Eruv (Hebrew: עירוב‎, also spelt Eiruv or Erub, plural: Eruvin) is a Hebrew word meaning "mixture", and refers to any of three procedures which allow certain activities in Jewish law which would otherwise be forbidden. In colloquial usage, it most often refers to the eruv for carrying (Hebrew: עירוב חצרות‎, eiruv chatzeirot), but it can also refer to the Eruv tavshilin for cooking (Hebrew: עירוב תבשילין‎) or the Eruv techumin for traveling (Hebrew: עירוב תחומין‎). “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Eruv (‎, also spelt Eiruv or Erub, plural: Eruvin) is a Hebrew word meaning mixture, and refers to any of three procedures which allow certain activities in Jewish law which would otherwise be forbidden. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... An eruv tavshilin for cooking refers to mixed [cooked] dishes, whereby one prepares a cooked food prior to a Jewish holiday that will be followed by the Shabbat. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... An eruv techumin (mixed borders) for traveling enables a Jew to travel on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ...

The Talmud devotes an entire tractate to the subject of eruv titled Eruvin which addresses the eruv chatzeirot, "mixed [ownership of] domains", and eruv techumin, "mixed borders" (discussed below). It does not address the eruv tavshilin, which is covered elsewhere in the Talmud. The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a. ...

In Judaism, an "eruv" unspecified normally refers to an eruv for carrying, which consists of a fence -- either real or symbolic -- that surrounds an area containing anything from a single private home and its yard, to an entire Jewish neighborhood, permitting carrying within its boundaries. This fence is technically a shituf mevo'ot (Hebrew: שיתוף מבואות‎, lit. Sharing [of the] alleyways), and this geographical sharing is required in order to effectively engage in the process of eruv hatzerot ("mixing [of] courtyards.") In contemporary Jewish discourse, "an eruv" frequently refers to this symbolic "fence," (actually "doorframe/s") rather than the eruv itself. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... photo of a backyard A yard is an enclosed area of land, usually tied to a building. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ...

Eruv for carrying

There are 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat. On Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), the Torah forbids moving an object from one domain to another, no matter its weight or purpose. According to Torah law as understood by the Talmud, this encompasses three actions: // The 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat (or 39 melachot, or lamed tet avot melachot), are activities that Jews are prohibited to do on Shabbat. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Tawrat be merged into this article or section. ... // The 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat (or 39 melachot, or lamed tet avot melachot), are activities that Jews are prohibited to do on Shabbat. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a. ...

1. Moving an object from an enclosed area (such as a private home, public building, or fenced-in area) to a major thoroughfare,
2. moving an object from a major thoroughfare to an enclosed area, or
3. moving an object more than four cubits within a major thoroughfare.

To prevent confusion over exactly what constitutes a major thoroughfare, the rabbis expanded the ban to any area that was not fenced or walled in. For the unit of information, see qubit Cubit is the name for the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian units of measure. ...

An eruv surrounding a community in Jerusalem

An additional, rabbinic prohibition, which Jewish tradition ascribes to the religious court of King Solomon, prohibits carrying in any area that was shared by the occupants of more than one dwelling, even if surrounded by fences or walls. But in this case of areas surrounded by walls, carrying was allowed through the use of an eruv. The eruv consists of a food item - generally bread - that is shared by all dwellers. By means of this shared meal, all the dwellers are considered as if they were living in a common dwelling, thus exempting them from the added prohibition. File links The following pages link to this file: Eruv ... Artists depiction of Solomos court (Ingobertus, c. ...

Eruv chatzeirot

The eruv chatzeirot, or "mixed [ownership of] courtyards/domains", operates so that all the residents treat the entire area as their common "home". In other words, it is a religious-law mechanism that transforms an enclosed shared living area (e.g. a courtyard) into a common one. In order to be enclosed, the area must be surrounded by a wall, fence, or tzurot ha-petah, "doorframes". Otherwise carrying is still prohibited in accordance with the earlier prohibition, as above. Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

In many cases -- for example, within a hospital, nursing home, school campus, apartment complex, or a walled city, the demarcation of the shared area consists of real walls or fences.

