Book | Walking the Line

by Rabbi Chaim Jachter '81 
Dayan (Rabbinic Judge), Beth Din of Elizabeth
Rabbi, Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck

ed. Nachum  Krasnopolsky '19

Learning and mastering Hilkhot Eruvin is a daunting challenge. Walking the Line: Hilchot Eruvin from the Sources to the Streets sets forth a practical path to conquer this challenge by bringing Hilkhot Eruvin to life. The product of over thirty years of experience helping communities design and maintain their eruvin, Rabbi Chaim Jachter '81 demonstrates how the concepts of Hilkhot Eruvin are applied in the field. This work is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in eruvin, whether they are learning the masekhet, the Halakha, or are simply interested in helping their community create, expand, or maintain its eruv.

This volume discusses:

The Laws of Creating an Eruv

• Defining the Four Domains
• A List of Major Cities
• Highways, Railroads, & Overpasses
• Constructing the Tzurot Hapetach
• The Maximum Size of an Eruv
• Islands and Waterfronts
• Introduction to Karpeif, Eruv Chatzeirot, & Sechirat Reshut
• Karpeif and Bodies of Water
• Eruv Chatzeirot Considerations
• Demistifying Atu Rabim

Eruvin Infrastructure

• A Lechi on Every Utility Pole?
• A Tree as a Lechi
• Lechi Strength
• Gud Achit Mechitzta and Lavud
• A Defense of the “Top-side” Wire
• The Use of Tachuv in Contemporary Community Eruvin
• Pitcha B’keren Zavit

Case Studies

• Sagging Wire in the Yeshiva University Eruv
• Mei’achorei Hakotel in Long Island
• The Boardwalk Railing in Long Branch, New Jersey
• The Stringency of the Tevu’ot Shor & the Yale New Haven Eruv
• The ‘All-American’ Eruv in Champaign-Urbana
• The Lechi Under the Cabin Eaves at Camp Ramah Darom
• The Delatot of Canarsie, London, Mattersdorf, & Oakland

Diversity in Eruvin

• Sephardic Standards for Defining a Reshut Harabim
• Eruv Standards According to Sephardic Measurements
• Chabad and Community Eruvin
• The Modi’in Eruv & Eruvin Standards in the Jewish State
• The Machmir & the Meikel Making Allowances for Each Other
• Fighting Price Gouging by Adopting a Lenient Opinion

Eruv Maintenance

• A Community Model for Eruvin Maintenance in Sharon, MA
• Managing an Eruv Emergency in Cambridge, MA
• The Friday Afternoon the Rabbi Discovered the Eruv Was Broken
• Eruv Through the Storm
• The Proper Way to Challenge Authority During Eruv Inspection
• Eruv Inspections for Yom Tov
• Guidelines for Eruvin Maintenance
• Standards for Competent Inspection of Community Eruvin