Halachic Ruling Allows Carrying Hotel Room Keys Abroad Without Eruv Under Certain Conditions
A recent halachic discussion addressed the permissibility of carrying a hotel room key while traveling abroad in places without an eruv, a ritual boundary that permits carrying on the Sabbath. According to Jewish law, it is forbidden to carry objects from a private domain to a public domain or to carry them more than four cubits in a public domain. However, rabbinic authorities differ on the definition of a public domain, with some requiring a street width of 16 cubits and others requiring a minimum number of 600,000 people passing through. In many foreign cities, streets do not meet the stricter criteria, classifying them as "Karmelit" (a rabbinic public domain), where carrying is rabbinically prohibited but may be permitted in cases of need.
Therefore, in situations such as carrying a hotel room key, leniency is allowed if the key is attached to clothing, like a belt buckle, or carried in a modified manner. This leniency is based on the principle that when two rabbinic prohibitions combine, leniency can be applied in cases of necessity. Similarly, carrying a crawling infant is permitted since the child is considered to carry itself, and the prohibition is only rabbinic. However, this leniency does not extend to carrying strollers or non-essential items.
The article also clarifies the laws regarding food prepared by non-Jews, specifically roasted chestnuts. While cooking or baking by non-Jews is generally prohibited, roasting is included in this prohibition for significant foods like chicken or potatoes. However, authorities such as Maimonides and later commentators permit eating roasted nuts prepared by non-Jews, as these are not considered important foods. Although some modern nuts are regarded as luxury items, chestnuts remain permissible even if roasted by a non-Jew.
This halachic guidance was published in the "Achvata" newsletter by Rabbi Aharon Botbol and is distributed throughout Israel. Readers can request the newsletter via WhatsApp or email for further study.
