Did you know New Orleans has an eruv? Have you ever heard of an eruv?

So Jewish folk believe that they may not push or carry anything on the Sabbath each week except for inside their home. They cannot carry a grocery bag outside their house. They cannot carry a baby outside their house. Or push the baby in a stroller.

So back in ancient times, to get around this religious law, they used to consider a community with walls surrounding it to be part of the house.

Now, apparently, they can hang a wire around a city and that wire means the city is now part of the house. They can carry items on the Sabbath as long as they are inside the wire area.

They inspect the wire each week to make sure it’s not broken before the Sabbath. Because if it’s broken, they are screwed. They spend tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands each year repairing a wire so they can carry things on the Sabbath. If the wire is broken, they are forbidden to carry items. Imagine the people they could help with this money…

Just about all major cities have eruvs. Who knew?



New Orleans Eruv