Lighting and Communication on Shabbat

 

Answer: First, it's unthinkable that the Halacha would be distorted for convenience. The Torah of Israel is Hashem's Torah. As such, no one has permission to change or twist it according to their desires. The extensive halachic literature testifies to this, as anyone studying it will immediately notice how Torah scholars and halachic authorities adhere to the Torah sources, engaging in in-depth discussions about whether the question at hand resembles something related to the topic being discussed, or whether distinctions must be made between them.

 

(For those interested in consulting contemporary halachic literature, here is a partial list of responsa written by Torah scholars of our generation: "Minchat Yitzchak" (ten volumes) by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss; "Igrot Moshe" (eight volumes) by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein; "Yabia Omer" (eight large volumes) and "Yechaveh Da'at" (six volumes) by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef; and more.)

 

Regarding the matter at hand: As is known, food cooked on Shabbat, as well as any product of forbidden labor performed on Shabbat, is prohibited for use on Shabbat. (After Shabbat, it is permissible to eat or benefit from that labor performed by someone else on Shabbat, except for the person who performed the labor and those for whom it was performed. These individuals are forever forbidden from benefiting from that labor.

 

If one cooked unintentionally, not knowing it was Shabbat or not knowing that this action is forbidden on Shabbat, even the person who cooked is permitted to eat from the food after Shabbat). All this is explained in detail in the Shulchan Aruch, section 318, paragraph 1. At the same time, it is a well-known law that saving a life overrides Shabbat. As stated in the Shulchan Aruch (section 328, paragraph 1) regarding an illness that involves danger to life, "it is a mitzvah to violate Shabbat. And one who acts quickly is praiseworthy.

 

And one who asks [a rabbi for permission to violate Shabbat when it's clearly a matter of saving a life] is considered a shedder of blood [because while he goes to ask and returns, the patient might be endangered]." Not only when the danger is certain must one violate Shabbat to save a life, but even when there is doubt or concern about danger, one must violate Shabbat, as explained in the Shulchan Aruch there (paragraph 10 and elsewhere).

 

Now, since many homes have sick people, infants, or elderly individuals in various conditions, for whom, for reasons of saving lives, a regular supply of electricity must be maintained even on Shabbat, such as for operating medical equipment (for example, a nebulizer for treating severe breathing difficulties.

 

It should be remembered that in such a case, even if it's known from Friday that the device will need to be used on Shabbat, when one could set specific operation times using a Shabbat timer connected to the outlet, an electrical current is still required to operate it), and for operating home lighting in emergencies at night to allow quick telephone contact with various rescue services or to find urgently needed medication (and according to many authorities, in our times, street lighting is also essential for security and criminal prevention purposes).

 

In light of this, the work of electric company employees that enables regular electricity supply on Shabbat is done permissibly. Therefore, it is permissible to use electricity for lighting, air conditioning, ventilation, etc., when home appliances are operated using a Shabbat timer.

 

It should be noted that today, the ongoing production of electricity is generally done without human intervention, so the electric current itself is mostly produced without Shabbat desecration. However, we needed to preface the above explanation because of cases where work is performed on Shabbat to repair malfunctions, regulate currents to prevent disconnecting a certain area from the current, and the like. (Other Shabbat violations performed by company employees not for the purpose of saving lives do not directly relate to the supply of electricity to homes, and therefore their violations do not prohibit us from using the electric current.

 

However, an employee of the electric company who is asked by supervisors to work on Shabbat should clarify the nature of the work required of him on Shabbat and check with a Torah scholar knowledgeable in Halacha whether this work indeed relates to saving lives, as well as the details of the laws regarding his role. For example: answering the telephone at home, traveling to his workplace because of a possible malfunction, etc.). [It is also worth noting that despite what has been said, many Shabbat observers make an extra effort to participate in purchasing a neighborhood generator that serves all residents of the neighborhood on Shabbat without using electricity that Jews are involved in producing for private needs].

 

Now, after we have clarified the reason for the halachic permission to benefit from electric current on Shabbat, we can easily understand the great difference between benefiting from electric current produced without prohibition and benefiting from media broadcasts that are broadcast on Shabbat in violation of the law. Benefiting from media broadcasts on Shabbat is exactly like benefiting from food that was cooked on Shabbat in violation of the law.

 

After all, the Jews working on Shabbat in these places are desecrating Shabbat without any grounds for permission, and their work is forbidden for use even if we operate the home equipment using a Shabbat timer. There are additional reasons in this matter (which will explain additional aspects of the prohibition against using communication devices on Shabbat in various situations), but in this brief outline, what has been said is sufficient.