What is an Eruv?
A community
Eruv (
Hebrew:
ערוב
mixture, also transliterated as
Eiruv or
Erub, plural:
Eruvin) refers to the legal aggregation or "mixture" under
Jewish religious property law of separate parcels of property meeting certain requirements into a single parcel held in common by all the holders of the original parcels, which enables Jews who
observe the traditional rules concerning Shabbat to carry children and belongings anywhere within the jointly held property without transgressing the
prohibition against carrying a burden across a property line on the
Jewish sabbath. The legal aggregation is set up to have effect on the Sabbath day only; on other days of the week, including
Yom Tov (with the exception of
Yom Kippur), ordinary property ownership applies. A valid aggregation has a number of requirements including an agreement among the property-holders and an aggregation ritual.