The non-territoriality of an eruv: ritual bearings in Jewish urban life

The non-territoriality of an eruv: ritual bearings in Jewish urban life 

The dropbox  link below will bring you to the Accepted Manuscript of my article published by Taylor & Francis in the Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3846/20297955.2017.1355279 


(2017). The non-territoriality of an eruv: ritual bearings in Jewish urban life. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism: Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 199-209. doi: 10.3846/20297955.2017.1355279


https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7ono65fe1fsybq/Corrected%20Journal%20Article%20Draft.pdf?dl=0

Abstract

This paper considers the definition and meaning of an eruv as “territoriality without sovereignty” in Jewish tradition (Fonrobert 2005). It begins by exploring the origin and development of the term eruv itself, as well as its applications in different urban settings. It distinguishes between, on the one hand, the “enclosure” of the eruv that is made up of various natural and artificial structures that define its perimeter and, on the other hand, the “ritual community” created by the symbolic collection of bread that is known as eruvei chatzeirot. It suggests that much of the controversy, including legal issues of separation of church and state, as well as emotional issues such as the charge of “ghetto-ization”, surrounding urban eruvin (plural of eruv) may be connected to the identification of the area demarcated by an eruv as a “territoriality”. It argues that the enclosure of an eruv is not in itself religious in nature but rather makes up a completely arbitrary and generic “space”, and that it is only through and on account of the eruvei chatzeirot that this space becomes meaningful as a purely symbolic “place” one day a week (on the Sabbath). In the course of this analysis, it considers the one “weekday” on which an eruv may be significant – the Jewish holiday of Purim – and how on that day it may be a tool by which the area defined as part of a given city may be extended.

Keywords: urban landscape, city, public space, eruv, architectural environment of pedestrian street, creative interpretation

I get 50 free eprints to distribute. First come, first served:

http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/KC57QFSfpK346kHfyx9G/full                                         

The Rebbitzen starts at about minute 29.

Shani Bechhofer Campaign Speech 28 Aug 2017

The Rebbitzen's Inaugural Campaign Speech

Pretty good, if I say so myself!

Rafael Mordechai Hoffman's Siyum on Shas Yerushalmi, 6 Elul 5777

Prominent acknowledgment of yerushalmionline.org. BH!

Rafael made notes from the tapes, I hope we can edit and issue them.

The key to understanding the Sugyos of Shinui

The key to understanding the Sugyos of Shinui in Bava Kamma and Sukkah

Michtavei Torah records the following letter from the Rogatchover:

Note the last two lines!

Rabbi Menachem Kasher in the Mefa'aneich Tzefunos elaborates:

A couple of sites that explain chomer and tzurah are:

http://shaalvim.blogspot.com/2015/06/jewish-thought-chomer-and-tzurah.html

and

http://mevakeshlev.blogspot.com/2014/07/chomer-and-tzurah-part-1.html

(first of four posts)

Now, we can understand all types of shinu'im very well: The yeiush of the original owner only applies to the chomer of the stolen property. The shinui is necessary to eliminate the original tzurah of the object so that too can now be considered to be under the aegis of the ganav or gazlan.

תן לחכם ויחכם עוד

ישמע חכם ויוסיף לקח

!