Eruvin 53: The Eye of a Needle

How do you "me'abrin" - extend the city for the sake of its eruv? If you were to draw a straight line around your city, and the actual footprint is a bit more jagged, the idea is to smooth out that line, filling it in, as if it were square, with its added area as compared to a circle. But is "me'abrin" spelled with an aleph or an ayin? The meaning is different, the practical halakhic difference at this point, not so much. Which leads to a discussion of Machpelah (the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron), and what the doubling implicit in "Machpelah" refers to (kefel meaning double). Also: a broad meta-discussion by the sages about themselves, and they're placement among each other, and even in history. For example, each generation's Torah acumen diminishes, which leads to the need to write down the Oral Law. And with it and approach to better education. [Who's Who: R. Yochanan] The differences in approach between the people in there Galilee as compared to the Judeans carried real implications for their respective educations and status within Torah, as well as their care in preserving the Oral Law. Plus: The three who bested R. Yehoshua Ben Hanina include a woman and a young girl, beans and a well-trodden path through a field. Which leads into a very famous interaction with Beruriah, in context (which usually doesn't get enough attention).