eruvin 76

does a window make 2 spaces into 1? depends on size

and the size of a round window

depends on the size of a square window

and how you fit a square into a circle
or
a circle into a square

eruvin 56

dangerous vegetables and dangerous cities.
and the cities one flees to when in danger.

(it is harmful to one's health to live in a city with a lot of stairs and steep inclines. or one without vegetables. but certain vegetables are considered harmful. also on this page is a discussion about the route of the sun in the sky at different seasons to determine north. and determining the boundaries of the city by following the model of the Levite cities, the cities of refuge, of squaring the circle)

shabbat shalom from NY. I will be speaking at Lincoln Square Synagogue this shabbat, see here for details.

eruvin 14

calculating in the perfect v. seeing what happens in the real world

(the formula circumference = 3 x diameter of a circle is used to calculate the equivalent of a round beam to a square beam. and is derived from the measurements of a large round water tank in the Temple. later in the page when the sideposts dimensions are debated, Abaye teaches to just go out and look at what people are actually doing. the theoretical occasionally gives way to the actual)