Q&A: An Alarm Clock on the Sabbath
An Alarm Clock on the Sabbath
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I have two questions:
1. Is it permitted to set an alarm on a cellphone before the Sabbath, and put the device into a bag or place it on a tray that also contains other items—so that it becomes a base for both a prohibited and a permitted item—and then, when the phone rings in the morning, take the bag/tray out of the room so that my wife will not wake up? Is there a problem here of moving muktzeh?
2. Assuming the solution I suggested is forbidden according to Jewish law, do you know of another trick for waking up on the Sabbath without waking other people?
Thank you, and happy New Year
Answer
In my opinion there is no prohibition here. If the sound is too loud, then perhaps one should be concerned about it becoming too publicly noticeable. I am not even sure it is muktzeh if you are using it for a permitted use (as an alarm clock). Just as, in my opinion, a fan is not muktzeh because its use is permitted even though turning it on is forbidden. And even if it is muktzeh, it is a utensil whose primary function is for a prohibited act (it does not seem to me that there is an issue of designated monetary loss here), and it is permitted to move it for the sake of its place. I think this counts as for the sake of its place.
Thank you