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.

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PART 3: THE TRUTH REGARDING THE STAMFORD HILL ERUV

Their argument: But the Mishnah Berurah argues that most poskim uphold asu rabbim u’mevatlei mechitzta , so according to most poskim the...