Both of the cases you mention are still 'seriously trying to follow the precepts' (for many Jews, at least). A lot of (Orthodox) Jews seem to have this idea tha

Both of the cases you mention are still 'seriously trying to follow the precepts' (for many Jews, at least). A lot of (Orthodox) Jews seem to have this idea that an Eruv is this big wink-wink-nod-nod loophole which blatantly circumvents a biblical prohibition through somewhat arbitrary (ie. Lacking in essential religious meaning) legal gymnastics. This is not the case. An Eruv is actually a beautiful example of the halakhic (translate: "Jewish law") process working as it's supposed to. Its implementation combines sharp hermeneutics with a sensitivity to the needs of real communities and a strong understanding of the meta-halakhic principles which drive the entire process I'm not really sure if a sub- comment on HN is the right place to expand on this, but I'm happy to discuss it via some other medium.