What is that Wire in the Sky?
Did you know that high above some cities such as Miami, Manhattan, and London lies a thin wire fence set by Orthodox Jewish communities called an eruv?
An eruv is - simply put - a “legal” loophole to the law that Jewish people can not carry anything outside their home on Shabbat. This law prohibits things such as pushing strollers, carrying keys, bags, canes, medicine, etc. in a “public domain.” So to get around this law, eruvim (plural) are set up to expand the area in which it is permissible to carry objects, as it makes the area it encloses a “symbolically private Jewish area.” (Although in legality, this enclosed area does not necessarily belong to the Jewish community.)
While most eruvim are constructed by plastic pipes and wires high in the air, some are bound by gates and fences. They can enclose spaces as small as a backyard, or as big as 30 square miles!
There are administrators that watch over the community’s eruv, constantly checking it to make sure it hasn’t broken. In today’s age, most eruvim have text-message alert systems set up to tell people if an eruv has sustained damage leading up to the Sabbath!
As with many subjects within the Jewish community, there is some controversy surrounding this loophole. Not every Jewish community believes setting up an eruv should be permissible. There are some communities that learn to manage without. There have also been some large controversies and lawsuits over eruvim between Jewish communities and their surrounding goyim (Gentile) neighbors over the years!
Needless to say, eruvim are an important part of life for many Jewish communities.
Our purpose in sharing these tidbits is not to imply that these traditions have to be followed by believers in Jesus/Messianic Jews, but in order to help others better learn about and understand their Jewish neighbors and friends so that they can better build bridges and connections with them.