Some rabbinic prohibitions can be alleviated by establishing an eiruv hatzerot or by placing an eiruv tehumin to extend the Shabbat limit.

The prohibition against carrying objects from one private domain to another, and likewise the prohibition against carrying in a karmelit, can be effectively negated by establishing a joining of courtyards, an eiruv hatzerot. The Sages enacted this possibility, and it has been put into practice in most towns and cities in Israel as well as many communities in other countries. The function of the eiruv is to create a symbolic fence around an inhabited area, by means of a system of posts with stable wires stretched over them. Some natural topographical features may also be incorporated into the eiruv. In the absence of an eiruv, it is prohibited to transfer objects from one domain to another, or to carry them a distance of four cubits (about 2 m) within a public domain or karmelit.

One may walk an additional two thousand cubits (1 km) beyond the Shabbat limit by placing a quantity of food sufficient for two minimal meals just before the limit. The idea is that the person is intentionally establishing his place of Shabbat rest on the place where he put the food. Since this is now his official base for Shabbat, he is permitted to walk from there another two thousand cubits in any direction, and to any inhabited area contiguous to an area inside that radius.

Important note: The “Shabbat limit” applies not only on Shabbat, but also on Yom Kippur and the festivals. By contrast, the prohibition against transferring objects from one domain to another and the prohibition against carrying in the public domain are in effect only on Shabbat and Yom Kippur, not on the festivals, provided that one is carrying an item needed on the festival. The third prohibition that was mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, the carrying of objects that are classified as muktze, also applies on festivals.