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Wednesday, 25 Sivan, 5786
  |  June 10, 2026

Tzemach Tzedek’s Opinion on an Eruv in… Brooklyn

A new Kuntres by Morristown maggid shiur Rabbi Shmuel Zajac brings clarity to the complex Halachic topic of eruvin, focusing on the opinion of the Tzemach Tzedek on the feasibility of city eruvin. Full Story, Download

Photo: Muli Berger @muliaerophoto

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Avremi Gourarie
October 27, 2021 10:52 am

Pass the popcorn

Mishne Halochos Reb Menashe Klein
October 27, 2021 11:26 am

The rebbe wrote clearly to Reb Menashe Klein in his sefer Mishne Halochos that you can make a eruv in Brooklyn and other cities and we don’t have a Reshus Harabim bizman haze!

Oreo
Reply to  Mishne Halochos Reb Menashe Klein
October 27, 2021 12:14 pm

Can you please give the source so I can look it up.

Thanks

Dovid
Reply to  Oreo
October 27, 2021 1:09 pm
Shmuel
Reply to  Dovid
October 27, 2021 1:45 pm

he does bring any proof that the Rebbe was for it. He just write as it is know that the Rebbe agreed to allow an Eiruv. How can that be a makor?

eli
Reply to  Dovid
October 27, 2021 2:06 pm

a source in the rebbes writing please, not someone else, i want to access for myself

Dovid
Reply to  eli
October 27, 2021 2:49 pm

תורת מנחם חלק י”ד עמוד 256 ” הרי בזמן הזה
אין לנו רשות הרבים כמו שפוסק רבינו הזקן וכו
Also in igros kodesh clip of audio with mordechai eliyah
https://www.chabaderuv.com/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%20%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D%20%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D%20-%20%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%98%D7%94/

eli
Reply to  Dovid
October 27, 2021 7:05 pm

we were talking about which was whether brooklyn is a place for a eiruv, did you forget? maybe there are other issues with brooklyn? for example more than 10 tfachim between the strings, etc, hoe do you conclude from this that the rebbe was pro a brooklyn eiruv?

Dovid
Reply to  eli
October 27, 2021 9:00 pm

Of course the Brooklyn eruvin were done with all the hidurim in accordance to the אדמו”ר הזקן and other poskim.

eli
Reply to  Dovid
October 28, 2021 7:29 am

that’s not physically possible, sorry to break it to you!

Dovid
Reply to  eli
October 28, 2021 11:11 am

Take a look at the alter rebbe shulchan aruch which paskens like the מקילים in addition since we have רוב מחיצות with מחיצות הבתים in big cities like Brooklyn so even according to the רמב”ם which the alter rebbe doesn’t pasken like its still a good eruv. סימן שסב סעיף יט “אם עשה צורת פתח אפילו לפרצה יתירה מעשר מותר מפני שאין כאן פרוץ כלל במה דברים אמורים בחצר ומבוי שיש בהם דיורים ומקיפים אותם לדירה ולא בשביל היתר טלטול בלבד לכן מועיל בהם כשהיקף דירתם הוא על ידי צורת פתח מד’ רוחות אבל בבקעה שבא לעשות בה היקף כדי… Read more »

eli
Reply to  Dovid
October 28, 2021 3:13 pm
  1. how can you say the alter rebbe paskens we dont have a reshus harabim? the alter rebbe only writes “ein limchos”!!!!!
  2. there’s a third issue, which is does the government have the power to force you to have soldiers stay at your house? i don’t think so…..
meilech
Reply to  Dovid
October 28, 2021 8:54 am

is that even possible?!

Rabbi Klein
Reply to  Dovid
October 27, 2021 2:18 pm

No clear indication whatsoever that the Rebbe wrote what you stated. He only writes כידוע without any actual references to back it up. If you are going to rely on a כידוע, then you must stipulate to the כידוע that the Rebbe was against an eiruv in Crown Heights

It's about time
October 27, 2021 11:38 am

It’s about time such a publication appeared, rather than statements by rabbonim from outside giving us their opinion.

Thank you
October 27, 2021 12:29 pm

Finally getting the basis for the ruling of the crown hts beit din, and rabbi laibel groner against the erev in crown hts which the rebbe was against as well

Yosef
October 27, 2021 1:48 pm

אג”ק חי”ג עמ’ שצו the rebbe writes to reb shneur zalman garelik that through building the eruv in kfar chabad it will bring moshiach closer. To say the tzemach tzedek didn’t want a eruv in lubavitch cannot be true.

in the know
Reply to  Yosef
October 27, 2021 3:05 pm

that’s not the חידוש of this treatise. The Tzemach Tzedek explicitly writes that he has issues with making an Eruv in Lubavitch.

The issue of Kfar Chabad is very different, as it was a necessary thing being that their are eruvin all over EY etc.
In reality the Eruv in Kfar Chabad was built on many leniencies and many a chassid was meticulous not to carry there.
I must mention that over the years they put allot of effort in making it better and it became much more mehudar.

Lazer
Reply to  in the know
October 27, 2021 8:56 pm

The tzemach give a example of lubavitch how you don’t have a straight road מכוון משער לשער one of the תנאים of a רשות הרבים, no such thing of not making a eruv in lubavitch.

