We already saw a number of times that each person is given a limit of how far he can walk on Shabbat, and that is usually two thousand steps from his residence. If one wants to change this limit, he can place food some distance away from his residence, and this then becomes the center of his new residence area. The residence area (techum) is rectangular, measured from his city, from his house, or from his place if he is not in a house or a city.
What if all the residents of a city want to move the limits of their residence (techum) for a particular Shabbat? A messenger can be chosen to take a barrel of food to the new site and place it there, and he also has to acquire it on behalf of all the residents. Whoever of the residents accepts the new residence area on himself before dark, that person can use it, but it is not possible to affect this acceptance after dark when Shabbat has already started.
In addition, one can only change his residence area for the purpose of a mitzvah, such as going to a house of mourning or a wedding banquet.
Art: The wedding feast of Samson by Rembrandt Van Rijn
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