These fences can also be made symbolically, using stakes and a rope or wire to demarcate doorframes. When an eruv is made to demarcate a contemporary Jewish neighborhood, a symbolic fence is typically constructed in this fashion, using utility poles and wires as well as any solid walls available. When seen along with the utility poles upon which it is usually strung, it appears like a series of doorframes, with the poles forming the doorposts (lehi or lehai'in)and the wire forming the lintel (korah) strung around a neighborhood or region that allows Jews observing Shabbat to treat the area as if it were their mutual "home." The string must form a continuous boundary and may be strung along telephone poles or buildings. A natural boundary such as a river bank or steep hill can also be used as part of the eruv, as can an actual wall of a building. Pole carrying telephone, electricity and Cable TV equipment. ... The bed of this stream is made up of rocks, some very rounded (having had a longer life in the stream) and some not. ...

As mentioned above, the term "eruv" is used within Judaism to refer to this rope or string, but the term actually refers to the process of sharing ownership within the enclosed domain, which is conducted using the norms and procedures of Jewish law, which has a law of property ownership and transfer distinct from the law of the surrounding society. The property transfer needed to create a shared domain on Shabbat under Jewish law is formally effected today by having one resident give some "bread" (usually it is a box containing matzo which can last for an entire year) to another resident to keep, to create a joint ownership of food for the whole community. This is usually done by the rabbi of the community to ensure that it is done correctly, and the bread is usually matzo to ensure that it will be edible and usable for a long time. (It is usually replaced once each year.) In the Talmud and other classic rabbinic sources, the term eruv refers to the bread itself. Because the domains are enclosed and legal transferred to shared ownership, carrying objects within an eruv keeps them within a single domain, and hence does not break the prohibition of transferring objects from a private to a shared domain on Shabbat. Creating an eruv that involves public property requires the local government to permit a temporary transfer of its domain (in addition to government permissions for placing markers on government property that may be required as a matter of local government law.) Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Machine-made shmura matzo Matzo (also Matzoh, Matzah, Matza, Hebrew מַצָּה maā) is a Jewish food item made of plain flour and water, which is not allowed to ferment or rise before it is baked. ... Rabbi, in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’, or more literally, ‘great one’. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ or ‘distinguished (in knowledge)’. Sephardic and Yemenite Jews pronounce this word ribbī; the modern Israeli pronunciation rabbī is derived from a... Machine-made shmura matzo Matzo (also Matzoh, Matzah, Matza, Hebrew מַצָּה maā) is a Jewish food item made of plain flour and water, which is not allowed to ferment or rise before it is baked. ...

No rabbis dispute the concept of an eruv. However, in practice, some rabbis do disagree about the technical requirements of a valid eruv, and might therefore instruct their followers that certain eruvin are not valid and should not be used. The examples of an eruv considered in the Talmud involved the sharing of courtyards and other relatively small areas. The subsequent expansion of the concept to include entire neighborhoods and entire cities has been controversial ever since its inception in the Middle Ages,^{[citation needed]} and there are disagreements within Rabbinic literature to this day about how large an eruv can be.

Even without an eruv, there is no problem with wearing clothing outside, provided that it is normal clothing and being worn in its normal manner, as it is considered secondary to, and "part of," the person himself. The same is true for most medical items which are attached to the body and can be considered secondary to it, such as a cast or bandage or eyeglasses. Rabbinic authorities differ about the use of a cane or wheelchair by the infirm: some allow their use even without an eruv and others do not. Most authorities also allow the wearing of jewelry by women. There are different customs about the wearing of watches by men. Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ...

