Q&A: Benefiting from an Air Conditioner Turned On on the Sabbath
Benefiting from an Air Conditioner Turned On on the Sabbath
Question
Have a good week, Rabbi,
Is there a problem with benefiting from an air conditioner that was turned on on the Sabbath by a secular Jew, and if so, what should one do to avoid that benefit?
Best regards
Answer
In principle, it is forbidden to benefit from it. True, some have permitted it when no tangible object was created there, but that is strained. Simply speaking, it is similar to a lamp that was lit, from which it is forbidden to benefit.
However, someone who does not believe may possibly have the status of an inadvertent transgressor or someone under compulsion, and then there are some halakhic decisors (a minority view) who permitted benefiting from his labor on the Sabbath.
In any case, if he did this not with you in mind, you are not required to give up using the room if you had planned to use it. Certainly if this is your room.