The Talmud, in tractate «Shabbat,» lists 39 categories of work that are prohibited on Shabbat. One of them, 39, states that it is forbidden to carry anything from a private domain, such as one’s home, to a public domain, such as the street, and vice versa. The term does not refer to whether the space is owned by someone, but rather to whether the space is enclosed or not. This prohibition against carrying applies to anything, including the tallit, house keys, a stroller, etc.

In ancient times, many neighborhoods, such as those where Jews lived, and even entire cities, were walled. This solved the problem, as the rabbis declared all spaces within the walls to be private spaces, allowing people to carry objects within their boundaries. The private character was achieved by having the entire community share a piece of bread, since sharing bread is an action that takes place in a private space. However, one could not carry objects whose use was prohibited on Shabbat, such as a pen or an umbrella. However, one could carry a siddur and a tallit to the synagogue or the key to one’s house.

However, today’s cities are no longer walled, so the problem of carrying necessary objects on Shabbat persists. The solution the rabbis provided was to group all the spaces in a place, whether private or public, and turn them into a private domain. How? Following this logic: A wall that encloses a space is still a wall, even if it has a door. Therefore, the wall does not have to be solid, as it can have many doors. A door is made up of two vertical elements, such as two posts, and a horizontal element, which closes and forms the «door.» For example: Two telephone poles and a wire connecting them are considered a door, for the purposes of enclosing the space and making it private.

Thus, a «wall» could be composed of a series of «doors» formed by poles and wires, in addition to actual walls or partitions. In this way, large spaces can be closed off and made «private» for halachatic purposes, allowing observant Jews to carry on Shabbat. This is known as an «eruv.» Eruvs existed in small Eastern European towns, the «shtetls,» and they exist today in many cities with a sizable Jewish community.

Sharonne Cohen tells us that, for many people, the concept of the eruv seems like a simple legalistic ruse designed to resolve the prohibition of carrying necessary objects on Shabbat. However, building and maintaining it requires an effort from the observant community, especially the Orthodox community. Why, then, do the rabbis insist on doing so? Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert, in her text «The Political Symbolism of the Eruv,» among other things, clarifies that the rabbis’ purpose for having an eruv is more symbolic than halachic. If you don’t want to violate Shabbat, you have to live within the area of ​​the eruv. This implies that Jews live in a specific area. If you live outside the eruv, you cannot participate in the communal Shabbat celebration. If you live outside, you are excluded from the community. It seems, at its core, that the eruv is a virtual return to living within the shtetl, even if only symbolically.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Articles by Sharonne Cohen, Charlotte Elisheva Fonrobert, and other sources.