Date of Award
6-1-2012
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
First Advisor
Gregory A. Robbins, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Alison Schofield
Third Advisor
Sarah Pessin
Keywords
Eruvin, Sabbath, Jewish community, Rabbinic innovation
Abstract
Eruvin are an innovative solution to the logistical “problem” of carrying on the weekly Sabbath. Boundaries that symbolically extend the walls of private homes into the public sphere, eruvin allow Orthodox Jews to carry objects outside of their homes on the Sabbath, a seemingly simple act that would otherwise be prohibited. Constructed according to intricate Rabbinic specifications, eruvin use existing architectural elements such as walls, train tracks, roadways and telephone wires, as well as natural features like rivers to create a continuous boundary. This paper will examine the theoretical significance of creating such a space. My argument maintains that beyond the functional application for observant Jews, eruvin strengthen the bonds of Jewish communities while subsequently allowing for the full integration of the same Jewish community into the majority “mainstream” culture. Further, they represent a challenge to western notions of space, most emphatically the concept that physical space can hold more than a singular meaning; the result is that the eruv becomes a model for “territoriality without sovereignty,” or a microcosm of symbolic Jewish geography while simultaneously being a part of the American cultural landscape.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Liza Stoltz Hanson
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
46 p.
Recommended Citation
Hanson, Liza Stoltz, "The Theoretical Symbolism of Eruvin: A Model of Dual-Identity and Sacred Space" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 268.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/268
Copyright date
2012
Discipline
Religion, Judaic studies