Eiruv

EIRUV

Under Jewish law on Shabbat, it is forbidden to carry anything from a “private” domain into a “public” one or vice versa, or more than four cubits (approximately 6 feet) within a public domain. Private and public do not refer to ownership, rather to the nature of the area. An enclosed area is considered a private domain, whereas an open area is considered public for the purposes of these laws.

It became obvious even in ancient times, that on Shabbat, as on other days, there are certain things people wish to carry. People also want to get together with their friends and take things with them—including their babies. They want to get together to learn, to socialize and to be a community.

Enter the Eiruv. An eiruv is an enclosure which surrounds both private and hitherto public domains and thus creates a large private domain in which carrying is permitted on Shabbat. The eiruv can be large enough to include entire neighborhoods with homes, apartments and synagogues, making it possible to carry on Shabbat, since one is never leaving one’s domain.

Technically, the eiruv should be a wall. However, a wall can be a wall even if it has many doorways creating large open spaces. This means that a wall does not have to be solid and the eiruv may be created by telephone poles, for example, which act as the vertical part of a door post in a wall, with the existing cables strung between the poles acting as the lintel of the doorframe. As such, the entire “wall” is actually a series of “doorways.” Added to that there may be existing natural boundaries and fences.

How To Use An Eiruv

Any city that has an eiruv also has an organization that maintains and checks it regularly. Eiruv operators inspect it every week to make certain that there are no breaks in it and that it is operational. If any part of the eiruv has come down, attempts must be made to make repairs before Shabbat. If this cannot be done, the effectiveness of the eiruv is lost, since the area is no longer enclosed by a continuous boundary.

Greater Montreal

Cote St. Luc, Hampstead & Snowdon Eiruv: (514) 418-6892

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De Vimy Eiruv: (514) 737-8811

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Dollard des Ormeaux Eiruv : (514) 683-1867
West Side – until Sources Blvd.
East Side – until St. John’s Blvd

North – until Brunswick Blvd.
South – until Gouin Blvd.

Outremont Eiruv : (514) 737-8811

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Westmount Eiruv : supervised by Rabbi Adam Scheier
Shaar Hashomayim Eiruv Hotline: 514-937-9474 x 109

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Ville St Laurent Eiruv: 732-806-5607

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PLEASE NOTE:
THE EIRUVIM ARE NOT UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE JCC OF MONTREAL