Eruv Online: March 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Punch “Lines”: An Eruv Comedy

As much as I enjoyed the spectacle of this self-hating Jew making a fool of himself, this clip needs some corrections.

1) The word eruv most definitely does not translate as “loophole.” The meaning of the word is mixture, an amalgamation of courtyards.

2) Once and for all, I would like to put to rest the claim that an eruv is a loophole, a circumvention of Biblical law (not that it is anyone’s business if our rabbis maintain that they can create loopholes). In a Biblically proscribed domain, an eruv would not be effective (what is classified as a Biblically forbidden area is a matter of considerable debate). In order that one would not come to carry in a Biblically proscribed domain, the rabbis prohibited carrying in other domains, as well. However, the rabbis allowed one to carry in rabbinically proscribed domains if there was an eruv. In other words, it was the rabbis who proscribed carrying and it was the rabbis who permitted carrying in non-Biblical domains.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

A Purim Line From the Past

I am thrilled to be able to share with you a rare find! This poem was sent as a Purim greeting, urging recipients to donate funds for the upkeep of the eruv of Lublin in 1899. Notice the acrostic in the poem which reads “Purim Tikun Eruvin.”

Courtesy of The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary

See also the following teshuvos regarding an eruv in Lublin: Shu”t Maharshal (siman 18); Shu”t Rema (siman 120), and Shu”t Bach (HaChadashos siman 3).

Monday, March 07, 2011

Eruvin in the News: Plano, TX

Council Approves Religious District in Plano

By Jessica Rush

The Plano City Council has agreed to allow Orthodox Jewish residents to create a symbolic sacred area within the city, which would allow them to honor their religious customs more easily.

The council unanimously approved a ceremonial lease agreement for the Plano Eruv District at Monday’s regular meeting. The established area will allow practitioners to carry, transport or push objects normally prohibited on the Sabbath and other Jewish holy days. Read on...

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HALACHAH

Primer on Hilchos Reshuyos and Eruvin

Where We May Carry on Shabbos I
What Is a Reshus HaYachid I
What Is a Tzuras HaPesach I
What Is a Reshus HaRabbim I, II

GENERAL HALACHAH

Key Points Regarding the Permissibility of an Eruv in Brooklyn I
Why Brooklyn Is Not a Reshus HaRabbim Part: I, IIa, IIb, III
Why Construct an Eruv? I
The Chazon Ish on Carrying I
Eruvin: Whose Obligation I
The Obligation of Eruvin I
Does Anyone Have a Right to Override a Mitzvah d’Rabbanan? I
Can the Minority Compel the Majority to Establish an Eruv? I
Various Issues Regarding Eruvin Part: Ia, Ib, Ic, II, III, IV, V, VI
Delasos – Me’d’Oraysa or Me’d’rabbanan Part: I
Halachah K’Divrei Hameikil B'Eruvin Part: I, II
A Rambam Eruv in Brooklyn? I
According to the Mishnah Berurah, May a Baal Nefesh Carry in an Eruv of Tzuras HaPesachim? Part: I, II
Kuntres Kaneh VeKinamon: Carrying and the Baal Nefesh I
The Achiezer Explained Part: I, II
Is a Street Intersected by a Roofed Area Considered Mefulash? I
Are City Streets Considered 16 Amos Wide? I
Carrying a Lulav or a Shofar for a Woman or a Child on Yom Tov I

Mechitzos

The Shulchan Aruch Explained I
Like Whom Does the Rif Pasken – like Rav Yehudah or the Chachamim? I
Pirtzos, Biblical or Rabbinical proscription? I
The Overwhelming Majority of Achronim Maintain Lo Asu Rabbim U’Mevatlei Mechitzta I
The Overwhelming Majority of Rishonim Maintain Lo Asu Rabbim U’Mevatlei Mechitzta I
The Brilliant Chiddush of the Chazon Ish I
Houses as Mechitzos: Exclusive to the Chazon Ish? I

