We are pleased to announce that an ERUV has been completed encompassing a significant area of our community. A great deal of our congregation's time, energy, and effort have gone into responding to the community's desire to have an ERUV. The ERUV has generated much excitement and attention, and reflects the congregation's religious resolve and sense of community. The Young Israel of Scarsdale is grateful to the many families who contributed to the ERUV and thanks the many people who helped make the ERUV a reality. Without everyone's support and participation, this important mitzvah would not have been performed. This booklet serves as a guide and introduction to the reader about our ERUV and the boundaries it encircles. We urge you to become familiar with the meaning and mechanics of ERUVIN in order to gain a clear understanding of what is involved and the activities that are permitted. The Concept of ERUV An ERUV embraces different people, each of whom collectively participates in constituting one entity or agrees to create one domain without compromising the rights and privileges of each other. Conceptually, the ERUV merges diverse elements into a whole and fashions a domain where a variety of individuals and divergent value schemes form a cooperative venture. The aim of an ERUV is to promote harmony. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (Talmud Eruvin) opined that ERUVIN are established for the sake of peace by allowing greater mobility on Shabbat for friends and neighbors to visit and share the Shabbat delights. Our literary legacy attributes its origin to the noble achievements of Abraham in performing ERUV HATZEROT and King Solomon in establishing ERUVIN. Throughout history the construction of an ERUV has been considered an essential Mitzvah. The Hasam Sofer of Blessed Memory was asked to approve the validity of erecting an ERUV in one of the large cities of Europe and responded, "reason dictates that it is fitting, nay, an obligation to create an ERUV which will permit carrying, especially since it involves women and small children as well as the obligation to attend Tefillah be-Tzibbur on Shabbat." (Shalot U'Tshuvot Hasam Sofer Orah' Haim 99.) Ultimately, an ERUV makes an important statement about a congregation's attitude to the unityand vitality of a community and underscores the congregation's respect for the Torah, the sanctity of the Shabbat and regard for the Tzibbur. Shabbat and ERUV The Sabbath is the most important holy day of the Jewish year and the only one mentioned in the Ten Commandments. It is first of all "A Sabbath unto the Lord." The Jew in observing the Sabbath pays tribute to his Creator. By reaffirming the Divine creative ability, he reaffirms his own. "And G-d blessed the seventh day and made it holy because He rested from all his work ... (Gen. 11:3). Six days shall you labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the L-rd your G-d ... for the L-rd blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. (Exodus XX:9-11) Between Me and the Children of Israel it is a sign forever." (Exodus XXXI:17) Our sages call Shabbat "esod Halemunah", the Foundation of Our Faith. it is the Shabbat which testifies to a Creator, to G-d, to the concept of sanctity and a model for devotion, contemplation and celebration." Indeed, the Shabbat has kept the Jew more than the Jew has kept the Shabbat. It is a memorial to the not4-on that the world is not ours, but G-d's, the Creator of the Universe who endowed man with divine powers of creativity. Man indulges in productivity daily and becomes dependent upon the very instruments that he has fashioned to serve him and offer him freedom. Shabbat proclaims that "man ceases to be an animal whose main occupation is to fight for survival and to sustain his biological life." "On the Sabbath," writes Eric Fromm, "man is fully man with no task other than to be human." It is the day of complete harmony between man, nature and G-d. By not working, man is free from the chains of technology and time, and enters into the tranquil abode of a sanctuary of sacred activities foreign to his daily routine. Rabbinic tradition promulgates thirty-nine major categories of melacha - activity - forbidden on the Shabbat. Abstaining from these activities of human endeavor creates the spiritual atmosphere necessary for Shabbat observance and tranquility. The 39th and final category of the acts forbidden on Shabbat prohibits the transferring (i.e., carrying, throwing, etc.) of an object from private to public domain (and vice versa) from one point to another a distance of four amos (approximately 7 feet) within public domain. Eric Fromm, a contemporary thinker, explains the law of carrying on Shabbat as "an extension of the idea from the nature to the social realm. Just as man must not interfere with or change the natural equilibrium, he must refrain from changing the social order. " It is through carrying and transference of objects in a public domain where man expresses his control over the sphere of human society and the social order (See Dayan Dr. 1. Grunfeld's work "The Shabbat"). Abstaining from carrying in the public domain compels us to remain at total peace with our family and the social network of our neighborhood. Carrying within a private domain allows for the harmony of Shabbat to be sustained "Private Domain" is for our purposes an area enclosed by walls or fences not less than ten t'fachim high (approximately 10 inches) that begin within three (3) t'fachim of the ground. "Public domain is for the purposes herein includes both a cafm-e-li't (unfrequented 'place) and reshut harabim (public domain) , and is an area not enclosed by partitions, even if title legally would deem it private property. Own- ership or title, private or public, have no bearing on the designation of an area as a private or public domain in re- gard to Shabbat. In the absence of an ERUV, carrying on an unenclosed lawn (even one's own front lawn) would not be permitted. The same would apply to communal driveways. With the construction of an ERUV and creation of ERUV HATZEROT, the prohibition against carrying on Shabbat is removed. What is the ERUV? An ERUV HATZEROT is a halachic device which permits Potzaah (carrying) outside the home on Shabbat. This is achieved by the physical and symbolic transformation of the public domain into a large, mutually shared communal dwelling. Three steps are involved in this transformation: 1. The community is surrounded by a minimal but very specific type of holistically defined "enclosure." 