Q&A: Questions and Source Literature on Electricity on the Sabbath
Questions and Source Literature on Electricity on the Sabbath
Question
In honor of Rabbi Michael, greetings,
I heard a lecture by the Rabbi about electricity on the Sabbath, where he spoke mainly about the prohibited labor of building. I wanted to ask further about electricity on the Sabbath—I would be happy for sources to the main halakhic decisors who dealt with the field—whether it should be forbidden and why—the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Kook, and perhaps others. I want to clarify the Jewish law from its earliest sources. (And if it is necessary to say this for the sake of discussion on the forum, it is obvious that the use of electricity began about 300 years after the Shulchan Arukh, and it is not at all clear to me that it is forbidden. And there is also a Conservative tradition that permits it.)
Likewise I want to ask—
Regarding kindling: the prohibition in the Torah, and it seems to me also the wording of the Sages, is about burning with fire: "You shall not kindle fire," and the prohibited labor of kindling. And I wonder where Rabbi Kook found grounds to forbid lighting a fire? There is a prohibition to burn, that is, to consume material by means of fire. "So you shall burn out the evil from your midst" is a matter of destruction, and likewise "a brutish man" means a lacking person. And the wording "You shall not kindle fire" is specifically a prohibition to burn by means of fire. Like saying "to land a hard blow," meaning to strike by means of a hard blow. And the point is that burning is not something external to fire but part of its very essence, and therefore there is no need to write "with" fire.
And I wonder what is consumed in electricity? And are electrons that move considered consumption? And are bacteria that die when one steps on the floor considered killing on the Sabbath? And truly I do not really understand this physically. And as far as I know, the burning at the electric company is predetermined, and we are not concerned about later accounting matters, just as we are not concerned about the water bill that records use on the Sabbath. Since one does not intend it and does not benefit from it.
And regarding building, I saw it emphasized in the Talmud in tractate Sabbath that it is akin to what was done in the Tabernacle. In the discussion of what minimal amount is forbidden under building. So how can we forbid electricity?
Where, in the Rabbi's opinion, should one begin investigating this subject? What are the foundational sources that shape the discussion among the various halakhic decisors? (I remember that in that lecture the Rabbi brought Maimonides about making cheese curds.)
And regarding rabbinic restrictions, I do not understand—if I study Torah from the internet on the Sabbath?
(And in any case, in my opinion it is forbidden to cause a computer to write something lasting, or to make a lasting mark, or to turn off the light in order not to waste electricity—which is planning from Sabbath to weekday regarding burning, and one intends it and benefits from it, and similarly—not everything is permitted.)
Much goodness and great appreciation,
Ofir
Answer
You can find the sources in any search. For example, there is an entry on electricity in the Talmudic Encyclopedia.
I do not see the relevance of the Shulchan Arukh to the timing of the discussion of the prohibition of electricity. The Shulchan Arukh also lived a thousand years after the sealing of the Talmud, so is it also unimportant?
With all the respect (the little of it) that I have for the Conservative movement, it is a bit strange to me to speak of a "Conservative tradition." At most one can speak of a Conservative opinion. (By the way, I seem to recall that there was also such an Orthodox opinion, among some of the sages of North Africa.)
Your interpretation of the prohibited labor of kindling is possible, but not simple. The labor of burning is called that because it burns things. But once there is a term, "kindling," that describes igniting fire, one can define the labor as the very act of igniting fire, without connection to consumption. It may be that this depends on the dispute between the Rosh and Tosafot in Beitzah 22b regarding one who makes use of the oil in a lamp. See there in the passage and the commentaries.
In any case, if this is considered kindling, there is room to say that it is forbidden only rabbinically. It is very plausible that kindling that does not consume is also forbidden rabbinically.
I explained the issue of building in that lecture, and this is not the place to elaborate further.
I did not understand the end (from the rabbinic restrictions onward).
Discussion on Answer
B. As far as I know, it is forbidden to make a lasting mark on the Sabbath, but it is permitted to create words in a game by arranging cubes in a box or by means of water. So it seems to me that it is permitted to type a word into a search engine but not into a Word document, because Word is lasting. And all the more so it is forbidden to save a document.
C. Regarding the last point, I am concerned that if the electric company checks how much petroleum to burn based on previous days, then turning off electricity in order to conserve petroleum or combustible materials is planning from Sabbath to weekday, if it is forbidden to plan in order to avoid prohibited labor. Because that is how they plan not to burn more petroleum. On the other hand, it seems to me that for public needs it is permitted to plan from Sabbath to weekday, such as sales in the synagogue.
Rabbinic restriction in the sense you are speaking about (the character of the Sabbath) is completely unclear to me. In my opinion there are no criteria there at all.
The question is not only whether the writing is lasting, but also whether there is an act of writing here. Not every creation of letters is writing (as in cutting around letters, engraving on the reverse side, and the like).
I do not think the problem is the planning. I did not understand comment C.
Can I get a link to the lecture?
I think this is it:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwJAdMjYRm7IYlRaVTM1WnFPVzQ/view
Tosafot speak about the flickering of the wick, which is certainly not connected to our issue,
and the Rosh seemingly supports me—
He writes:
"And this is the reason that one who puts oil into a lamp is liable, because he prolongs its burning"—that is, from the wording of the Rosh one can infer that the burning is of the oil, and the burning is not that of the fire; meaning, "You shall not kindle fire" means "You shall not burn by means of fire." By adding oil, the fire is less consumed but increased, whereas the oil is consumed, and therefore this is forbidden.
And likewise:
"And one may not take a lit wick from this lamp and place it in another lamp, for immediately when he removes it from the lamp he is liable for extinguishing, and what does it help if he returns and lights it?" Meaning, even though the light and heat remain in the wick (as I understand it, according to Rabbi Kook fire is light and heat), there is extinguishing because the remaining oil is less consumed.
I cannot continue a discussion at such long intervals. If you want to ask something, raise it here explicitly.
Thank you for the answer.
I will clarify and ask:
A. What does rabbinic restriction have to do with electricity? Some wanted to forbid it on the grounds of rabbinic restriction. If this is weekday-type activity, that is not compelling, because one can study Torah by means of electricity.