In Israel almost every Jewish community is enclosed by an eruv. Outside Israel there are over 150 community eruvin, as well as thousands of private ones enclosing only a few homes. Most major cities in North America have at least one, often surrounding only the Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods rather than the entire city - Toronto, Phoenix, Memphis, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Providence, Miami, Dallas, six eruvin in Baltimore, several in New York City and Washington, D.C. (there are actually eight different eruvin in the Greater Washington area, one of which includes the White House), to name but a few. Outside North America, there are eruvin in Johannesburg, Melbourne, Perth, Gibraltar, Antwerp and Strasbourg. The Strasbourg eruv includes the European Court of Human Rights. Borough Park and Kiryas Joel, New York have eruvin certified by Hasidic rebbes. As might be expected, every city in Israel, and many small towns and agricultural communities, is surrounded by an eruv. Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ... d Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Nickname: Motto: “Urbs in Horto” (Latin: “City in a Garden”), “I Will” Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... “Providence” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Miami (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Motto: Live Large. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - D.C. Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Melbourne (pronounced ) is the second most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ... The Perth skyline viewed from the Swan River This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Alsace Department Bas-Rhin (67) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Mayor Fabienne Keller  (UMP) City Statistics Land area¹ 78. ... European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints against States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by... Borough Park street covered with snow. ... Kiryas Joel (New York) Kiryas Joel (or Kiryas Yoel or Kiryat Joel or KJ) (Hebrew: קרית יואל, Town of Joel) is a village within the Town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States. ... Hasidic leaders in Jerusalem Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc. ... Rebbe which means master, teacher, or mentor is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew word רבי. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement. ...

Activities prohibited even within an eruv

The presence of a valid eruv enables people to carry or move virtually any item outdoors on Shabbat (in the absence of other restrictions). However, a variety of other prohibitions still apply, and otherwise prohibited items cannot be carried. Other prohibitions which are commonly applicable even within an eruv include:

• The Rabbinic prohibition of muktza, against carrying objects whose use is prohibited. For example, since writing and lighting fires are prohibited on Shabbat, writing utensils and matches cannot be carried by the prohibition.
• The Biblical prohibition of building. This prohibition is most commonly applied to umbrellas. Opening an umbrella is considered to be analogous to erecting a tent, a kind of building activity.^{[citation needed]} Since umbrellas cannot be used, they are considered muktzah and cannot be carried.
• The Rabbinic decree of uvdin d'chol, against performing typical weekday activities to protect the sanctity of Shabbat.
• The Rabbinic decree of hachana, against carrying or moving items in preparation for post-Shabbat activity to protect the sanctity of Shabbat.

Rabbinic literature, in the broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of Judaisms rabbinic writing/s throughout history. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Tawrat be merged into this article or section. ... // The 39 categories of activity prohibited on Shabbat (or 39 melachot, or lamed tet avot melachot), are activities that Jews are prohibited to do on Shabbat. ... Muktzah (also Muktzeh) is a Hebrew word that means separated and is an halakhic term for objects that may not be moved or used on the Shabbat, as they would distract ones mind from the purpose of the Shabbat day. ... Rabbinic literature, in the broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of Judaisms rabbinic writing/s throughout history. ... Rabbinic literature, in the broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of Judaisms rabbinic writing/s throughout history. ...

Controversies

The installation of eruvin has been a matter of contention in many neighbourhoods around the world, classic examples are Barnet, England; Outremont, Quebec; and Tenafly, New Jersey. High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a town in the London Borough of Barnet. ... Outremont is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. ... Tenafly (pronounced ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. ...

In the United States, the issue is often framed legally as whether the stringing of the eruv to public property violates the First Amendment's prohibition of a governmental establishment of religion, and popularly as whether it violates a "separation of church and state." The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...

In Outremont, a locale in Montreal, Canada, the city adopted a policy of removing eruv wires. The Hasidic community obtained an injunction preventing such action by the city authorities.^[1] Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ...

Disagreements between Orthodox groups

There are instances where various Orthodox groups, headed by their rabbis, dispute both the validity of an eruv or if an eruv can in fact be built in a neighborhood.

