Ernest Grumkin was well known in the neighborhood as a kind but eccentric individual. He lived in a mansion on a huge plot of land which he shared with his business partner. Everyone was saddened to hear of his passing at the ripe old age of ninety-eight. Sadly, he left behind no children and his estate was bequeathed by his nephew Yosef Grumkin.
Late one evening there was a ringing of the Berger doorbell. Rabbi Berger opened it and stood face to face with a man he did not recognize. He clearly was not from around here, in fact he sounded like a foreigner.
"Hello I'm Yosef Grumkin, the only heir of Ernest Grumkin, who as you know recently passed away leaving his property to me. He stated in his will that it should be divided halachically. However, we ran into some problems when we couldn't find the front door to the mansion. As you well know Rabbi, that's a big problem, because the yard cannot be divided with the partner who owns half the yard, until giving four amos in front of the doorway to the owner of the house. My uncle was very worried about robbers breaking down the door to his house. It seemed he sealed up the entrance to his house without letting anyone know how to get inside. He definitely went in and out of his house. Rabbi Berger can you please help me find the missing doorway and how he entered his house?"
The next day after the twins, Yossi and Baruch, came home from school, their father drove them to visit Mr. Grumkin's estate to see if they could locate the entrance.
"I'll be back in an hour, kids. I have some errands to run," said Rabbi Berger leaving them to solve the mystery alone.
"This is an exciting mystery," commented Baruch as he kept his eyes focused on the ground. He was looking for clues on the path to the mansion. Just maybe something was out of place. However when he got to the end of the path he hit a brick wall, literally. He backtracked and inspected the grounds even closer.
"Hey, this rock looks a bit fake to me," Baruch said as he moved it with his foot. Suddenly a trapdoor opened up next to the stone. "The mystery is solved!" exclaimed Baruch.
"Now let's see where this leads to," said his equally curious brother, as they descended the trapdoor's stairs.
The ramifications of a sealed door in Halacha are: To divide the inheritance of a yard that is shared between two houses, the area of four amos in front of the doorway is given to the heir. Only afterwards is the yard divided (Shulchon Aruch Choshen Mishpat 172:1). If the doorway is sealed we presume that the owner would unseal the doorway. If he sealed the doorway and also removed the lintel and doorposts, we then presume that he gives up his rights to that four amos in front of the doorway (Sma Choshen Mishpat 172:16).
Ponder Points
What if the lintel and doorposts were removed but the only way to get into the house was through a trapdoor, where would the four amos begin?
Conclusion
The owner is entitled to four amos in front of his doorway in order to be able to unload his packages before he brings them into his house. It would therefore make sense that the four amos should be measured from directly in front of the trapdoor upon coming down the path, since that is where Mr. Grumkin would have stopped to unload his packages. The trapdoor was his doorway for all intents and purposes (based on Sma Choshen Mishpat 172:1).
Getting back to our story, the Berger boys went down the staircase with Baruch leading the way. They followed the tunnel to a storage room, but it went no further. They had hit a dead end. This was not the entrance to the house they were seeking. Back to square one. Yossi and Baruch came back up through the trapdoor to continue their mission of finding the mysterious missing mansion means of access. Yossi and Baruch went down the path again, with renewed vigor. They were not about to let themselves be stumped by this puzzle.
Near the end of the path, they noticed a little fenced in flower bed. There were some very pretty flowers growing, and Yossi was interested to see how they smelled. He went through the gate.
"Yossi, now's no time to stop and smell the flowers. We've got some serious sleuthing to do," said an annoyed Baruch.
Yossi bent down to smell a rather unusual looking flower specimen when suddenly the ground underneath him started rising into the air.
"Yikes! What's happening?" screamed a frightened Yossi.
Apparently, the flower was equipped with a sensor which activated an elevator. The elevator stopped at the second floor window. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that the window was really a door leading straight into the house.
"Wow, Tatty would love this invention. It's right up his ally," said Baruch.
Ponder Points
What is the status of the elevator? Does it also entitle the owner to four amos in front of it?
Conclusion
The elevator has the same rule as steps or a ladder leading to a second floor. At the bottom of the stairs there would be the rule of four amos in front of it, since that is where he would stop to unload (Me'iri Baba Basrah 11b s.v. marpeses, Sma Choshen Mishpat 172:12). The mystery of the missing mansion door was officially solved by the Berger duo.