This wire, the Eruv wire, is a kind of virtual fence that exists within the way of life of Jews according to Jewish law.

 

What's the idea behind it? How does it work?

 

The Eruv helps a Jew who observes Jewish law to fulfill the commandment of "Shabbat observance."

Shabbat is considered a holy day for Jews, on which they are commanded to rest, and they are forbidden from doing any of the work they do on a regular weekday. One of those forbidden types of work is moving and transferring objects from place to place.

In today's world, it seems impossible to leave the house without carrying some kind of object—a key, a necklace, a baby stroller, and even the tallit (prayer shawl) and siddur (prayer book) that a man takes to the synagogue.

Since the commandment of Shabbat observance is one of the fundamental commandments written in the Torah, the Sages of Israel (Chazal), over 2,000 years ago, proposed creating an alternative reality that would, at least seemingly, solve the problem.

They suggested erecting a fence around the community where Jews lived. This fence would designate the entire area as if it were one big courtyard, and carrying objects within it would be considered as if it were done in one's own home's courtyard, where the prohibition does not apply.

The Sages called this an "Eruv."

Since this "as-if" solution was found, Jews have been careful to implement it throughout their years in exile. In order not to annoy the non-Jews around them, they minimized the thickness of the fence and opted for just stretching a wire.

And so it has continued for nearly two thousand years.

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With the establishment of the State of Israel, the state of the Jews, the religious authorities succeeded in convincing the secular leadership to agree to the placement of the Eruv wire in the residential areas of Israeli citizens, with the argument: "This is part of the Jewish heritage; it is a symbol of Jewish identity."

The secular, for their part, said: "We are secular, we don't observe Shabbat according to Jewish law, but if it helps the religious, and it doesn't bother us, why should we care?"

From then until today, the influence of the religious establishment on the way of life of all Israeli citizens, including the secular, has grown. The Eruv has become an integral part of everyone's Israeli reality—the virtual separation fence that delineates the marked area and creates, as it were, one large, shared courtyard.

 

The Eruv belongs to the religious establishment.

Its people are responsible for its construction and ongoing maintenance. They are also in charge of mapping out every residential area and finding suitable places to place the poles and thread the wire between them. They also ensure that the wires don't break and the poles don't fall.

 

Those who are not Jewish, as well as secular, atheist Jews, might use a variety of dismissive terms to describe the Eruv: "smoke and mirrors," "self-deception," or "Israelibuff" (a deception unique to Israel).

In response, the religious will shake their heads dismissively, and perhaps even with pity, and say to them: "The Eruv has accompanied the Jewish people for 2,000 years. And more than Israel has kept the Shabbat, Shabbat has kept them."

The Eruv exists in many Jewish communities around the world, but only in Israel, which by its own definition is the state of the Jews, is it a built-in part of the landscape across the entire country.

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And so, as the state celebrates 75 years of existence, an Eruv wire constitutes an inseparable part of the landscape—from Mount Hermon to Eilat.

Many Israelis who are secular residents of the country are not even aware of the existence of this virtual fence, which is located near their home, in the park across the street, or behind the road. And when they do see it, they have no idea why it's there. Only those who are in on the religious secrets and are knowledgeable about Shabbat and its laws can understand.

 

The people actually responsible for the establishment and ongoing operation of the Eruv are the local rabbi or the representatives of the religious public in the local authority, who serve on a public body called the "Religious Council."

Besides them, there are websites and WhatsApp groups of people who care about the wire surrounding them. These volunteers go out to check it from time to time and make sure it is not torn by strong winds during stormy weather, or by a furious and violent secular person who dislikes religious matters and wants to harm those who observe the Shabbat.