Mefulash

Mefulash According to Most Poskim I
Mefulash According to the Shulchan Aruch I

Shishim Ribo

Are a Vehicle’s Occupants Included in the Shishim Ribo? I
The Requirement of Shishim Ribo: Is It Conditional on a City? I
Shishim Ribo According to the Achronim: A Daily Requirement or Not I
Are There Rishonim Who Require a Daily Shishim Ribo? I
Rashi and the Criterion of Shishim Ribo: Conditional on a Street or a City? I
The Overwhelming Majority of Achronim Maintain That the Shishim Ribo Has to Traverse the Street Itself I
Shishim Ribo According to the Shulchan Aruch I
The Overwhelming Majority of Rishonim Maintain that Shishim Ribo is a Criterion of a Reshus Harabbim I
The Reprinting of the Berlin Edition of the Behag I
Shishim Ribo – A Mystery Solved Part: I, II
Birur HaShitos ─ Regarding Shishim Ribo Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI

Sechiras Reshus

Sechiras Reshus for Contemporary City Eruvin Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII
Sechiras Reshus According to the Rivash Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII

Hilchos Eruvin According to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l

Key Points Regarding the Permissibility of an Eruv in Brooklyn According to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l I
The Permissibility of a Brooklyn Eruv According to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l Part: I, II, III, IVa, IVb, IVc
Rav Moshe Feinstein Zt”l: A New Discovery, Part: I, II
Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l: The Need For Eruvin I
Kol Koreis Versus Rav Moshe Feinstein Zt”l’s Teshuvos I
Is There a Requirement of Delasos According to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l I
Does Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l Require a Daily Shishim Ribo? I
Does the Eruv Encompass Shishim Ribo? I
Three Million: More or Less? I
Shishim Ribo According to Hagaon Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l Part: I, II
Brooklyn and Queens: Same or Different? I
Yerushalayim of Old and Brooklyn: A Common Thread? I

HISTORY

History of City Eruvin: Intro
The Eruv in Krakow Part: I, II, III, IV
The Eruv in St. Louis Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX
Historical Overview of City Eruvin I
Why is Eruvin Different From Any Other Issue that it Elicits Such a Visceral Response? Part: I, II
The Hundredth-Year Anniversary of the First Eruv in New York 1905-2005 I
The Earliest Reference to Carrying on Shabbos in New York City I
The Kol Korei of the Chemdas Shlomo I
An Eruv in Karlin? I
Meoz U’Mekedem – Exploring the Historical Roots of the Machlokas Regarding Eruvin Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV
Eruvin in Pre-War Europe: An Eyewitness Account I
A Purim Line From the Past I
The Truth About Warsaw Part: I, II, III, IV

