Eruvin

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Eruvin resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Eiruvin 17a: Pesach and the Salt of Sedom

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"Four obligations were nullified in a [military] camp" (Eiruvin 17a). The Torah goes to great lengths to ensure that the Jewish army fulfills the biblical mandate that "your camp shall be holy" (Devarim 23:15). The laws of ba…
Article
Mar 31, 2013

Eiruvin 13b: Following Beit Shammai

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It is well known that the halacha, with rare exceptions, follows the opinion of Beit Hillel over that of Beit Shammai. What is less well known is why this is so. The Talmud notes that "a heavenly voice declared; these and those are…
Article
Mar 29, 2013

Eiruvin 13a: Just One Letter

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"When I [Rav Meir] came to Rabbi Yishmael, he said to me, 'My son, what is your occupation?' I told him, 'I am a scribe', and he said to me, 'Be meticulous in your work, for your work is the work of heaven—perhaps you…
Article
Mar 28, 2013

Eiruvin 6b: Choosing Your Rabbi

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Traditionally, Jewish law allowed for a good deal of local autonomy in the application of Jewish law. While questions of national import were to be decided for all by the Sanhedrin, there was, for the most part, little centralization of Jewish law.…
Article
Mar 25, 2013

Eiruvin 5a-6b: Building Fences

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The halachic system, like most other disciplines, has both a theoretical framework and a practical application--and the two do not always coincide. While this may be frustrating at times, no system can operate in an abstract world, devoid of a…
Article
Mar 21, 2013

Eiruvin 4a: Measuring Up

Rabbi Jay Kelman

It is impossible, at least from a Jewish perspective, to understand the Bible without the tools to interpret the text.  It is this "reading between the lines" that brings the Torah to life, allowing for its multiple meanings and…
Article
Mar 20, 2013

Eruvin 3: Stirring the Pot

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"A pot with two cooks is neither hot nor cold" (Eruvin 3a). This popular folk saying is used by the Talmud to explain Rava of Parzkiah's view regarding the validity of an eiruv. First, some background information: In Talmudic…
Article
Mar 15, 2013

Some Opening Thoughts on Eruvin

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Judaism has long recognized that we need both private and public space. Man is both an individual and a member of a community. At times, the individual must conform to communal norms, but more often than not, it is the community that must respect…
Article
Mar 14, 2013