Shabbat has traditionally been a day for home and family—a day of rest. The Torah emphasizes this point in many ways, one of which is through a prohibition on carrying anything from one domain to another during the Sabbath. As Jewish life changed and grew to include regular Sabbath gatherings outside the home, rabbinic law provided people with a way to move freely within their community.

An eruv designates the area in which observant Jewish people are allowed to carry items on the Sabbath. "Carrying" includes such things as bringing food from one's house to the synagogue or to a friend's house or pushing a stroller to synagogue. There are many ways of constructing an eruv, but the easiest way is through a small modification to the side of existing electric poles. This allows them to be considered as "doorways" under Jewish law and therefore delineate a boundary. Eruvs are in place in thousands of communities throughout the United States and the rest of the world. They are enormously important to the traditionally observant Jewish community.

For practical purposes in modern society, without an eruv, those who hold by eruv may not leave their homes on Shabbat holding anything at all – including a baby or their house keys, or even pushing a stroller. Without an eruv, those families with children too young to walk to synagogue are required to stay home for the entire day; children may not even pick up a toy in the yard to play with it unless the yard is completely fenced. The eruv stands in the same category as other Jewish communal institutions such as schools, synagogues, and the availability of kosher food products. It enables those Jews who observe traditional Jewish law to live comfortably in an integrated community.

The Eruv will be most helpful to families with young children, who will now be permitted to wheel carriages or strollers. Others will find it convenient to bring a talit or siddur to Shul, or to carry eye glasses, a house key or other permitted and/or necessary items. Wheelchairs, crutches and canes may be used if necessary.