Letter from 14 rabonim supporting the Manhattan eruv, 1960

Prohibtion by the Agudas Horabonim, 1962

One of the oldest halakhic disputes in the United States revolves around the issue of an eruv in Manhattan (which is actually an island), in New York City. Some halakhic opinions refer to an island's reinforced walls against an ocean as contributing to and forming an eruv, and this view had been relied upon by some of the older rabbinate in the early part of the twentieth century. Other, more recent authorities, such as Rabbi Moshe Feinstein who lived in Manhattan, dispute that this is possible anywhere in New York City^[2][3]. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 389 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (665 × 1024 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This poster is an artifact of the controversy that raged in the New York Jewish community in the 1950s and early 1960s, over a proposal... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 389 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (665 × 1024 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This poster is an artifact of the controversy that raged in the New York Jewish community in the 1950s and early 1960s, over a proposal... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 460 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2480 × 3229 pixel, file size: 389 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This poster is an artifact of the controversy that raged in the New York Jewish community in the 1950s and early 1960s, over a proposal to... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 460 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2480 × 3229 pixel, file size: 389 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This poster is an artifact of the controversy that raged in the New York Jewish community in the 1950s and early 1960s, over a proposal to... Manhattan is a borough of New York City, New York, USA, coterminous with New York County. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) Moshe Feinstein (1895 - 1986) was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi and scholar, who was world renowned for his expertise in halakha and was the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America. ...

In June 2007, the East Side portion of the internal Manhattan Eruv was completed, offering an eruv within Manhattan to Orthodox Jews living on the East, Upper East, and Upper West Sides^[4]. There are also two Eruvs in Manhattan's Washington Heights, one covering the Yeshiva University area^[5] and another covering the Fort Washington area^[6]. Yeshiva University is a private Jewish university in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. ...

Another ongoing dispute is the status of two inter-connected eruvin in Brooklyn: The Flatbush eruv and the Boro Park eruv. The Boro Park eruv was built and accepted by much of the Hasidic community but rejected by some of the Hassidic and non-Hasidic "Lithuanian yeshiva" communities. The Flatbush eruv was originally built with the support of the Modern Orthodox community and was later enhanced with the support of some local non-Modern Orthodox yeshiva families and Hasidic rebbes. It was totally rejected by the many "Lithuanian yeshiva" communities led by the rosh yeshivas ("deans") of the large yeshivas Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Mir yeshiva, and Yeshiva Torah Vodaas that are based in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods. ... Borough Park street covered with snow. ... Hasidic leaders in Jerusalem Hasidic Judaism (also Chasidic, etc. ... This article is about the Jewish educational system. ... Modern Orthodox Judaism (or Modern Orthodox or Modern Orthodoxy; sometimes abbreviated as MO or Modox) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize traditional observance and values with the secular, modern world. ... Rosh yeshiva (Hebrew: ראש ישיבה) (pl. ... Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin (also known as Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin) (MYRCB) or as Chaim Berlin, is a major Orthodox Judaism all-male yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York. ... Mir yeshiva (or Mirrer yeshiva) (Hebrew: ), commonly known as the Mir, is the name of two major Haredi yeshivas, one in Jerusalem, Israel, and the other, in Brooklyn, New York. ... Yeshiva Torah Vodaas (or Mesivta Torah Vodaas) is a Haredi yeshiva located in Brooklyn, New York, founded by Binyamin Wilhelm, author of Nidchei Yisroel (a guide for new Jewish immigrants). ...

References

1. ^ Rosenberg v Outremont (city)
2. ^ Handbill by 12 rabonim reaffirming the Agudas Horabonim's prohibition on the Manhattan Eruv Image:Eruv Issur.pdf
3. ^ NYTimes, Ritual Fence Set for Jews In Manhattan Is Extended, By Sewell Chan and Ethan Wilensky-Lanford, June 16, 2007
4. ^ NYTimes, A Translucent Wire in the Sky, By Sewell Chan, June 15, 2007
5. ^ YU Eruv
6. ^ Discussion on Washington Heights Eruv

Image File history File links Eruv_Issur. ...

See also

• List of eruvin

This is a list of eruvin // South Africa Johannesburg eruv Australia Melbourne eruv was initiated by the Mizrachi Centre, and is operated and maintained by the Council of Orthodox Synagogues of Victoria [1]. Sydney (Eastern Suburbs) eruv, established on 8 June 2002 is maintened by Sydney Eruv Incorporated [2] Sydney...

External Resources

• BBC Eruv FAQ
• Eruvonline Blog
• Boston Eruv FAQ
• String Theory article, Harpers Magazine
• Jennifer Cousineau (Spring/Summer 2005). "Rabbinic Urbanism in London: Rituals and the Material Culture of the Sabbath". Jewish Social Studies 11 (3): 36–57. Retrieved on 2007-06-13.