The Community Eruv of Sharon, Massachusetts

"My favorite eruv" - Rabbi Chaim Jachter

Eruv Status: 781-784-4299 (HAZY), or follow @sharoneruv on Twitter, or look right -->

Because the Sharon eruv goes through many wooded areas, rain, snow, or even strong winds can cause part or all of the eruv to go down. So please call the status line before depending on it on any given Shabbat. (The status line is updated shortly before sundown every Friday.) You can also follow @sharoneruv on Twitter, which should Tweet eruv status each week. For more information, see the About section.

Tweets by SharonEruv

Wait, What's an Eruv?

An eruv is a set of poles and string surrounding a section of town. Once an eruv is in place, observant Jews can carry items (food, house keys, babies, ...) out of their homes. Some call this a legal fiction; others consider it a beautiful demonstration of community togetherness. Either way, the eruv needs to be checked every week, because if just one string breaks, the eruv is invalid until it's fixed.

The Map

Danger zone descriptions

Key

Eruv Sections

Main Eruv: Shaded areas are in the eruv, but watch out for "danger areas" below

Markers

Synagogue: Click the marker for an information balloon
Eruv Danger Zone: Click the marker to see photos to the right of the map

Printing the Eruv Map

Download a printable copy of the map

News

The area surrounding Mann's Pond is now in the eruv. We thank Rav Chaim Jachter for all his efforts in consultation with Rav Mordechai Willig and Rav Herschel Schachter. (September, 2023)
The Ames Street Park, across the street from the Young Israel of Sharon, is now in the eruv! In fact, the entire Hammershop Pond section is no longer excluded from the eruv. We thank Rabbi Chaim Jachter, renowned eruv expert, for checking the entire eruv, suggesting improvements, and providing a psak din allowing the inclusion of the Hammershop Pond section after town construction. (October, 2017)
The Mountain St. section of the eruv is currently not being maintained and therefore cannot be relied upon. (September, 2017)
We welcome Rabbi Noah Cheses as the new supervisor of the eruv, and bid a fond farewell to long-term supervisor, Rabbi Meir Sendor (August, 2016)
Welcome to the 21st century! Sharon Eruv status is now available on Twitter @sharoneruv (August, 2016)
Cottage Street: As of June, 2012, the east side of Cottage Street is in the eruv! (October, 2013)
Pond Street Rotary: beware slight change in eruv route - you need to walk into the street around one telephone pole. Click on the danger zone for a picture with details (June, 2008)
The Eruv may sometimes be up on the Shabbat of a three-day Yom Tov. See the policy section for details. (October, 2007)

About the Eruv

The Sharon Eruv, founded in 1990, was constructed and maintained in close consultation with its original Rav HaMakhshir, Rav Shimon Eider, Ztz"l. We are grateful for the profound Torah wisdom, halakhic guidance and personal attention we received from Rav Eider, Ztz"l. We were then honored to have Rav Moshe Heinemann, Shlit"a, as our Rav HaMakhshir until 2023.

In the fall of 2023 the supervision for the Eruv shifted from Rav Moshe Heineman to Rav Chaim Jachter, in consultation with Rav Mordechai Willig and Rav Herschel Schachter. As a result of this transition, the Manns Pond area became included in the boundaries of the Eruv.

We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Rabbi Meir Sendor, Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Sharon, who supervised the Eruv for over 2 decades before making Aliyah in 2016.

The Sharon Eruv is maintained under the direct supervision of Rabbi Noah Cheses of the Young Israel of Sharon. Over three dozen volunteers inspect the Eruv on a weekly rotation to ensure that it is intact and that all necessary repairs are made.

Rabbi Chaim Jachter, renowned eruv consultant, examined the eruv in July, 2017, and made a new psak din in consultation with R' Heinemann and Rabbi Mordechai Willig, allowing the use of the Hammershop Pond section. (The town recently modified the pond to make it more usable for recreation.) We thank him for his help and expertise, and for writing an article declaring his "hands down" choice for "My Favorite Eruv" - Sharon, Massachusetts.

Rabbi Jachter wrote: Why is it my favorite? The answer is simple. The community aspires to attain the high Eiruv standards set by Rav Moshe Heinemann of Baltimore, meticulously maintains those standards, and in addition to regular rabbinic involvement, more than 45 lay members of the community regularly are involved in the ongoing weekly inspection and upkeep of the Eiruv. .... Indeed, the Sharon, Massachusetts Eiruv serves as a model for Eiruvin worldwide of how the synergy between the local Rav, Poskim of stature, and a large percentage of lay community members creates and maintains a top-notch community Eiruv.

We are very lucky to have a eruv in Sharon. Our town is blessed with many beautiful lakes and ponds, an open historic cemetery and only sparse utility pole density. Unfortunately, this makes for a complicated eruv, which does go down on occasion.

General Boundaries

Please remember that the Eruv boundaries are very complex.

Many sidewalks on the edge of the Eruv are not included. Sidewalks on N. Main St. (north of Huntington), Gunhouse (near its intersection with E. Foxboro), and E. Foxboro Street are not within the Eruv
Because we need to exclude wetland areas, there may be small areas not within the Eruv

When and Why the Eruv Might Be Down

Inclement Weather

Severe weather tends to wreak havoc on parts of the eruv. Therefore, the eruv should be considered down for the following conditions on Shabbat:

High winds

Above 40 miles per hour or if you see fallen tree branches in the street

Wintry weather:

Heavy / wet snow (more than 2 inches)
Light / fluffy snow (more than 3 inches)
Ice storm (branches are coated)

Three-day Yom Tov

When Shabbat directly follows Yom Tov, the checkers will endeavor to re-check the eruv on the second day of Yom Tov, so that generally the eruv can be assumed to be up. However, please attend synagogue on Friday morning, or speak to someone who has, in case there is an announcement that the eruv will be down.