THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
56 Friday, January 14, 1977
Eruv: A Halakhic Easing of Sabbath Restrictions
ti
Several communities in
the U.S. have already es-
tablished Sabbath "eru-
vin" areas.
According to the Encyc-
lopaedia Judaica, "eruv,"
is a term applied to vari-
ous symbolical acts which
facilitate the ac-
complishment of other-
wise forbidden acts on the
Sabbath and festivals.
The literal meaning of
eruv is "mixing" and it
--probably connotes the in-
sertion of the forbidden
into the sphere of the
permissible.
Thus, though it is for-
bidden (biblically, accord-
ing to some authorities,
rabbinically, according to
others) to walk further
than 2,000 . cubits from.
one's town on the Sab-
bath or festivals, one may
"mix" the forbidden and
permitted areas by estab-
lishing an eruv tehumim
(boundary eruv).
This is accomplished by
placing sufficient food for
two meals (also called eruv
tehumim) less than 2,000
cubits from the town, thus
establishing another "re-
sidence" from which one
can again walk the perniis-
sible distance in any direc-
tion.
A similarly old statute
is that of eruv hatzerot
(domain eruv). Whereas
carrying between private
and public domains is for-
bidden on the Sabbath,
the rabbis also forbade
carrying between two
private domains.
For example, if several
houses opened onto one
courtyard, an object
could not be removed
from one house to
another, nor from a house
to the courtyard (the lat-
ter is considered private
property, owned by all the
residents, if it is sur-
rounded by a wall at least
ten handbreadths high).
To facilitate such carry-
ing, a loaf of bread (called
eruv hatzerot) owned by
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Designs for the various types of eruvin, from a German book published in 1776.
all the residents is placed
in one of the houses,
thereby symbolically
creating mutual owner-
ship of all the dwellings.
The houses and cour-
tyard are thereby
"mixed" together into
one private domain.
The sources indicate
that eruv hatzerot was al-
ready practiced in the time
of the Second Temple.
In the Jerusalem Tal-
mud, Joshia ben Levi
states: Why are eruvin
made in courtyards? For
the sake of peace, i.e., the
carrying of the food be-
fore the Sabbath into the
house of one of the
neighbors for the eruv of
courtyards . promotes
peace among the neigh-
bors.
The Jerusalem Talmud
goes on to relate the case
of a woman who was
hated by her neighbor
and sent her eruv
through her son. When
the neighbor saw the son
she embraced and kissed
him; on his return home
he told his mother, who
said, "She loves me so
much and I did not know
it," . and as a result they
were reconciled.
To "mix" private and
public domains in order
that an individual may
carry from one to the
other or within the latter,
an eruv is erected around
a given settled district.
According to most early
authorities, this eruv con-
sists of a minimum of four
poles at least 10 hand-
breaths high, connected by
other poles from top to top,
forming the shape of a
gate.
The accepted practice
among Jewish com-
munities for generations
has been to erect such an
eruv by connecting poles
(of the required height)
with iron wires.
The right of setting up
and maintaining an eruv
often had to be purchased
at a high price from the
authorities in former
times.
No eruv, however, can
permit carrying within
what rabbinic law consid-
ers as falling under the
biblical definition of pub-
lic domain.
According to most au-
thorities, such a domain is
defined as an area crossed
by at least 600,000 people
(the number of Jews who
fled Egypt) every day, and
this definition is accepted
in law.
Since such public do-
mains exist only in the
largest cities, an eruv is
effective in most areas.
In Eruvin, the second
tractate of the order
Mo'ed in the Mishna,
chapter 1:10_ states that
soldiers proceeding to
battle are exempted from
four things: they are
permitted to collect wood
for fuel from any place —
and it is not regarded as
theft; they are exempt
from washing hands be-
fore touching food; they
are exempted from the
regulations concerning
produce which is not
known to have been
tithed (demai); and they
are permitted to carry
things from tent to tent
and from the tent into the
camp without an eruv.
In the Portuguese rite
According to rabbinical
decree, in order to cook of Amsterdam the con-
for the Sabbath during a gregation was reminded
festival immediately pre- by the hazzan on the day
ceding it, one must estab- preceding the eve of the
lish an eruv tayshilin festival of the obligation
(cooking eruv).
to make eruv.