2. Permission for the ERUV is obtained from local governmental authorities. 3. A symbolic shared meal (matzo or bread) is collected from members of the community and this, the actual ERUV HATZEROS, is kept as a concrete symbol of the unification of the community. How is an ERUV Constructed? Halacha dictates that an ERUV "enclosure" take the form of a continuous series of doorways (two lintels and one doorpost) type structures (Tzuros Hapesach) . A series of telephone poles with wires crossing over their tops meet this requirement. Where the wire crosses lower down, on the pole's side, the doorway configuration does not exist. This can be corrected by affixing a molding strip, in effect an accessory pole or lintel, to the pole directly below the lowest crossing wire. This is called a "Lechi". The completed "enclosure" in no way limits movement in or out of the ERUV area and is in fact imperceptible to all but the trained eye. Carrying and the ERUV The carrying made permissible on Shabbat by an ERUV enhances the Oneg Shabbat. The greater freedom of movement relieves the sense of isolation of families with young children. Babies can be wheeled in carriages and Seforim and Talit can be carried to the synagogue. Visiting and friendship, Talmud Torah and shul attendance are all enhanced. In addition, the risk of desecration of the Shabbos, by those who unknowingly carry, is also reduced. Experience in other communities suggests that the increased desirability of an ERUV enclosed area enhances communal cohesion. PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONCERNS: Infants One of the purposes of the ERUV is to allow families to come to shul together. However, the bringing of infants to shul can lead to a breakdown of the Kedusha (Sanctity) of the synagogue and its decorum. While we enjoy having children in our shul, we encourage the use of our playgroups and Youth Services. At the playgroups infants may be fed and changed without slighting the reverence for the sanctuary and services. Young children should attend the activities prepared for them and their age level. The Magen Avraham states: '... one must train the youngsters to act in Shul with awe and respect ... and discourage a spirit of levity and play within the sanctuary". (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 124-7) Our Youth Services, known as Bet HaAtid, aims at developing Tefillah skills and welcomes your children into its domain of activities. We ask for your cooperation in developing the proper atmosphere in the synagogue. What is prohibited within the ERUV? It is essential to know that no other type of creative labor, ordinarily forbidden on the Shabbat, becomes permissible within the confines of an ERUV, except carrying. However, even within the ERUV, there are any number of common articles which may not be carried and some actions that still remain prohibited. 1. Umbrella - an umbrella may not be carried on the Shabbat even if it was opened before the onset of the Shabbos. One is surely not permitted to open it on the Shabbos. 2. Bicycle - the use of a bicycle is prohibited, even within an ERUV. 3. Athletic activities - such as golf, baseball, football, tennis, swimming, ball-playing, skating, etc., are prohibited on the Shabbat. 4. Items which can be used only after the Shabbat may not be carried within the ERUV, e.g. , car-keys or office-keys, etc. 5. Bringing gifts - Any gift brought on the Shabbat for a host(ess) may not be an item that falls into the Muktzeh categories (see below). The wrapping or box must be opened before the Shabbat and it must be a gift usable on the Shabbat. 6. Muktzeh - items that may not be handled on the Shabbat even where carrying is permitted (for instance, in your home). Such items may not be carried within the ERUV either. There are various types of Muktzeh. We cannot exhaust the discussion on each item but suggest that with any questionable items one refrain from carrying until you have discussed it with the Rabbi. Some of these categories are: (a) Any item whose main use is prohibited on the Shabbat, e.g. , a hammer, writing implements, wallet, purses and pocketbooks, etc. (b) Any item which has no practical usage on the Shabbat. ERUV Inspection and Notification Weekly inspection will ascertain that the ERUV is intact. Repairs, however, might be necessary and may not be completed before the Shabbat. We, therefore, encourage you to contact the synagogue and the Eruv Committee for the signs indicating that the Eruv is in order. Announcements will be made every Friday evening at Services. Boundaries of the ERUV For the present time, the ERUV encompasses everyone residing on the synagogue side of the Hutchinson River Parkway. Congregants residing on or near Stratton Road are asked to contact the ERUV Committee. (NOTE: Some material in this book has in part been inspired by the Cleveland ERUV Society, The Riverdale ERUV Committee and the Flatbush ERUV Committee.) ERUV Committee Chairman: Rabbi Jacob S. Rubenstein Hirsh Cogan Howard Bryks, Steve Friedman, Debbie Hoffman, Henry Klapholz Tom Krausz, Bill Levinson, Russell Mliller, Barry Saltzman, Lewis Trencher