It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond Rabbi Yigal Sklarin

1. It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and BeyondRabbi YigalSklarin

2. Eruv- What is it all about? • HilchotEruvin- the Laws of Eruv • Legal theory behind eruv and other “subterfuges” • Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv

3. Background for the Halacha • Purpose of the eruv • Functionality of the eruv • Practicality of the eruv

4. Background: איסור הוצאה בשבת • איסור הוצאה בשבת: The last of the ל"ט מלאכות (the 39 principle activities prohibited on Shabbat) • Qualitatively different than the other prohibited activities: מלאכה גרועה- non-creative

5. Background: איסור הוצאה בשבת Prohibition is carrying an object from the public domain to private domain and vice versa

6. Background: איסור הוצאה בשבת Included in this prohibition is carrying almost any object from small items to big objects

7. Background: איסור הוצאה בשבת So different that the laws and concepts of eruv are often ignored and misunderstood from time immoral 19 thus said the LORD unto me: Take heed for the sake of your souls, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work; but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers; יִרְמְיָהוּ פרק יז כא  כֹּה אָמַר ה', הִשָּׁמְרוּ בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם; וְאַל-תִּשְׂאוּ מַשָּׂא בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, וַהֲבֵאתֶם בְּשַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם. כב וְלֹא-תוֹצִיאוּ מַשָּׂא מִבָּתֵּיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, וְכָל-מְלָאכָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ; וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת-אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם.

8. Background: איסור הוצאה בשבתThe need for an eruv • The eruv allows people to carry items and bring people to synagogue and friends homes on Shabbat. • The eruv helps create and maintain community.

9. Terminology:עירוב and תיקון החצר • In order to carry you need two things • Proper walls מחיצות and domainsרשויות • Placing an eruvערוב

10. Terminology:תיקון החצר: רשויות • Definitions of רשויות (Domains ) on a Torah Level • רשות הרבים: Public Domain- A public thoroughfare at minimum must be 25 feet wide. Many say must have 600,000 people to be considered a רשות הרבים All the streets that lead into the thorough fare are also considered part of the רשות הרבים

11. Terminology:תיקון החצר: רשויות • Definitions of רשויות (Domains ) on a Torah Level • רשות היחיד: Private Domain- A domain that is enclosed on 4 sides by walls whether man-made or natural Man-made: Fenced and gated areas. Natural boundaries: Cliffs and sea walls.

12. Terminology:תיקון החצר: צורת הפתח • רשות היחיד: Private Domain- The most practical type of “walls” are not actually walls at all– but are צורת הפתח Door Posts The Gemara says that just like even if a house has door open its still considered a private property, so too if many door frames are put together its considered an enclosed area.

13. Terminology:תיקון החצר: צורת הפתח

14. Terminology:תיקון החצר:צורת הפתח

15. Terminology:תיקון החצר:צורת הפתח

16. Rabbinic Enactments: דינים דרבנן • Quasi- רשות הרבים: The כרמלית : Not true “thorough fares”. Classically these are alleyways or areas surrounded by 3 walls. • The Rabbis said you cant carry from a כרמלית to a רשות היחיד or a רשות הרבים in order to make sure you do not carry from a real רשות הרבים to רשות היחיד

17. Rabbinic Enactments: דינים דרבנן • Prohibition of carrying from a רשות היחידto another רשות היחידcalled the איסור שכנים • The Rabbis made this enactment in order to make sure that you do not think you can carry from a רשות היחיד to a רשות הרבים.

18. Rabbinic Permissibility: תקנות דרבנן: עירוב חצירות • Just as Rabbis prohibited carrying from a רשות היחיד to another רשות היחיד, they also created a permissibility called עירוב חצירות. • The eruv is a method of creating mutual ownership or partnership throughout the רשות היחיד which in effect negates the previous Rabbinic prohibition of איסור שכנים The item used for this partnership is food usually a box a matzot.

19. Terminology: עירוב חצירות • The gemara explains “For what is its name? Eruv is its name” • Rashi suggests that the neighbors in the courtyard “should all be commingled, appeasing each other through it, so that none should attack his fellow [havero], but rather the partnership [shutafut] should be pleasant and sweet [arevah].”

20. Purpose of the Eiruv • Is to allow for people to carry in multiple רשות היחיד. • This is a reversal of a rabbinic law not a Torah Law. • The purpose of the allowance was to help foster community and social interaction. • Said R. Joshua ben Levi: "On what account do they prepare an eruv of courtyards? It is for the sake of peace." There was the case of a woman who was on bad terms with her neighbor. She sent her contribution to the eruv with her son. The neighbor took him and hugged and kissed him. He went and told his mother this. She said, "Is this how she loved me, and I did not know about it!" They thus became friends once again. (Jerusalem Talmud, Eruvin 3:2)

21. Conclusion s • Eruv is not strings, rather the food (usually Matzah) used to permit a rabbinic enactment not a Torah law. • The tzurathapetach is used to help create private domains out of public domains to allow for carrying in “public spaces”.

22. Legal Theory: “Subterfuge”

23. Legal Theory: “Subterfuge” • Legal mechanism not a loophole- Judaism is a legal system and therefore has place in it for such rulings. • Rabbis will make loopholes when they deem it necessary to do so because it is too difficult for society to function without the allowance. • Even so, the prohibition of carrying was never erased, just given more allowance.

24. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv The main halachic issue is can a רשות הרבים be converted into רשות היחיד. אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will destroy the walls. לא אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will not destroy the walls.

25. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv The main halachic issue is can a רשות הרבים be converted into רשות היחיד. לא אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will not destroy the walls. • One can create a private domain in a public area • However natural boundaries are destroyed and would require a man-made boundary- including a tzurathapetach • Even though Manhattan is an island with natural boundaries a mass of people will erase those boundaries and would require actual boundries.

26. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv The main halachic issue is can a רשות הרבים be converted into רשות היחיד. אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will destroy the walls. • A boundary cannot be created in a true reshutharabim. • Can not be a “true” reshutharabbim • Need 600,000 on one road at one time (and don’t have that) • The thoroughfare must be from one end of the city to the next without any bends or curves which Manhattan does not have.

27. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv The main halachic issue is can a רשות הרבים be converted into רשות היחיד. אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will destroy the walls. The thoroughfare must be from one end of the city to the next without any bends or curves which Manhattan does not have.

28. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv The main halachic issue is can a רשות הרבים be converted into רשות היחיד. אתי רבים מבטלי מחיצות A mass of people will destroy the walls. • One practical solution is דלתות, doors or gates, on the thoroughfare. • If the gates were locked it would halt traffic and eliminate the “רבים“ from traveling on the thoroughfare. • Even if ראוית, able to be, locked it would be sufficient to be considered a halting of traffic.

29. Practical Issues with the Metropolitan Eruv CONCLUSION • There are legitimate reasons to allow for the construction of an eruv in a major metropolitan city and there is equally legitimate reasons to disallow an eruv in a city. • This is the reasons that there are those who will use the eruv in big cities and some will not use the eruv. Map of the Current Manhattan Eruv