Kfar chabad is not the same
Reply to  Yosef
October 27, 2021 3:18 pm

You cant make generalities between kfar chabad and lubavitch and crown hts. Depends on layout and how many pass by. Kfar chabad is down a long road and seperate from the city.
Its really a little village without many people passing through it.
Crown hts has thousands pass through every day, and maybe the town of lubavitch had many passersby as well

My opinion
October 27, 2021 8:02 pm

My opinion is that we should build an Eiruv in Crown Heights, and everyone who feels like they don’t want to carry can make that choice. It’s not fair that many people who do want it should be locked in their house all shabbos. It’s fair for the women who are in prison all shabbos with tons of kids in a tiny apartment while the husband rolls out of bed at 11am goes to Shul had a Kidush spends time with friends and neighbors while the wife is Locked up! If people are against an Eiruv than make a 7am… Read more »

amazing!!
Reply to  My opinion
October 27, 2021 9:13 pm

love hearing someone speak out for the women of this community, you make excellent points. female solidarity!

hmmmm
Reply to  My opinion
October 28, 2021 1:42 am

Maybe their husbands should make sure that they are home in the afternoons so their wives can go and visit friends.

meilech
Reply to  My opinion
October 28, 2021 8:58 am

how can you say times have changed? if its wrong it wrong

My opinion
Reply to  meilech
October 28, 2021 1:25 pm

I’m not saying times made the halachos change. You can definitely make an Eiruv according to Halacha. If other communities have it, it’s possible. The question is Hashkafa.
Times have changed based on our younger people’s expectations. Just because our grandparents survived on bread and eggs doesn’t mean we need to as well.

Our younger crowd have different needs. And one of those is an Eiruv. You don’t like it. Don’t use it.

meilech
Reply to  My opinion
October 28, 2021 8:57 pm

to say that its perfectly fine halachically isnt very true. there are four issues that need to be dicussed in making a eiruv. 1. if its a rshus harabim no eiruv can be made. now the alter rebbe says that you shouldnt scream at people who use a leniency by saying that it isn’t determined by having a 16 amos wide street rather 600000 people, cause they have what to rely on but better not. 2. even you use that leniency, its still questionable, because we know that the yidden in the dessert had the category of reshus harabim. now… Read more »

Dovid
Reply to  meilech
October 31, 2021 2:23 pm

The Alter Rebbe paskens we dont have reshus harabim these days. shishim ribui has to be on one street ( mavoi ) besides that the city is surrounded by rov mechiztos ( mechitzos habtim ) you also need a straight street from one side of the city to the other side of the city ( mechuvan lshar lshar ) all conditions for a reshus harabim. no posek would say eastern pkwy is a reshus harabim ( for sure not the alter rebbe ) all you need is verbal permission from the moshel hai’r like the police chief or borough president… Read more »

chaim
Reply to  My opinion
October 28, 2021 9:11 pm

i didnt know they learn hilchos eiruvin in beis rivka, but you are tottally incorrect acording to halacha it is not possible to make an eiruv in crown heights as the beis din announced end of story.

Finally
October 27, 2021 8:46 pm

Someone not afraid to show yiras shamayim!
Kudos!!

יעקב הלוי
Reply to  Finally
October 28, 2021 8:50 am

שלמה המלך ע”ה והחכמים התקינו עירובין להביא שלום ועונג שבת ועכשיו בא אחד ומבלבל את דברי חכמינו והצמח צדק ואדמור הזקן בכדי לבטל עירובין רחמנה לצלן

תחשוב רגע לפני הכתיבה
Reply to  יעקב הלוי
October 28, 2021 2:38 pm

שלמה תיקן עירובין במקום (ספק) רשות הרבים דאורייתא?

A city can be a Reshus Horabim today!
October 27, 2021 11:09 pm
Thank you!
Reply to  A city can be a Reshus Horabim today!
October 28, 2021 10:44 am

Thank you for the Sicha, I wasn’t aware of this Sicha. The Rebbe seems to rule that a Reshus Harabim is when there is 600,000 people IN THE CITY (not on a specific street), AND that Reshus Horabim depends on 600,000 people and NOT 16 Amos.

Zajac
Reply to  Thank you!
October 28, 2021 1:43 pm

This sicha had nothing to do with Eruvin, and we all know in halachas of eruvin and there is not one opinion that holds that we go by 600,000 in the city and only shishim ribua on one street (mavoi ) that is mefulash like the alter rebbe says clearly in shulchan aruch.

eli
Reply to  Thank you!
October 28, 2021 3:40 pm

and how many people live in new york city?
also, the midbar was a reshus harabim. thats where the number 600000 comes from. what was different about the midbar, that we could never see such a sitation nowadays?

Too late
November 4, 2021 7:21 am

Like it or not, a growing number of people in CH cannot withstand the nisoyon and are counting on the current situation to carry in Crown Heights on Shabbos. Some kind of eiruv must be built, even one based on the most lenient opinion available and not even publicized. You disagree? follow the example of those Kfar Chabad people and don’t carry.

Is there a Reshus Harabim today?
January 31, 2022 3:08 pm

Listen to this Sicha (link below) – where the Rebbe seems to say that today, THERE ARE places that have a Reshus Horabim D’oraisa

https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/554143/jewish/12-Tammuz-5745-Sicha-4.htm

begin at 28:15 minutes into the sicha

This Content Was Published at https://staging.collive.com/rosh-yeshiva-doubles-down-on-support-for-eruv/#comments

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