techum in order to eat it. Mishna Brurah 325:40 implies that he is strict about this question, though he doesn't require waiting until Sunday morning the time it takes to deliver it from beyond the techum like the opinion Rama quotes.</ref> | #If a package was delivered from outside the techum on Shabbat for a Jew he cannot benefit from it on Shabbat or even after Shabbat the time it would take to bring it from beyond the techum. He is allowed to move the package up within 4 amot or if it is in a building within the walls of the building.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 325:8. Shulchan Aruch quotes two opinions about whether he must wait until the time it takes to bring it from beyond the techum in order to eat it. Mishna Brurah 325:40 implies that he is strict about this question, though he doesn't require waiting until Sunday morning the time it takes to deliver it from beyond the techum like the opinion Rama quotes.</ref> | ||