COMMENTARY

Eruv = Tzuras Hapesach I
Specious Arguments Made in the Name of the Mishnah Berurah I
Would the Chazon Ish Have Utilized His Chiddush to Allow an Eruv L’chatchilah? I
Rav Eliyahu Henkin zt”l and an Eruv in New York City Part: I, II
Rav Henkin’s Final Opinion on the Manhattan Eruv Part: I, II, III, IV, V
Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l and City Eruvin Part: I
A Startling Discovery I, II
Fiction As Fact? I
Hagaon Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l’s Reluctance to Pasken Against the Establishment of an Eruv I
Specious Arguments Made in the Name of Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l Against an Eruv in Brooklyn: Part: I, II
Would Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l Allow an Eruv for the Lower East Side of Manhattan? I
Rav Moshe zt"l and the Walking Stick I
HaRav Dovid Feinstein Shlita and the Flatbush Eruv Controversy I
Rabbi Ruven Feinstein on His Father’s Shitos in Eruvin I
The Truth About the Satmar Rebbe and a Williamsburg Eruv Part: I
The Truth About Rav Yonasan Stief zt”l and a Eruv in New York City I
The Truth About Rav Chaim Michoel Dov Weissmandel zt”l and a Eruv in New York City Part: I, II
In His Own Words: HaRav Wosner Shlita Clarifies His Position on Eruvin I
Harav Yechezkel Besser zt”l: I
Things You Have Always Wanted to Know About the Flatbush Eruv (But Were Never Told) Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV
The 1981 Boro Park Kol Korei Exposed I
The 1979 Flatbush Kol Korei Exposed Part: I, II
In Light of New Evidence: Revisiting Brooklyn’s Kol Koreis I
Questions and Answers Regarding the Flatbush Eruv Part: I, II, III
A Call to End the Double Standard I
Such is the “Matzav” I
Lakewood Eruvin: The Truth Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII
Punch “Lines”: An Eruv Comedy I
Arichas Shulchan HaLevi: Rejoinder to HaGaon HaRav Belsky Shlita, Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI
My Response to the Responsa – Shulchan Halevi Part: I, II
A Question and Answer Shiur From HaRav HaGaon Rav Yisroel Belsky Shlita I
Gezeiros and More: HaRav Shlomo Pearl Shlita on the Brooklyn and Queens Eruvin, Part: I, II, III, IV
Misconceptions in the Los Angeles Eruv Guidebook Part: I, II, III, IV
Commentary on Eruvin Shiurim by Rabbi Shraga Kallus, Part: I, II, III, IVa, IVb, IVc, V Series 2, Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIIIa, VIIIb
A Critical Analysis of the Bais Va’ad L’Chachamim Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX
A Critical Analysis of Rav Yisroel Hirsch’s Critique of Eruvin in Brooklyn Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII
The Flatbush/Williamsburg Eruv Imbroglio Continues I
The Williamsburg Eruv Imbroglio Continues I
The Williamsburg Eruv: Eruvin and Politics I
A Letter to the Editor I
The Washington Heights Eruv Controversy I
The Opinion of the Chacham Tzvi, the Bais Ephraim, and the Mahari Asad Regarding London I
The Opinion of the Ohel Yaakov Regarding London I
A Critical Analysis of the London Anti-Eruv Kuntres Part: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII
The Stamford Hill Eruv Imbroglio Continues Part: I, II, III, IV
The Eruv HaMehudar in NW London I
The Jewish Tribune’s Argument Against the NW London Eruv Part: I, II, III
An Open Letter From HaRav Kimchi Shlita I
The Case of the Missing Missive I
My Answer to Some Critique I
The Case of the Vanishing Comment I

ERUVIN IN THE NEWS

New York City I
East Coast I
New York, NY I, II, III, IV, V, VI
Williamsburg I
Sunnyside, Queens I, II
Queens, NY I, II, III
Far Rockaway/Lawrence, NY I, II
Westhampton Beach, NY I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI
Cornell University, NY I
Woodridge, NY I, II
Swan Lake, NY I
Travel Advisory I
NW London I, II, III
Stamford Hill, London I
Mill Hill, London I, II, III, IV, V
Edgware, London I, II, III, IV
Hampstead, London I, II
Borehamwood, London I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII
Stanmore, London I, II, III, IV, V
Brondesbury Park, London I
Pinner, London I
Woodside Park, London I
Manchester,England I, II, III
Saint Brice, France I
Eretz Yisroel I, II, III
Jerusalem I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X
Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem I, II, III
Sdei Eliezer, Upper Galilee I
Montreal, Canada I
Westmount, Quebec I
Amsterdam I
Vienna I
St Ives, Australia I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII
Tanzania I
Johannesburg, South Africa I
Philadelphia, PA I
Center City, PA I
Somerton, PA I
Wynnewood, PA I, II, III
Lancaster, PA I
Buffalo Grove, IL I
Lynn, MA I, II
Baltimore, MD I
Potomac, MD I
Owings Mills, MD I
New Haven, CT I, II, III, IV, V, VI
Denver, CO I
Boulder, CO I, II, III
San Francisco, CA I
Palo Alto, CA I, II, III
Oak Park, CA I, II, III, IV, V, VI
Agoura Hills, CA I
Westlake Village, CA I
La Jolla, CA I, II
Venice Beach, CA I, II, III, IV, V, VI,VII
Los Angeles, CA I, II, III
Sacramento, CA I
Berkeley, CA I, II
Lakewood, NJ I
Tenafly, NJ I, II
Cresskill, NJ I
Marlboro, NJ I, II
Rutherford, NJ I, II
Manalapan, NJ I
South Orange, NJ I, II
Portland, OR I
Dallas, TX I, II, III
Plano, TX I
Boynton Beach, FL I, II, III

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