Tractate Eruvin and Eroding American Discourse

Tractate Eruvin, the portion of the Talmud we completed reading this week and which deals with setting up a clearly defined boundary for the purpose of carrying objects on Shabbat, has, at first glance, all the poetic grace and beauty of the 1952 greater Kenosha phone book. It is, to the untrained eye, as thrilling as a tax return and as comprehensible as the list of ingredients on your favorite highly processed junk food.