A Tel Aviv Surprise: The Water Meter That Observes Shabbat

A Tel Aviv resident named Gil Melamed recently took to Facebook with a charged post after the city's water service provider, Mei Avivim, requested a water meter check on Shabbat.

Melamed turned off all the taps in his apartment and rushed to check if the meter was indeed faulty and the numbers were still running. To his surprise, instead of numbers, the words 'Shabbat Shalom' appeared on the meter's display. "Yes, exactly as you read: the electronic water meters observe Shabbat," Melamed wrote in the post that quickly went viral. "Instead of digits or water consumption readings, what is displayed on all the electronic water meters is 'Shabbat Shalom.' In simple terms, anyone wanting to check their water usage on Shabbat has to wait until Saturday night or Sunday."

The clever Israeli mind immediately thought it had uncovered a loophole, and dozens of commenters argued the issue should be checked, suggesting there might be no need to pay for water used during Shabbat. However, it quickly became clear this was a baseless claim and that the water meter operates as usual on Shabbat, with the only difference being it doesn't display the digits during Shabbat.

According to the water provider, these are special 'kosher' meters installed at the request of the customer, measuring water even on Shabbat — but mechanically. After Shabbat ends, the exact measurement is displayed.