ERUV
- + Add to Faves
- + Translate
- + Share
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
:''This article discusses the eruv for carrying. For other types of eruv, see Eruv (disambiguation).''
'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. In colloquial usage, it most often refers to the ''eruv'' for carrying (, ''eruv chatzerot''), but it can also refer to the eruv tavshilin for cooking () or the eruv t'chumin for traveling ().
The Talmud devotes an entire tractate to the subject of ''eruv'' titled ''Eruvin'' which addresses the ''eruv chatzerot'', "mixed [ownership of] domains", and ''eruv t'chumin'', "mixed borders" (discussed below). It does not address the ''eruv tavshilin'', which is covered elsewhere in the Talmud.
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'' (, lit. ''Sharing [of the] alleyways''), and this geographical sharing is required in order to effectively engage in the process of ''eruv chatzerot'' ("mixing [of] courtyards.") In contemporary Jewish discourse, "an ''eruv''" frequently refers to this symbolic "fence," (actually "doorframe/s") rather than the ''eruv'' itself.
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:
#Moving an object from an enclosed area (such as a private home, public building, or fenced-in area) to a major thoroughfare,
#moving an object from a major thoroughfare to an enclosed area, or
#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.
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.
The ''eruv chatzerot'', 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-legal 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.
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. Thus, a modern eruv is commonly composed of a series of "doorframes," with the poles forming the doorposts (''lechi'', pl. ''lechai'in'')and the wire forming the lintel (''korah''). A natural wall 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.
As mentioned above, the term "''eruv''" in modern Jewish usage refers to this rope or string, but the term actually refers to the process of sharing ownership within the enclosed domain. This 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 legally 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 limited 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.)
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, 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, 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 differing customs regarding the wearing of watches by men.
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.
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 finds a common application in the use of umbrellas. Opening an umbrella is considered by some to be analogous to erecting a tent, a kind of building activity.[1] 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 ''hakhana'', against carrying or moving items in preparation for post-Shabbat activity to protect the sanctity of Shabbat.
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.
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."
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.[2]
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.
.jpg)
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[3][4].
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[5]. There are also two eruvs in Manhattan's Washington Heights, one covering the Yeshiva University area[6] and another covering the Fort Washington area[7].
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 Hasidic 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.
1. http://www.aish.com/shabbatlaws/selfstudycourse/Building_and_Demolishing.asp
2. Rosenberg v Outremont (city)
3. Handbill by 12 rabonim reaffirming the Agudas Horabonim's prohibition on the Manhattan Eruv
4. 'NYTimes', '' Ritual Fence Set for Jews In Manhattan Is Extended'', By Sewell Chan and Ethan Wilensky-Lanford, June 16, 2007
5. 'NYTimes', ''A Translucent Wire in the Sky'', By Sewell Chan, June 15, 2007
6. YU Eruv
7. Discussion on Washington Heights Eruv
★ List of eruvin
★ BBC Eruv FAQ
★ Eruvonline Blog
★ Boston Eruv FAQ
★ ''String Theory'' article, ''Harpers Magazine''
★ Rabbinic Urbanism in London: Rituals and the Material Culture of the Sabbath, Jennifer Cousineau, , , Jewish Social Studies,
'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. In colloquial usage, it most often refers to the ''eruv'' for carrying (, ''eruv chatzerot''), but it can also refer to the eruv tavshilin for cooking () or the eruv t'chumin for traveling ().
The Talmud devotes an entire tractate to the subject of ''eruv'' titled ''Eruvin'' which addresses the ''eruv chatzerot'', "mixed [ownership of] domains", and ''eruv t'chumin'', "mixed borders" (discussed below). It does not address the ''eruv tavshilin'', which is covered elsewhere in the Talmud.
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'' (, lit. ''Sharing [of the] alleyways''), and this geographical sharing is required in order to effectively engage in the process of ''eruv chatzerot'' ("mixing [of] courtyards.") In contemporary Jewish discourse, "an ''eruv''" frequently refers to this symbolic "fence," (actually "doorframe/s") rather than the ''eruv'' itself.
| Contents |
| ''Eruv'' for carrying |
| ''Eruv chatzerot'' |
| Activities prohibited even within an ''eruv'' |
| Controversies |
| Disagreements between Orthodox groups |
| References |
| See also |
| External Resources |
''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:
#Moving an object from an enclosed area (such as a private home, public building, or fenced-in area) to a major thoroughfare,
#moving an object from a major thoroughfare to an enclosed area, or
#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.
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.
''Eruv chatzerot''
The ''eruv chatzerot'', 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-legal 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.
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. Thus, a modern eruv is commonly composed of a series of "doorframes," with the poles forming the doorposts (''lechi'', pl. ''lechai'in'')and the wire forming the lintel (''korah''). A natural wall 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.
As mentioned above, the term "''eruv''" in modern Jewish usage refers to this rope or string, but the term actually refers to the process of sharing ownership within the enclosed domain. This 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 legally 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 limited 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.)
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, 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, 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 differing customs regarding the wearing of watches by men.
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.
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 finds a common application in the use of umbrellas. Opening an umbrella is considered by some to be analogous to erecting a tent, a kind of building activity.[1] 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 ''hakhana'', against carrying or moving items in preparation for post-Shabbat activity to protect the sanctity of Shabbat.
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.
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."
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.[2]
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
.jpg)
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[3][4].
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[5]. There are also two eruvs in Manhattan's Washington Heights, one covering the Yeshiva University area[6] and another covering the Fort Washington area[7].
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 Hasidic 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.
References
1. http://www.aish.com/shabbatlaws/selfstudycourse/Building_and_Demolishing.asp
2. Rosenberg v Outremont (city)
3. Handbill by 12 rabonim reaffirming the Agudas Horabonim's prohibition on the Manhattan Eruv
thumb
4. 'NYTimes', '' Ritual Fence Set for Jews In Manhattan Is Extended'', By Sewell Chan and Ethan Wilensky-Lanford, June 16, 2007
5. 'NYTimes', ''A Translucent Wire in the Sky'', By Sewell Chan, June 15, 2007
6. YU Eruv
7. Discussion on Washington Heights Eruv
See also
★ List of eruvin
External Resources
★ BBC Eruv FAQ
★ Eruvonline Blog
★ Boston Eruv FAQ
★ ''String Theory'' article, ''Harpers Magazine''
★ Rabbinic Urbanism in London: Rituals and the Material Culture of the Sabbath, Jennifer Cousineau, , , Jewish Social Studies,
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