Lesser known is the
Before the festival,
bread and a cooked food eruv parashiyot, (eruv of
(some feel the former is scriptural portions), a
unnecessary) are put term for the combining of
aside for the Sabbath. the separate verses of a
Since the preparation of chapter in the Bible,
food for the Sabbath be- which deals with the civil
gins before the festival, it law, into a unity, so as to
may be continued during apply the rules contained
in a certain passage the
the holidays.
The preparation of food entire chapter.
Currently, one or the
for the festival and that for
the Sabbath are thus hottest issues in the Bal-
"mixed. -. The food pre- -timore Orthodox com-
pared before the holiday is munity is whether or not
"mixed" with that pre- the plan to .establish a
pared within the day, and large eruv there will lit-
the use of both is permit- erally get off the ground,
ted.
as recently reported in
The term eruv tayshilin the Baltimore Jewish
is applied both to the act Times.
of setting aside the food
The plan, which was re-
and to the food itself. This cently approved by the
practice also evidently members of the Vaad
dates from an early Harabanim, calls for a
period, since a con- large area of northwest
troversy is recorded bet- Baltimore to be included
ween the schools of in the eruv.
Shammai and Hillel re-
The actual boundaries
garding one detail: Bet would be comprised of
Shammai held that not existing telephone pole
one but two cooked dishes wires and fences within
that area.
must be set aside.
There are many com-
Eruv tayshilin is made
by every hou s eholder al- munities that have estab-
though, in principle, one lished eruvin (plural for
man's eruv (e.g., that of eruv) with great success.
the rabbi) can dispense Jerusaleni is the prime
the whole congregation example but closer to
or city.
home there are eruvin in
The making of the eruv Toronto, Queens, Far
is preceded by the stan- Rockaway, N.Y. and
dard benediction "Bles- Silver Spring, Md. Bal-
sed art Thou . . . Who timore's would be one of
hast sanctified us with the biggest in size.
Thy commandments and _ In New York on Dec. 29,
hast commanded us con- Bronx Borough Presi-
cerning the ordinance of dent Robert Abrams
the eruv" followed by an proclaimed the formation
Aramaic sentence to the Of an eruv in the River-
effect that "by virtue of dale section of New York.
this eruv it is permitted to
The formation of the
bake, to cook, and to kin- eruv was made possible
dle light as well as to pro- after months. Of meetings
vide for our necessary between religious leaders
wants on this festival day in the Riverdale commun-
for the succeeding Sab- ity and representatives of
bath: for us and for all the Con Edison and the N.Y.
Israelites living in this Telephone Company, who
were helpful and coopera-
town."
In some congregations it tive.
The bOundaries of the
is customary to announce
before the evening service eruv are defined by exist-
of the festival that those ing fences and by utility
who have forgotten to poles with spcial slats
make eruv tayshilin are attached to form a sym-
dispensed by the rabbi's bolic fence surrounding
eruv.
the community.
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Artist Marc Chagall to Mark 90th Birthday
NEW YORK — Rising
out of the Pale of Set-
tlement i.n Eastern
Europe to become one of
the world's renowned
French painters, artist
Marc Chagall will celeb-
rate his 90th birthday
this year.
In • a recent interview
with The New York
Times, Chagall dis-
counted the value of
schools, while, at the
same time maintaining
that he benefitted from
the Hebrew school and
the Russian school he at-
tended.
At nearly 90 years of age
— his birthday is July 7 —
Chagall still refuses to
im self
to schools of painting. He
goes beyond this refusal,
rejecting even classifica-
tion as a Jewish artist al-
though he is held by many
to be the most moving wit-
ness to the poetry of his
people, to the way of life of
the Jews of Eastern
Europe.
France is taking full
notice of the Jewish ar-
tist's birthday. As the
year began, he was
awarded the Grand Cross
of the Legion of Honor,
and more importantly,
plans are well advanced
for a major show, as yet
unannounced, at the-
Or_angerie at the Louvre.
Preparation of eruv tayshilin on the eve of a festival
which falls on Friday, permitting cooking on the Sab-
bath.