It's a treasured part of Scripture for Jews: the story of the Israelites, after having escaped slavery in Egypt, depending on God for a mysterious biblical food called manna.

Though scholars today debate what manna might have been, what no one argues about are the strictures that came with this heavenly gift: among them, that on the day before the Sabbath, Jews must gather and prepare double portions (Exodus 16:23) for on the next day, the seventh day, there would be no manna arriving from heaven.

As a way of honoring this tradition, Orthodox Jews around the world are forbidden from carrying anything on the Sabbath, a stricture which often requires them to push children in strollers to Saturday temple, for example, rather than pick them up and walk with them.

"In the (Orthodox) Jewish tradition, there are 39 categories of forbidden labor on the Sabbath, such as cooking, construction or planting anything that could enhance growth," Shaya Sackett, rabbi at Congregation Degel Israel, said.

"What we are talking about here is a biblical commandment to observe the Sabbath," he said, "which is why such rules can create enormous issues … in day-to-day life."

For many Orthodox Jews, however, there is a way around the strictures: an eruv, a symbolic fence that adapts public space into symbolic private space where carrying objects is permitted.

Spearheaded by retired Lancaster Rabbi Chaim Amster and involving the local governments of Lancaster Township and Lancaster city, as well as Verizon and PPL, Lancaster County's own eruv is now well on its way to receiving its final blessing.

"Since building a wall around a community is not practical, Jewish law uses 'door frames' to signify walls," Sackett said.

The 'door frames' often are created by attaching rods to existing utility poles to serve as door posts. The cable on the utility pole then serves as the lintel.

The resulting symbolic fence uses the utility cables to create a boundary around much of Lancaster County's Orthodox Jewish community, Sackett said.

Enclosed by plastic rods on 225 poles and the banks of a section of the Little Conestoga Creek, Lancaster County's eruv, Sackett said, is presently waiting the final inspection by an authorized rabbinic posek, a rabbi who specializes in helping to decide Jewish law.

The eruv is bordered by Marietta Pike, North President Avenue, Buchanan Avenue, Lemon Street, Manor Street, Schoolhouse Road, Stonemill Road, Columbia Avenue and Little Conestoga Creek.

The eruv already has received approval and authorization by the Lancaster city Mayor Rick Gray, as well as the board of supervisors in Lancaster Township. It's also received the go-ahead from utility giants PPL and Verizon, Sackett said.

Walter Wagner, an adjunct professor at Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, said that in Orthodox Judaism, there is very often a debate as to how best to handle rules and ordinances that shape Jewish life.

"For many, the Jewish Sabbath is a day to be separated from hustle and bustle of (the) world. A day to rest and worship and study and, above all, focus on personal relationships," he said. "But of course the question then becomes how far do you go? For some Jews the idea of having an eruv is perfectly acceptable, while for others, it isn't."

Everyone, he said, can identify with the importance of "having a day of rest" which Wagner likens to a "box of rare perfume."

"Do you do this on the Sabbath? Do you do that? This is an important debate, because the Sabbath is a holy day, one that allows you to rest and reorganize and be refreshed for the coming week," Wagner said. "The Sabbath … adds sweetness to life. It's a day apart from all the others, which is why it must be kept holy."

"Having an eruv in Lancaster makes just things a little easier" for Lancaster's Orthodox faithful, Sackett said.

"It's a more convenient way of observing God's holy day," he said.

For more information on the eruv or on services being held at Congregation Degel Israel,1120 Columbia Ave., call 397-0183.