eruv

noun

1. (Jewish)An eruv chatzerot; ritual aggregation of properties that allows Jews observing traditional Shabbat rules to carry burdens across property lines.

   “Sam is sad that people don't visit him at home on Shabbos because he lives outside the eruv.”

   “That, she said, is the kind of problem that an eruv can solve. The city is home to other eruvs — a large one in Manhattan was extended this year from Midtown to Houston Street — and many are in predominantly Jewish areas. […] “We live in a day and age,” he continued, “where if you don’t have an eruv, you’re taking yourself off of many people’s lists.””

   “‘Fat’ is the word you hear shouted in the playground, or on the street – it's never allowed over the threshold of the house. My mum won't have that filth in her house. At home, together, we are safe. It's like an eruv for the slow and soft.”

   “The eruv makes it easier for Orthodox Jews to move around, but it reinforces the idea that this community is our home.”

2. (Jewish)One of the other types of eruv; an eruv tavshilin or eruv techumin.