Not everyone knows that the largest cities in the world, in which the Jewish diaspora of Jews is impressive in size, contain a whole web of almost invisible lines crossing the key places of megacities and surrounding them.
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These threads are located much higher than the heads of pedestrians and far from the roofs of the house. Most often, the fixation points are massive poles with lanterns. For most of the inhabitants of megalopolises, they are unremarkable. But not for Orthodox Jews preaching Judaism. They have such lines of very important ritual significance and are called eruv.
Eruv is a special area within which religious Jews can carry or move any objects on Shabbat (which lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday) without violating Jewish law, which forbids doing anything during this period. There are over 200 eruv in the world.
Eruv should be “completely closed”. Constraints are not enclosed by creating special walls around it - most are enclosed within existing natural boundaries, such as rail lines or walls. The important thing is that the area was completely closed in accordance with Jewish law. Eruv must be recognized as a valid Orthodox Jewish religious court.
Eruv mixes boundaries between areas in the home and areas outside the home. The result is that, within the Eruvah, Orthodox Jews can follow the same rules on Shabbat that they do in their homes.
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Jewish law says that Jews should not carry any object, no matter how small or for what purpose they are doing it, in Reshus HaRabim (public domain - outside their home) on Saturday.
Pressing on objects is also prohibited, so families with small children (using strollers) or people with disabilities (using wheelchairs) cannot leave the house. They cannot even go to synagogue to carry out their religious duties on Saturday.
But all these activities are permitted within the eruv, because it is regarded as home territory. Thus, in the eruvah, Jews can:
* Use keys to your home (but not your car or office)
* carry a scarf
* prepare food or drink, for use during Saturday
* use prayer shawls
* use books - usually a Jew cannot even carry a prayer book on Saturday
* use necessary medications - for example, a diabetic Jew can take insulin
* use additional clothing such as a raincoat
* use diapers
* use reading glasses
* use a wheelchair or wheelchair
* use a walker or crutches
Eruv therefore makes it easier for Jews to follow the spirit of the Sabbath, making it enjoyable and easy to follow without breaking the rules that make the Sabbath holy.
What does the eruv not allow?
Eruv does not allow Orthodox Jews to use things that cannot be moved at all on Saturday, such as cell phones or pens or wallets, or carry things for use after Saturday.
The eruv also prevents you from doing things that violate the spirit of the Sabbath, such as shopping or swimming, cycling or playing football in the park or garden.
Eruv is created through physical capabilities such as walls and hedges, rail lines and highways that completely surround a piece of land.
Open spaces between existing fences are additionally fenced off by erecting supports with nylon line (or wire) stretched between them. Poles and lines are seen as the formation of doorways at the border.
Jews check every week that the borders are intact and that not a single line or wire has fallen.