Hello Rabbi. I understand the R. Abadi’s had more scrutiny regarding large city wide eruvs. Can you please clarify the difference between what is an acceptable eruv vs the common orthodox community accepted eruvs? Ie is the miami beach eruv an acceptable eruv?
Thank you Rabbi for the detailed explanation.
I live in Surfside. The largest street that goes through the eruv is Collins Avenue. I did some research as to the traffic count and it seems that it is about 39000 cars per day…
Here is a link with the information regarding the eruv…
https://www.surfsideminyan.com/eruv.html
and below is the research about the traffic count…
https://www.fdotmiamidade.com/system/pdfgallery/CollinsAvePIP_Final.pdf
Thank you.
Community Eruvs — A General Explanation (and Miami Beach)
Community eruvin can sometimes become political, but the real question is simply whether the eruv was constructed properly according to halacha. Hilchot Eruvin is very complex and technical, and not every rabbi is experienced in these laws, so mistakes do sometimes happen. For this reason, some rabbis, like my father ZT”L, were very strict about relying on eruvin unless they personally knew it was done properly.
The biggest halachic issue is the question of reshut harabim. According to many Rishonim, this requires 600,000 people, and according to Rashi, it means 600,000 people passing through per day. In very large cities with extremely busy streets — like Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn — eruvin become much more complicated and must be done by real experts.
However, in smaller areas, islands, or places surrounded by water or natural boundaries, the halachic issues are much simpler. In such places, constructing a valid eruv is relatively straightforward if done carefully.
Miami Beach, Surfside, and Bal Harbour fall into this easier category. They are relatively small, geographically contained areas, largely surrounded by water, and do not have the population traffic that creates the most serious halachic problems. That does not mean every eruv is automatically valid, but it does mean this is not the type of place where eruvin are usually very difficult to construct.
The main question is always the same:
Was it built properly, and is it checked regularly by someone who understands hilchot eruvin?
As a general rule:
• Very large cities with major highways and massive pedestrian traffic → complicated eruv.
• Small cities, enclosed neighborhoods, islands, or naturally bounded areas → much simpler eruv.
If someone is unsure about a particular eruv and wants clarity, you can post the details here on the Q&A forum — the size of the area, whether it is surrounded, major roads going through it, etc. Once we know the type of area, it is usually possible to tell fairly quickly whether this is the complicated type of eruv that requires major expertise, or the simpler type where there is much less reason for concern.
The key is not politics and not the name of the city — the key question is simply whether the eruv was done properly according to halacha.
Thank you Rabbi for the detailed explanation.
I live in Surfside. The largest street that goes through the eruv is Collins Avenue. I did some research as to the traffic count and it seems that it is about 39000 cars per day…
Here is a link with the information regarding the eruv…
https://www.surfsideminyan.com/eruv.html
and below is the research about the traffic count…
https://www.fdotmiamidade.com/system/pdfgallery/CollinsAvePIP_Final.pdf
Thank you.
SURFSIDE is fine. Easy to make an Eruv