Thursday, February 28, 2008

Eruvin in the News: Dallas, TX 2

The Building of an Eruv - An Electrifying Experience in More Ways than One!

“The source of blessings is You, Hashem, our A’Mighty, King of the Universe who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I contemplated these words and their appropriateness while witnessing the culmination of a project that took over a decade to complete. I vividly remember riding in my car down a busy Dallas street many years ago and sadly repeating to myself, “This will never happen…this will never happen.” “This” was the building of an eruv to surround the community where I am the rabbi of a shul/Torah center. Truth be told, I was overwhelmed by this daunting task. In order to erect an eruv there are numerous factors that must be addressed, weighed, analyzed and correctly executed. The logistics that had to dovetail during this process appeared unreachable. Yet the knowledge that there are communities who overcame similar hurdles and now enjoy the benefits of their eruvim served as a source of inspiration and helped us persevere when we were faced with what we perceived to be insurmountable obstacles. Read on ...

Monday, February 11, 2008

Eruvin in the News: Borehamwood, London 6

Eruv Plans Underway

Preparations are underway for the construction of an eruv in Borehamwood.

Hertsmere Borough Council agreed to the construction of the eruv last year. An eruv is a symbolic boundary that allows Orthodox Jews to carry and push items on their day of rest.

The Borehamwood eruv will be made up of 34 sets of poles and connecting wires which will bridge the gap between natural features such as train tracks, walls and hedges around the town. Read on ...

The Bais Ephraim Revisited

  As I have written on numerous occasions the argument that the Bais Ephraim maintains that pirtzos esser [breaches of ten amos wide] is ...